What are ways to save on gas and/or increase mpg on your vehicle?
Without using a gas card?
If you have a reasonable estimate of how much you think you are saving that would be nice to share as well.
If you really want to get into "hypermiling" (what the fanatics call it), you could employ techniques such as putting your car in neutral whenever you're going down a hill or coasting, or turning your car off at stop lights that will last longer than a minute (it's a myth that it takes more gas to start the car than you save, in this case). While the amount saved per trip is very small, everything adds up :)
Change your driving habits. You can find all sorts of blowhards giving this advice on the net. Do a Google search for more. Here's my blowhard blablabla:
-Be gentle on the gas pedal. For city driving, particularly. Most people are racing from red light to red light. If you find yourself touching the break pedal often, you may be guilty of this. Don't rush to 40MPH just to encounter a light or turning vehicle which will slow you down. Ease up. Coast when possible. Even if you think you're perfect in this regard, pay closer attention. Most people are guilty and don't realize it. I catch myself quite often.
-Take the highway when possible. Typically, cars get better mileage on the highway. Read up on your car to see what people are getting. (Note the extra trip miles, though)
-Minimize how often you turn your car on and off, however, don't leave it running when not in use. If choosing between a drive-thru or parking, park.
-Plan trips from longest distance to shortest.
-On the highway, just find a comfortable speed that requires minimal acceleration and braking. Even if that means going 60 instead of 65.
-Don't buy high octane gas on typical cars. Read your manual to see the octane requirement. Only adjust if the age of your car justifies it. (My mechanic claims cars may need higher ratings as they get older. He says the indicator would be how rough it runs with the cheap stuff.)
-Check your tire air pressure routinely. Monthly or even weekly if you are OCD.
-Reduce excess weight in the car.
-Scout out your local gas stations. You'll find there are certain days the price tends to drop.
-Don't warm the car up that long before driving. A minute or two, in the winter, is really enough for the engine. Wear a coat for your own comfort. :p
According to the computer in my car, my mileage increased from 22MPG to 28.1MPG following this most of the time.
I agree with all the above, and wish to add oil changes and car maintenance. While most cars these days are 8-10K mile between oil changes, all manufacturers estimate 10 miles a day driving in very moderate temperatures. That being said, I don't know anyone who drives only 10 miles a day, or lives in a place that is 70 degrees year round. I use Royal Purple syn. oil and change it about every 3-4 months, depending on how much we have driven. My husband drives about 25,000 miles a year (I don't), and we get almost 30 mpg with mostly city driving on a car that is rated for 28 mpg freeway.
Definitely agree with going to synthetic oil & using a fuel system cleaner. But, ultimately I have a Dodge Ram with a Hemi - the only way for me to get good gas mileage is to not drive!
Okay, as a test I did this once upon a time. On a 4 hour drive that normally consumed nearly exactly 1 tank of gas, I drove the entire way at my normal driving habits. I did mostly 70 MPH the entire way and got about 29 MPG and made the trip in 3 hours and 45 minutes.
On the way back, I drove 60 MPH, coasted with the car in neutral down the hills and the trip took 4 hours and 20 minutes. I managed to get 38 MPG.
On a tank of 11 gallons, I could go nearly another 100 miles by just slowing down and coasting more. It does add up and it's well worth the effort if you're not in such a hurry all the time.
Also, another couple of things that help: make sure your tires are alligned properly and your air filter is cleaned/changed (depending what kind you have) on a regular basis. Running the AC also uses a lot of gas, so it's advisable to roll the windows down if you're going less than 55MPH.
As others have said, I find the best advice is to accelerate gently, avoid using brakes unless necessary and coast as much as possible.
Buy a bike!
Seriously, all of the above are sound advice. Slow acceleration, no sudden starts and stops, if you are using your brakes a lot, you are doing it wrong.
Replace air filter often, oil changes as required, tire pressures checked often, etc...
And, if you start "hypermiling" please don't do it anywhere near Arizona. We have enough traffic issues with the idiots who drive here, we don't need another "hypermiler" slowing down traffic and causing wrecks.
Check/change your airfilter.
Keep tires properly inflated.
Get rid of excess weight in the car.
Drive as close as possible to the backs of semi trailers as possible to "draft."
On second thought, you can ignore that last one. Probably not a good idea.
Another thing that is often overlooked is the fluids away from the engine. This isn't as big a problem on newer cars, but it can be on trucks and SUVs. Make sure you have your transfer case (for 4x4 vehicles) and differential fluids changed when they should be. This fluid is an oil and oil breaks down after a while.
@houndlax: I've seen the consequences of the last one. Debris in the lane, truck moves over enough to go over it in between the wheels. Prius that was drafting a little more than a car length behind ... not so lucky.
I'm pretty sure front body work costs A LOT more than the extra gas saved from doing that!
thank you for the replies, some of the "hypermiling" strategies I think I'm already doing, but its hard for me to measure how much difference it is making (having a mpg computer readout in the vehicle would be nice!), so I guess I'll keep on doing that.
I did read about "drafting" behind trucks before and it is generally considered to be an unsafe practice and not recommended.
Habits and the gas pedal do wonders.
I personally, have just started slowing down, previously my commute would be in the 75-80mph range, slowing to the 70-75 range has added a few MPG to my tank. Also use cruise when possible.
As for the coasting downhill thing, most newer cars (meaning from the last 10-20 years) should shut down fuel when coasting down hill using only enough fuel to idle, in the mid 80's they started that, even down shifting to slow down does not drive fuel consumption up (referencing the manual in my 1986 Nissan 300zx).
I drive a newer Swedish car, which I feel runs great on hi octane Chevron (91 in Cali), but got over it when I found I could shave a lot of my tank with:
> Low (87)grade (save 10-30 cents per gallon) and
> Alternative stations (save 10-20 cents per gallon)
> Also I use my Costco, or when I have accrued rewards I use Safeway gas (save another 10-30 cents)
So on a good day I can save 40-60 cents per gallon by changing station choice and timing.
Oh, and lowering a car & adding lower profile tires (properly inflated) can help :) Changes the aerodynamic properties of the car & reduces rolling resistance.
I knew guys who used duct tape to make fender skirts for their trucks for max mileage a few years ago when gas peaked near $5/gallon, looked goofy but worked.
And if you're of the mind set where info is useful, may find a scangauge or similar automotive engine reader handy. I have a bluetooth adapter for my OBDII port & a good app on my Android phone for reading/displaying the cars sensors and data, good way to visually notice things such as acceleration and vacuum pressure (both bad for milage). Also some can log data so you can look back at the information later.
And by all means, if you want to accelerate slowly, more power to you, but use your brakes safely PLEASE, I am a very pro active driver and I can't stand someone repeatedly tailgating me in thick traffic because they are trying to save gas. Unsafe and retarded.
Many years ago I read an interview with professional racer Jackie Stewart. He said he drives as if there is an egg between his foot and the pedal (gas or brake). I figured if it was good enough for him, I would give it a try. My average mpg with my vehicles regularly beats the EPA highway mileage estimates while commuting.
This is something that everyone seems to be wondering these days...it all comes down to planning.
As it has been mentioned, drive slower (less acceleration will save a ton!)...I know these things; however, I tend to be running late most of the time, so I ignore it...I'm my own worst enemy...I know...
Oh, and running my truck in 4x4 when there's a lot of snow and using the remote start to warm up the cab ahead of time definitely doesn't help either :)
If driving under 40 mph it is more efficient to drive with your windows down, but after 40mph you might as well roll the windows up and turn on the air.
Also, when driving above 60 mph your fuel efficiency exponentially decreases, so try to keep it at 60 or lower.
I tried the Progressive snapshot and I noticed that when I really paid attention to my driving habits (avoid hard stops and quick acceleration - I think either was a 7mph change in 3 seconds) the little avg mpg thing would increase.
Driving in DC I found it quite difficult to avoid these "hard stops" and peak traffic times.
@spikedknight: Using lower than recommended octane can be a really bad idea on certain cars - especially turbos. My wife had a VW Jetta 1.8T and kept running the cheap stuff on it, only to eventually ruin the exhaust. If your car calls for high octane, it isn't because of the manufacturer-oilcompany partnership, its because the engine is designed for it. Disobey it at your own peril.
@lparsons42: Ooooooooooooh yes, sorry, you are correct. Totally aware of that, although not everyone is. I drive a normal car that recommends normal gas, but from my youthful (hopped up car) days, I have always had the habit of using premium.
That's totally a behavioral problem on my part though.
Yes, you can destroy a turbo and/or performance engine with sub par gas.
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