Gas Saving Tips: How To Save Money by Improving Your Gas Mileage

 

Gas prices are sky-rocketing due to the tension in the Middle-East and for a commuter this has a huge bearing on their monthly budget. As a commuter, I drive 180 miles a day – my car currently gets about 29.6 miles per gallon (mpg) so on a daily basis gasoline costs me $20.78 a day (assuming the cost of gas is $3.35). Every additional 0.1 mpg I can squeeze out of my car saves me 7c a day – so if I can raise my mpg to 31 I can save about $20 a month on average. In this day and age, every extra dollar counts.

So I spent some time scouring the web looking for things I could do that would increase my mpg and I was surprised by how many gas saving ideas there are – I have no proof that they will all work, but hopefully I will see an increase mpg due to these methods. Most of the methods are free too!

I note that I also include some ideas to reduce your overall driving; the less you drive the less you pay.

1) Save on gas by limiting your driving

This is the most obvious saver; if you can reduce the miles you drive there are many benefits. Firstly, you obviously spend less money on gas. Secondly, the less you overall driving costs will be as you won’t be doing so much maintenance on your car.

2) Save on gas by ensuring your tires are at the recommended pressure.

Your car is designed to be most efficient at the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. So make sure you check your air pressure often, and always do it at the beginning of a journey when the tires are cold. Many local gas stations have free air pumps (WAWA in NJ etc.) so there is no cost for this simple maintenance.

3) Save on gas by turning off your air conditioner

Using the air conditioner uses up valuable gas; if you can, try keeping your windows open slightly to create cooling airflow rather than using the AC – I note that at higher speeds, opening your windows will cause drag so it may be better to use AC sparingly at this point – just set the temperature higher than you normally would. When parking, look for shaded areas so that your car stays cooler; Try covering your windows when parked. If you have to use the AC then turn it off a few minutes before you arrive at your destination – cooling the car to the very last second is simply a waste of energy.

4) Save on gas by changing spark plugs

The more efficient the engine works the better mpg you will get. Check the gaps on your spark plugs, clean them if necessary and replace them when required; if you are not a car expert then get your local STS to check them when you have a regular oil change.

5) Save on gas by filling your tank only when needed

Don’t refill your tank until it is about quarter empty. Firstly, your car will be lighter on average and therefore you will have less weight to haul overall. Secondly, it is actually inefficient to constantly add $10 to your tank – every time you open up the fuel cap, some vaporized gasoline will escape – also while the distance may not be far, you are taking extra trips to the gas station so adding extra mileage to your car.

6) Save on gas by changing your driving habits.

This is a huge subject and is probably the one that can increase your mpg the most.

• Idling – the more you idle the more gas you use. If you use drive-throughs often then you could be idling for a minute or more; park and enter the restaurant instead.
• Speed and break – do you speed up to the next light and end up breaking quickly? If you do, you’ve wasted a lot of that gasoline – slow and steady wins the race – if you accelerate slowly to the next break point you’ll use far less gas.
• Make sure you know exactly where you are going – use a GPS for all trips if you have to! If you don’t spend time circling round looking for your destination but find it straight away, you’ll save quite a bit of gas.
• Check on traffic – if there is a lot of traffic, you’ll spend more time idling or traveling slowly; try to avoid bottlenecks even if the route is a little longer.
• Avoid hills – may not be possible, but if you can avoid hills on a trip you’ll use less gas.
• Anticipate lights – if you can avoid stopping at a light (without breaking the law) you’ll save quite a bit of gas both from the lack of idling, and the fact that you don’t have to speed up – driving at a speed that will allow you to hit the greens without having to accelerate or decelerate is the best option.
• Avoid accelerating quickly – the less you accelerate the better – it may be cool to burn away from the light and leave everyone in your dust – but you use a lot of gasoline this way.
• Ignore tailgaters – don’t speed up because someone is on your back bumper – try to stay at the speed limit – you’ll burn a lot less gas – if you are pushed to higher speeds you will burn a lot more gas! The most efficient speed for a car is between 45 and 55 miles per hour.

7) Save on gas by checking your gas cap

Gasoline often vaporizes in the tank – if your gas cap is not sealed correctly you will lose a lot of Gas to simple evaporation.

8) Save on gas by buying a more efficient car

This is a costly enterprise, but buying a hybrid or a car that does 40mpg or more will save you a lot of money in the long run – if you’re due for a replacement anyway, look at some of the smaller cars like the Mini of the Ford Fiesta – they are great cars but far more efficient.

9) Save on gas by reducing weight

Take a look in the trunk of your car and remove anything that isn’t essential – the less weight the car has the more efficient the acceleration and ultimately the mpg will be.

10) Save on gas by shifting and using cruise control

• If you have a long commute on highways, try and use cruise control – this will maintain a constant speed and be far more efficient.
• If you constantly start and stop, try shifting into neutral as you stop – this will reduce transmission strain and heat and make the car a little more efficient.

11) Save on gas by turning off your car

If you are in a long line of traffic and will be stopped for more than a minute it is more efficient to turn your car off.

12) Save on gas by driving slower

This is often the hardest thing for drivers to do as it does increase travel time, but reducing your speed from 65mph to 55mph can have a great effect on mpg – the same goes in cities – reduce from 35mph to 25mph. The more revs and power you use to maintain a speed the more gas you use.

13) Save on gas by shopping smart

There’s not much difference between the gas stations these days, despite what they tell you, so shop smart. If a gas station is lower by 5c then go there. Quite often gas stations will raise their prices on delivery of gas, so if one raises their prices, go to a different one until they raise their prices.

Use some of the online resources to find the cheapest gasoline prices in your area.

14) Save on gas by maintaining your car

Checking tire pressure, rotating tires, changing oil, cleaning and replacing sparkplugs and generally keeping up with maintenance is very important. If you generally do highway travel then I’d maintain my car every 7000 miles or so; city drivers should probably maintain their car every 300 miles or so. One of the most overlooked maintenance items is the replacement of air filters – this effects the mix of your fuel. If you can find an honest mechanic, they’ll tell you when you require the air filter changed.

15) Save on gas by turning off lights etc.

Abide by the local laws, but if not needed turn off your lights – any electricity powered item is powered from the alternator and thus increases the load on the engine. So turn off lights, radios etc when you really don’t need them – be safe though! Use intermittent wind screen wipers when it’s raining lightly – again be safe!

16) Save on gas by walking

It seems that more and more I find myself getting in the car to go around the corner! This consumes a lot of gas! So get out and walk- not only will you save money but you’ll be healthier!

17) Save on gas by carpooling

This isn’t always possible, but if you can car pool you’ll be able to spread the cost over the number of people in the car pool. This is especially good if you all take a turn driving your own cars as the maintenance cost of each car will go down.

18) Save on gas by combining trips

Try and do all your errands in one go; combining the visit to the grocery store, taking your kids to soccer practice, the doctor’s visit, the vet visit etc can reduce the total amount of miles you drive thus saving a lot of gas.

19) Save on gas by not warming the car in winter

So it’s nice to get into a warm car in winter, but turning your car on fifteen minutes before you leave is wasting a lot of gas – put on a thick jacket

 

So far I have increased my mileage from 29.6mpg to 29.8mpg in only a few weeks. As the car will average out the mpg over the life of the car, then it will take time to actually see the ‘calculation’ go higher – but to see a small increase shows that I am doing the right thing, and hopefully I will notice a difference in my wallet every month!

Whether you’re doing this for the wallet or not, reducing gas consumption can only be good for the environment and ultimately the economy.

Please feel free to add your tips in the comments section and I’ll add them (and use them) to this page!