In most cities, you HAVE to drive, here's how to save gas
Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 05:38PM I live in Los Angeles. Car capital USA. It is a car-centric city to its detriment, but it is what it is. You HAVE to drive in LA. And in most big cities. In this economy and where we find ourselves now, gas is going up by the day and this is no exaggeration, at my local ARCO station, it went up 3 times last week in ONE day! One dollar increase in the price of a barrel of crude equals a one cent increase at the pump. So with gas everywhere clocking at over $4 a gallon and in some places pushing $5 if you use premium, it makes sense to use all the tools one can find to conserve it. Edmunds.com is a provider of automotive information via websites, books and other media and is headquartered in Santa Monica CA. They have come up with 75 tips on how to save gas while driving and I have decided to list some of them here in the interest of helping my readers in these challenging times.
The number 1 gas saving tip is to STOP DRIVING AGGRESSIVELY. For you who live in LA, that means NO ROAD RAGE! They found up to a 37% savings with an average of 31% savings. That is like getting $4.00 gas for $2.69, back when you could still get gas for $2.69. But you get the picture. Edmunds says, “If you slowed your 0-to-60-mph acceleration time down from your current 10 seconds to a more normal city pace of 15 seconds, you’ll feel the savings immediately.”
2-DRIVE SLOWER. Their test consisted of driving 50 miles on cruise control at 75mph and 65mph. They found that by driving slower you can save up to 14% with an average of 12%. The increase in gas consumption after 60mph is stunning. If you ride a motorcycle, you can easly test this by how it feels on your body accelerating from 60 to 80. Imagine how it acts on an SUV. Slow down, save gas.
3-CRUISE CONTROL SAVES GAS. Use it if you do a lot of freeway driving and you have an open road.
4-AVOID EXCESSIVE IDLING. If you eat fast food, DON"T sit in the car line with your engine running. As well as saving the environment, you'll be saving gas if you turn your car off.
5-KEEP TIRE PRESURE AT RECOMENDED LEVELS. The more rubber hits the ground, the more resistance, the more resistance the more fuel you will consume.
These are the 5 big ones. Here's some more that you should think about.
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 it affects your fuel economy if he slows down unexpectedly.
When you see a hill ahead, build up speed before you reach it, then maintain your speed on the slope. Then coast down the other side.
Avoid accelerating when driving uphill. It uses a lot of gas. If your car has a display that shows your instantaneous gas mileage, try it out. You’ll see your mileage plummet — from 25 or 30 MPG… down to 6 MPG — or sometimes even as low as 2 or 3 MPG.
Avoid “revving” the engine, especially just before you switch the engine off; this wastes fuel needlessly and wears out the cylinders.
Traveling at 55 mph give you up to 21% better mileage when compared to former legal speed limits of 65 mph and 70 mph.
Shop around for service stations with the lowest gasoline prices. – also useGASBUDDY
Who knows why gas is going up- the Libyan situation, turmoil in the Middle East, a speculator waking up with an upset tummy, a couple of billionaires flipping a coin over cigars and Scotch. I do know one thing, its not half past Spring and the 'Summer Blend', like fine French Summer Roses haven't showed up yet, but when that fine blend does, you can count on the price at the pump going up even more. Whatever that 'blend' is, weather its real or not, you can bet the cost WILL BE. So it makes sense to adhere to smart driving strategies to put more money in your pocket so that when the Summer Roses DO come, you can afford to pick up a bottle or two.
Reader Comments (2)
good tips
Thanks man!