Saving Money on Gas
With gas being so costly and prices seemingly always on the rise, saving money on fuel when possible is a worthy idea given how reliant so many of us are on our automobiles. Whether you buy premium gas, fill the tank with the cheapest gas on offer, drive a gas guzzler, or opted for a car that gets good gas mileage, the advice below will help you get better gas mileage and get the most out of that next fill up.
If your drive to work every day often involves a lot of stopping and starting due to traffic jams, gently ease forward rather than stomping on the gas pedal to get a few feet ahead. Hard acceleration from a stopped position cuts into your fuel efficiency. The more you do it, the more gas you waste so try to be patient. Especially if your morning and evening drive home from the office involves navigating through a lot of stop and go traffic. Aggressive driving even when you are not stuck in traffic contributes to poor gas mileage as well. Aggressive driving habits like quick starts, braking hard, as well as constant slowing down and speeding up use gasoline inefficiently.
Excessive idling is also a waste of fuel. If you know your car will be stopped, cut the engine. Don’t do this when stuck in a traffic jam, though. It is outlawed in some jurisdictions. Instead of waiting for somebody with the engine running, turn the motor off.
Another way to save fuel and bring down costs is to drive at or below the speed limit. Fuel economy gets reduced swiftly the faster you drive. Slowing down requires little effort and habitually speeding is a driving habit that can easily be altered. In addition, it is safer and you may save yourself the cost of a speeding ticket or two.
Whenever possible, such as on long highway drives, remember to use cruise control. By taking advantage of cruise control, your speed will rise and fall less and your car will use gas in a more efficient way. Mountains, hills, and crusie control do not mix well, though. Cruise control will try to sustain a constant speed over the changing landscape. As a result, your car will shift through low and high gears dropping your fuel economy.
Eliminating unneeded cargo and the extra pounds you carry with it will make your car more fuel efficient as well. Store heavy items you don’t use somewhere other than in the trunk of your car. Roof racks are very useful for those who enjoy outdoor activities like skiing, bicycling, or paddling, but they should only be attached on an as needed basis. Take the roof rack off if you are not using it. The extra air drag roof racks force your car to fight with greatly reduces your gas mileage.
The best way to get more for your money and increase your fuel economy is to make simple adjustments to your driving habits. By cutting down on your speeding, reducing drag and excess weight if possible, and being a more patient driver you can get much better mileage and save some money.
Pat Beck is a part-time freelance writer who enjoys writing on a number of car related subjects such as premium fuel. You can find more articles by Pat on various blogs including the Southern Voices blog.
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