|
|
| |
Gas - Saving Money Tips
1. Shop around for a lower
price, but don't go miles out of your
way to get the best price. When
traveling a long distance to save a
few pennies, you end up spending
more on car driving expenses (AAA
estimates that it costs 56.1 cents a
mile to drive a car in 2005 while the
IRS allows a deduction of 40.5
cents a mile) than you end up saving
with the lower gas price.
2. To find the least expensive
gas in your local area, don't drive
around looking. Internet sites like
gasbuddy.com will show you the
lowest gas price without leaving
your driveway.
3. It's best to purchase gas
from a station that is busy. Gas
that sits in tanks for long periods
can get contaminated and lower its
effectiveness. Fresh gas is less likely
to be contaminated ensuring you
get the most power for your dollar.
4. Avoid purchasing gas from a
station that has just had a truck fill
the station's underground tanks.
Filling up the station tanks will stir
up particles from the bottom of the
tank which can clog your fuel filter
and make your car run less efficiently.
5. Purchase your gasoline in
the early morning or at night when
it is cold outside. Gas becomes
denser in cooler temperatures.
Since gas pumps only measure the
volume of fuel - not density - you'll
get better overall gas mileage for
your money by purchasing fuel
when it's cool outside rather than
in the heat of the day.
6. Refrain from "topping off" at
the gas station. Gas pumps are
ineffective to deliver gas in short
bursts meaning that you get short
changed when you top off your
tank.
7. Check your car's tire pressure
each month with a good-quality
dial-type gauge; pencil-style
gauges and the those mounted on
the air hose are unreliable. Under
inflated tires reduce fuel efficiency
by 2% for every pound they are
under inflated. Under inflation also
causes premature tire wear giving
your tires a shorter use life. Also
the best time to check your tire
pressure is when it is cool outside
(like the morning) and after the car
has rested overnight. Driving only a
few miles to a gas station will build
heat in the tire and can increase
the pressure enough to give a false
reading.
8. Check your owner's manual
for the correct tire pressure. The
pressure printed on the sidewall of
the tire indicates how much the tire
will safely hold and should not be
used since it has no connection to
how much air should be in the tire
for routine use.
9. Don’t speed. Drive at the
speed limit. Cars use about 20%
more fuel driving at 70 miles per
hour than they do at 55 miles per
hour. This will also save you the
expense of a speeding ticket.
10. Use cruise control to
maintain a steady pace on the
highway to increase fuel economy.
11. Avoid driving fast in low
gears. Driving at high speeds in the
improper gear can reduce fuel efficiency
by up to 40%.
12. Avoid using air conditioning
whenever possible. Air conditioning
reduces fuel economy by
10% to 20%.
13. Don't open windows when
traveling at high speeds. Open windows
on the highway can reduce
fuel efficiency by 10%. It is much
better to use the ventilation system.
14. Avoid rough roads. Dirt or
gravel roads can reduce fuel economy
by up to 30%.
15. Don't let your car idle.
Even on cold mornings, there's no
need to let your car idle for more
than 30 seconds. Today’s cars are
designed to be driven almost immediately
and letting your car idle
longer is a waste of gas. It's more
efficient to turn off your car and
turn it on again than to let it idle
for more than 45 seconds while
waiting.
16. Remove car racks and
other items which make your car
less aerodynamic when they're not
being used. Leaving them on only
makes your car less fuel efficient.
17. Remove all excess weight
from your car. Many people use
their car trunk as a storage space
adding unneeded pounds to the
car's weight. This unnecessary
weight reduces the car's fuel efficiency.
18. Try to accelerate gently,
brake gradually and avoid stops
when driving. Gunning engines,
quickly accelerating, and abrupt
stops all waste fuel.
19. Try to avoid driving during
rush hour periods when you know
traffic will be stop and go. If you do
find yourself in stop and go traffic,
try to maintain a crawl.
20. When approaching hills or
steep slopes, accelerate before the
hill. Accelerating once on the slope
will consume much more gas.
21. Service your car regularly
while paying special attention to oil
and filters. Blocked air flow from
clogged air filters will increase fuel
waste.
22. Check your car's alignment
since this can cause engine drag
which will also increase gas waste.
23. Periodically calculate your
car's fuel efficiency. A loss in fuel
efficiency is an indication of possible
mechanical problems.
24. For most cars, higher
octane gas is a waste of money.
Regular unleaded (approx. 87
octane) is the least expensive and
what you should purchase. Octane
is a measurement of how hard it is
to ignite the gas, not the quality of
the gas. Purchase mid or high
octane gas only if your engine
pings, knocks or rattles when using
regular unleaded fuel.
> Back to Top |
|
