As gas is getting more expensive every year those of you with a long commute or plenty of driving miles can feel the weight of piling gas bills.
Luckily there are many ways to save gas without investing in a new car or in fake add-on kits. I’ll show you seven ways that are commonly available and easy to do.
1. MAINTAIN PROPER TIRE PRESSURE
Driving with tires not properly inflated increases the rolling resistance of your tires and spoils your mpg. It also can make a tire overheat and blow.
Inflate the tires to the maximum mentioned in your cars manuals, and periodically check the pressure using a trustworthy pressure gauge.
Many hypermilers inflate their tires more than that, to the maximum pressure printed on the sidewalls of the tires themselves. This is often as much as 60 percent more than what the car manufacturer recommends and it will give additional gas savings due to lesser rolling resistance.
This comes at the cost of a harder more uncomfortable ride though. I can’t however suggest that you do this, even if it IS safe, as there is a risk of uneven tire wear in some conditions.
2. DETACH SKI BOXES, ROOF RACKS AND TRAILERS
If you thought it’s too much of a hassle to remove the roof rack or ski box when it’s not needed, think again! The same goes for driving with an empty trailer or a pick up truck with no flatbed cover.
Anything attached or tied to the outside of the car disturbs the aerodynamics resulting in reduced fuel economy. Remove roof racks, ski boxes, bicycle holders and trailers when they are not used to carry cargo.
3. SHUT OFF THE A/C
Even if some would argue that the A/C does not affect gas mileage, it actually consumes a lot of energy. That energy is taken stright from your tank and from your gas mileage. Turn it off when possible and if that’s too uncomfortable set it to a higher temperature as that will make it use less gas.
TIP: Park your car in the shadow, keep the doors open for two minutes before going somewhere to cool off the inside of the car and, if possible, drive at night to avoid hot temperatures and sunshine during the day.
Keep in mind that driving fast with all windows open is worse for your MPG than using the A/C.
4. IMPROVE YOUR DRIVING STYLE
Your driving style is one of the biggest factors affecting your fuel economy. Keep your top speed below 60MPH or 100KM/H, avoid breaking by letting the car roll to a stop when you’re not in the way for other traffic and do not push the pedal to the metal when accelerating.
5. WALK
Usually if you’re not going too far, walking or biking is a viable alternative, and it’s a lot more economic than driving. You’ll not only save fuel but also the wear and tear on the car that can cost as much as the fuel itself.
6. FIX ANY FUEL LEAKS
Obviously if you have a fuel leak you will spill your hard earned gas on the ground costing you money and polluting the environment. Plug all fuel leaks asap.
TIP: If the gas cap is broken or missing gas will evaporate through the missing or broken cap and escape into the atmosphere.This is especially true in hot environments and when parking in the sun. This can be a significant loss and it’s bad for the environment.
7. FIND A CAR POOL
Sharing the vehicle on the way to the job can feel like a fair amount of hassle compared to going by yourself but then you’ll save more using this trick than using any of the other tips (except for biking of course).
Joining with just one other person to use the same car for your commute will save you half your monthly commuting cost.
ADVANCED GAS SAVING TIPS
Those tips are the easiest, most readily available, low cost ways you can save lots of gas. And that’s my no gadgets required bag of tricks.
There’s many more ways you can save gas. You can get a more fuel efficient vehicle (hybrid, diesel, smaller vehicle), make adjustments to your driving style, improve your cars aerodynamics, use eco tires, plan your trip, adjust for extreme weather and much more that this article is too short to cover
There’s also ways you could end up NOT saving fuel, like if you install on of those gas saving devices advertisied everywhere. They take your hard earned cash but the majority will barely improve your fuel economy.
To keep track of your actual gas mileage you can use a handy online mpg calculator
Tips and Articles
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