Saving Fuel
and easing the bite on your wallet
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With the events that have occurred on the Gulf Coast
of the U.S., many questions have come my direction as to what (if
anything) can be done to increase fuel economy. Below are
several suggestions that can increase your fuel economy by as much as
20%.
1. Keep a record of your gasoline usage - stop at your local office
supply store and they should have a simple booklet you can purchase
that you can fill out every time you buy gas or service your car. Make
sure you check your fuel economy with every fill up using this record.
This is the best way to see if your car may be having some fuel
robbing problems. Your fuel economy should stay pretty consistent over
time.
2. For long trips, use your most gas friendly car - it might be a
tight fit, but the savings can be really big.
3. Consolidate trips - try and schedule your trips and combine them.
Many times just making a decision to go to a different side of town to
shop can lead you to major price savings at the pump. Also,
avoid going back and forth across town. Set up your trips in a
circle to avoid backtracking.
4. Avoid "reving" the engine, especially just before you switch the
engine off; this wastes fuel needlessly and washes oil down from the
inside cylinder walls, leading to loss of oil pressure.
5. Eliminate jack-rabbit starts. Accelerate slowly when starting from
dead stop. Don't push pedal down more than 1/4 of the total foot
travel. This allows carburetor to function at peak efficiency.
6. Avoid prolonged warming up of engine, even on cold mornings - 30 to
45 seconds is plenty of time. With AIR COOLED engine drive
IMMEDIATELY, but casually!!!!! The best way of warming up the engine
is driving at 30 MPH (48 KPH).
7. Don't start and stop engine needlessly. Idling your engine for one
minute consumes the gas amount equivalent to when you start the
engine. Avoid the drive through at the fast food restaurant.
8. AVOID stop and go traffic. Sitting in traffic is ZERO
miles per gallon! For every day you sit in traffic, you will use
around 200 gallons more per year, AT LEAST!
1. Buy gasoline during coolest time of day - early morning or late
evening is best. During these times gasoline is densest. Keep in mind
- gas pumps measure volumes of gasoline, not densities of fuel
concentration. You are charged according to "volume of measurement".
2. Normally the best time to buy gasoline from a pricing point is
Wednesday morning. The prices are usually moved up for weekend by the
oil companies and by Wednesday you have had three days of competition
setting in among the stations to help drive the price down a few
cents. (except lately I have been seeing price increases DAILY!)
3. Most stations generally raise or lower their prices in the
morning - around 10 AM. Expect a rise to occur on Thursday morning.
(but this has not been true lately!)
4. Some stations are fast to rise prices when they are going up, some
are slow to go up. If you find that the price has gone up when you go
to lunch, try and find one of those slow movers in your area so you
can still purchase the cheaper gasoline.
5. Choose type and brand of gasoline carefully. Certain brands provide
you with greater economy because of better quality. Use the brands
which "seem" most beneficial.
6. Avoid filling gas tank to top. Overfilling results in sloshing over
and out of tank. Try never to fill gas tank past the first "click" of
fuel nozzle, if nozzle is automatic.
7. Avoid purchasing at exit ramps for highways - especially during
holiday travel. These stations may be convenient but they know they
have a captive audience. Try to fill up at your local station before
you leave town - you know the one - where the prices are lowest.
8. If you have to buy on the highway, try to buy at the border
stations when traveling between states. Many times these stations are
very aggressive at trying to gain your business and many can take
advantage of differences in state taxes.
1. Slow down when possible - driving 55 mph can save up to 10% on
gas mileage vs. driving 65 - 70 mph. This is due to wind resistance.
The valve train on air cooled VWs will go higher but the best fuel
economy occurs at 62 mph.
2. If your car has an overdrive gear, use it. Traveling at fast rates
in low gears can consume up to 45% more fuel than is needed.
3. Manual shift driven cars allow you to change to highest gear as
soon as possible, thereby letting you save gas if you "nurse it
along". However, if you cause the engine to "bog down", premature
wearing of engine parts occurs. Using a vacuum gauge will help with
this problem.
4. Keep windows closed when traveling at highway speeds. Open windows
cause air drag, reducing your mileage by 10%.
5. Drive steadily. Slowing down or speeding up wastes fuel. Also avoid
tailgating - the driver in front of you is unpredictable. Not only is
it unsafe, but if affects your economy, if he slows down unexpectedly.
6. Think ahead when approaching hills. If you accelerate, do it before
you reach the hill, not while you're on it.
7. Think ahead at stop signs and stop lights - no need to race up to a
red light and then jam on the brakes to slow down. Plan to slow down
before the light. If you can slow down soon enough to not have to stop
at the light, you can save quite a bit a fuel versus starting from a
standing start.
8. Stoplights are usually timed for your motoring advantage. By
traveling steadily at the legal speed limit you boost your chances of
having the "green light" all the way. (this is true in most cities,
except Denton Texas!)
9. Keep you air filter clean at all times. Check it at least
once a week and change out if dirty. A dirty air filter will rob
you of 5% of your fuel economy.
10. Remove snow tires during good weather seasons; traveling on deep
tire tread really robs fuel!
11. Inflate all tires to maximum limit. For each pound of pressure the
tire is under inflated, you consume about 1% more fuel. Make sure you
carry in your car an accurate tire gauge and know what the pressure
should be. Check your tires at least twice a month and always before,
during and after long trips.
12. Remove excess weight from trunk or inside of car - extra tires,
back seats, unnecessary heavy parts. Extra weight reduces mileage,
especially when driving up inclines.
13. During cold weather watch for icicles frozen to car frame. Up to
100 lbs. can be quickly accumulated! Accumulated snow and ice cause
tremendous wind resistance. Try and keep your car clean at the carwash
when possible..
14. Avoid using roof top carriers - they can cause serious drag on the
car and lessen your mileage by up to 15%. Pack it in or leave in
behind.
15. Keep up engine tuned up. A poorly tuned engine can rob
you of 15 - 20% of your power and at least the same amount in fuel.
16. Change your oil at regular intervals. Going over the
recommended interval will cost in ware and tear on the engine and in
fuel economy too.
17. Avoid unnecessary trips. If you do not need to drive,
DON'T!
