This is a tip from my mechanic...
Keep your tires inflated to the proper level! I regularly
track my miles per gallon, and after he told me that it is
important to keep your tires inflated to the proper level
(my car has this indicated on a label on the inside of the
driver's side door), I have been keeping an eye on my
tire air level. My mpg has gone up since I have maintained
the air level in the tires! I was surprised that it would
make a noticeable difference, but it does!
Rachel
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Hi there, I first off want to say that I really enjoy your
newsletter, I love to read all the great suggestions. You had
asked about money saving tips on gas. I don't know if these
will be helpful, but I work for a company where we all have to
drive all day and these are some of the tips I remember that
were put out in a memo that was sent to us.
1. Check your tire pressure. even if you are 1 point below
your recommended PSI on your brand of tires, you lose gas
economy.
2. Get your tune up and check your air filter. A dirty air
filter causes your car to use more fuel .
3. Empty out your car. If you have a lot of items in your car,
especially in smaller cars, you lose fuel economy.
4. Roll up your windows. Driving with your windows down actually
causes you to use more fuel.
5. Drive the speed limit. Every time you speed, you not only
risk getting a ticket you lose valuable fuel. Especially if
you speed and then brake a lot.
6. Don't waste your money on supposed fuel saving products.
They don't maximize your use of gasoline.
7. Use the internet to find the cheapest gas station in your
area. Fill up.
8. Try to be efficient on your errands/trips. Figure out where
you are going first. Try to get as much done in a specific area
as you can to maximize your efficiency, and use less fuel,
driving all over town.
There were a few more, but these are the ones I remember.
Take care!!
M.L. Phoenix, AZ
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Gas Saving Tips:
Use "overdrive" when going at least 40 mph, using drive uses
more rpms and more gas.
When you see a red light ahead, take your foot off the gas peddle.
Often the light will change and the cars get moving before you
get there and there is no need to brake. The less you brake, the
less acceration you have to do. Once someone behind my husband
told him his brake lights were out. No they weren't...he
just drives the speed limit, keeps his distance from the car
ahead and rarely has to break for slow moving traffic.
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Hi Terry!
These tips are posted on the 'Low Impact Living' site. So is the
short 'buying gas' tip I sent through the homemoneyhelp site to
you yesterday. Since these do come from another website, I didn't
know if you'd be interested in them, though I feel they'd be
helpful to the readers. You decide. *smiles*
Blessings!
Roseanne
1) DRIVING MORE EFFICIENTLY
Drive Sensibly
Aggressive driving (like speeding, rapid acceleration and braking)
wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by as much as 33 percent
at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is
also safer for you and others, so you may end up saving more than
just gas money.
Fuel Economy Benefit: 5-33%
Equivalent Gas Savings: $0.11-$0.73/gallon
Observe the Speed Limit
Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you
drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.15 per gallon for
gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer.
Fuel Economy Benefit: 7-23%
Equivalent Gas Savings: $0.15-$0.51/gallon
Remove Excess Weight
Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy
ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up
to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative
to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger
ones.
Fuel Economy Benefit: 1-2%/100 lbs
Equivalent Gas Savings: $0.02-$0.04/gallon
Use Your Cruise Control
Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed
and, in most cases, will save gas.
Use Overdrive Gears
Riding the brakes is unsafe, wastes gas and prematurely wears down your
brake shoes. When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed
slows down on its own. This saves gas and reduces engine wear. But
remember not to stay in low gears at high speeds. Use only for slowing
down.
Don't Idle!
People used to warm up their cars by idling for 5 or 10 minutes to reduce
wear and tear. We now know the opposite is true. An idling car can increase
engine wear and tailpipe emissions. If your car is in decent shape, there's
no need to idle for more than a few seconds before taking off. An engine
actually warms up more quickly while driving anyway.
And for those times when you're "just running in," or stuck for a train a
good rule of thumb is if you'll be 30 seconds or more, just turn the car off
and restart it when you get back. Remember- when you idle you get zero miles
per gallon.
Roll 'Em Up
Don't drive with open windows when traveling at high speeds. Open windows on
the highway can reduce fuel efficiency by 10%. It's much better to use the
ventilation system.
2) KEEPING YOUR CAR IN SHAPE
Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned
Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test
can impove its gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent, though results vary
based on the kind of repair and how well it is done. If your car has a faulty
oxygen sensor, your gas mileage may improve as much as 40 percent.
Fuel Economy Benefit: 4-40%
Equivalent Gas Savings: $0.09-$0.88/gallon
Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly Replacing a clogged air filter can
improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Your car's air
filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only
will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine.
Fuel Economy Benefit: up to 10%
Equivalent Gas Savings: up to $0.22/gallon
Keep Tires Properly Inflated
You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires
inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage
by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly
inflated tires are safer and last longer.
Fuel Economy Benefit: up to 3%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: up to $0.07/gallon
Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil
You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer's
recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an
engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent. Using
5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5
percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API
performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.
Fuel Economy Benefit: 1-2%
Equivalent Gas Savings: $0.02-$0.04/gallon
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I've been carpooling with a cowork from work, and it's worked out great.
Because she's an early bird, I've been getting into work an hour earlier
-- and get to leave earlier too!
Silvia
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Plan your week. Knowing you will be dropping kids off at school, driving
to work and home, use these trips to arrange your errands and shopping.
Have all coupons, lists etc with you. If you forget to go somewhere, let
it wait until the next time you have a group of errands to run. It saves
you time, effort and keeps your driving to a certain area.
Also, make sure your tires are in good shape, fully inflated and your air
filter is clean. A little maintenance can go a long way in fuel efficiency.
Tambi
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Gas prices tend to be higher on Fridays and weekends, and just before
holiday weekends. Try to gas up T, W, Th.
Gas stations adjacent to freeways tend to be more expensive.
Piggyback or group your errands to minimize unnecessary driving.
NEVER pay for premium gas unless your car knocks or pings on regular.
Avoid filling up in the hot part of the day. Gas expands when hot, so
you actually get less gas for your buck.
I buy all my gas at Costco. Its always anywhere from a few cents to
15 cents cheaper than anywhere else. Gas at local stations here is
around $3-3.10/gal, yesterday I paid $2.88/gal. Fortunately the store
is very close to my home!
Linda
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Excell and Slow down gradually as apposed to quickly.
Check the local prices on the web.
GasBuddy.com - Find cheap gas prices in your city
Get rid of non essentials, extra weight decreases gas mileage.
Check Tire Pressure, 1 PSI can be the difference of 2 miles per gallon
according to AAA.
Check Air filter
No Name Given
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As you drive about town, get in the habit of scanning posted gas prices.
You'll notice some gas stations that almost always charge less than the
others. Anytime you're near those cheapies, filler up. As you scan around
you'll occasionally be rewarded with a posted price that is even lower
than that of your favorite stations.
Jane
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I'm not certain if I submitted the tip correctly so I'm trying again.
Sorry if this is a duplicate.
Our family of 7 makes a game of seeing how long we can go without buying
gas. We avoid making unnecessary trips. Instead, we bike, walk, or run
whenever possible. When we must drive, we combine errands to save on gas.
This takes careful planning, such as knowing what items will be needed
for the month's menu.
Instead of putting money into a car, we invest in cycling equipment.
Our bike trailer holds our 2 youngest children; the rest of us use our
leg power to get around. The bike trailer is also great for holding up
to 100 lbs. of groceries or household items from WalMart.
My husband purchased cycling rain gear, warm weather cycling clothes
and lights for the bikes so now he can bike to work even in inclement
weather, saving us several gallons of gas a week. The money we spend
on our bikes and equipment is insignificant when compared to the
savings on gas, car repairs, and insurance. We also get much needed
exercise and stay healthier, preventing unnecessary trips to the
doctor's office.
When we do drive, we observe the speed limit and stay alert for red
lights. Once stopped we gradually increase our speed rather than
accelerating quickly. Nothing burns gas more than frequent stops and
starts and stepping on the gas pedal.
We live in a hilly section of Virginia, so it's not always easy
running or cycling on these roads. But through the years we've gotten
stronger and now we think driving to the store is boring. It's so
much more fun to bike!
Rachel
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If you have the opportunity at work to adjust your working hours, pick
a less busy time of day for your commute. My daughter carpools with
me for work, and we leave at 5:15 in the morning, and we leave work at
2:30. We miss all of the heavy traffic. Even the school buses in the
afternoon are going the opposite direction as we are.
An even bigger saver, though, is to check out different routes. With
new construction going on everywhere, you may find a faster trip along
one of those routes. My morning ride is one route, even thought it has
many more traffice signals, they are usually green or short on the reds.
And the afternoon ride is a breeze since I get to sail right through at
those same signals that would slow me down if I took it in the morning.
My new after-work route shaves nearly 10 minutes off my old commute!
Ida
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If you have a tachometer on your vehicle, keeping it at a constant is
more helpful that keeping the speedometer at a constant. This is
especially true in hilly terain.
Vicki
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I save gas by carpooling with friends and coworkers.
I also use public transportation.
If I have to use the car, I make sure I routed my itenery. I tried to
run several errands every time I have to use my car.
I also check out the gas prices at gasbuddy.com to see where I can get
cheaper gas.
Wendy
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I have seen alot of tips on how to get better gas mileage but have not seen
this one. I have a Mercury Grand Marquis car and with normal driving, I get
approximately 18-19 miles per gallon. Recently I went to Michigan to see my
children and grandchildren and I got 30-31 miles per gallon by driving 55-57
miles per hour. Granted those are interstate highway miles for the most
part and yes, everyone does pass me, but I don't care.I am even getting 20-22
miles per gallon in town when I keep my speed at or below the speed limit.
Carol
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Hubby has a 95 Caravan that has served us well. The gas mileage was starting
to get around 15 to 17 miles/gallon. We went to our local Farm and Fleet and
purchased an air filter, K & N is the name brand. It is a reuseable filter,
just clean it 2x's a year. (unless all the driving you do is on dusty
roads, then possibly more often). Now our gas mileage is around 22 to 24 mpg.
To me that is a savings. (mpg. based on all-around driving, not just in town
or on a long trip.)
The cost of the filter did seem high to us at first, $35.00, but it is the
last one we will have to buy for the van. The van also has more get up and go,
almot like it has only half the miles on it that it does.
Deetermined...
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To save on gas, empty your trunk/back of vehicle of unnecessary items. Hauling
extra items around in your vehicle reduces your miles per gallon.
Deb
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Gas Saving Tip: Where I live, we have Krogers grocery store with gas pumps.
If you spend $100 within a 30-day period you earn 100 points at Krogers.
And when you do that, you receive 10 cents off the regular price of gas all
using your Kroger card.
Julie
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For cheaper gas look for gas stations not located within a cluster of gas
stations and not on a major street. Those stations tend to price their gas
at the same price but the lone wolf gas station may tend to price their gas
based on their own costs not what other gas stations are charging for gas.
This may mean you can find a bargain.
Garth