How Can I Save Gas?
With gas prices fluctuating, this becomes a most important question.
If Possible - Don't drive. Walk, jog, bike, telecommute, take a bus, go by train or carpool when possible. Work and buy over the Internet.
Use your car only when absolutely necessary.
Public transportation authorities often have carpooling information as well
as transit services.
If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets the best gas mileage
whenever possible.
Carpool to work with people who work in the same workplace or close to the same workplace.
Combine errands into one trip. Consolidate trips to destinations that are near one another.
Sit down and examining how many regular car trips you make in a week. Make a list of things that need to be done using your car. Most of these things can be saved to do on only one day of the week. (shopping, banking, hair care, etc.) By careful consolidation car trip planning you should be able to decrease the number of trips by one-half.
Most people use a vehicle on a weekly basis just to do their banking and go shopping. Consider doing your shopping and banking on the Internet.
Once you arrive, park and walk between destinations. Save errands for one afternoon and plan your trip so you don't retrace your route. You not only save gas this way, but reduce wear-and-tear on your car.
Drive your car wisely and maintain it properly. The way you drive and take care of your car can make a big difference in your gas mileage.
Use ethanol enhanced fuel. This fuel contains a percentage of ethanol which does not harm today's modern car engines. Buying this fuel in effect reduces slightly the need for oil based gasoline and besides, it burns cleaner and does not pollute the enviornment as much as ordinary gasoline.
If you go on vacation and want to travel long distances, consider renting a car that has better gas mileage than the one you usually drive. If you can rent from a rental agent that provides per day rental at unlimited mileage it might be more attractive that driving your the personal gas guzzler.
If you work in an industry or service whereby the work that you provide can be provided by telecommuting, ask your boss if this is possible. Saving even one or two days out of five depending up how far you ususally communte will save lots of gas, money and time over one year. Telecommuting or working from home is the growing trend. With the advent of company chats, even conferencing or meetings are possible.
What can I do to save money when buying gas?
Shop around for the best gas price. There are now lots of Internet sites that will tell you where to find the lowest gas prices in a particular city. Gas prices are set mainly from the wholesale price of gasoline. The barrel head price of oil is one indicator of the rise or fall of prices in four weeks time, but if you want to know if the prices will rise in two weeks - check the current wholesale price. As a rule of thumb - prices of .90 cents US/gallon are high and usually will cause prices to be 70 plus cents/litre. Prices lower than .90 cents/ US gallon will reflect a pump price to be less than 70 cents in about 2 weeks.
What can I do to get better gas mileage when I drive?
You can greatly improve your mileage by having your car serviced regularly and by driving wisely. Any of these nine points can help improve your mileage:
- Go easy on the brakes and gas pedal. Avoid "jackrabbit" starts by accelerating gradually whenever possible. Also, anticipate stops to avoid sudden braking.
- Avoid long idles. Turn off the engine if you anticipate a lengthy wait like when waiting at a train crossing for a train to pass. Instead of idling at a drive-up window, park the car and go in. Idling burns more gas than restarting the engine. Limit car warmups in winter.
- Don't carry unneeded items in the trunk. Extra weight decreases gas mileage. Also, reduce drag by placing items inside the car or trunk rather than on roof racks.
- In cold weather check the oil level in your engine. Cold weather starting does not allow the car engine to heat up quickly enough to seal the engine parts. Thus more oil is used. When a car has less than the desireable amount of oil lubricating the moving parts, it uses more energy (gasoline) to move the parts and thus you use more gas.
- Avoid high speeds. You can improve your gas mileage about 15 percent by driving at 100 km/hr. rather than 120 km/hr..
- Use your air conditioning only when necessary. Roll down the windows or open the air vents to keep your car comfortable on those not-so-hot days when traveling at city speeds.
- Use overdrive. If your car is equipped with overdrive gearing (on 5-speed manual transmissions and 4-speed automatic transmissions), be sure to make use of the overdrive gear as soon as your speed is high enough. If you have a manual transmission, the lower the shift speed, the better the fuel economy. Your owner's manual will give you further information.
- Keep tires properly inflated and aligned. Periodic wheel alignments and keeping tires inflated to the maximum recommended pressure can improve your gas mileage.
- Get regular engine tuneups and car maintenance checks. Tuneups improve performance as well as gas mileage. Check your owner's manual for recommended maintenance schedules. By following the manufacturer's recommendations, you should avoid fuel economy problems due to worn spark plugs, dragging brakes, low transmission fluid, or the transmission not going into high gear.
- Use the cruise control on your car to maintain a constant speed if you have to commute to and from work on a highway. If you have to commute over a long distance, you will be pleasantly surprised how much gas you can save by using the cruise control to maintain a speed just less than the speed limit allowed.
- Keep windows closed when traveling at highway speeds. Open windows cause air drag, reducing your mileage by 10%.
What should I consider when buying a new car?
Understand your needs and buy accordingly. Get only the options you really need. Optional equipment that adds weight to your car can decrease your gas mileage (especially heavy options such as four-wheel drive). Automatic transmissions generally degrade fuel economy. Larger engines and higher horsepower typically result in lower gas mileage. If you need the additional power and torque, be aware your gas mileage will suffer during all types of driving.
Check the gas mileage ratings of similar vehicles. Buy a fuel efficient model in the size category that meets your needs. The Federal Gas Mileage Guide, issued annually and free of charge at all auto dealerships, compares gas mileage of similar models.
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