Saving Money on Gasoline

The high cost of gasoline is eating away at family budgets. Although there is nothing you can do about the price per gallon, you can make sure that your vehicle is getting the most possible mileage out of each gallon. I have noticed a lot of attention being given to so-called “hypermilers” who can stretch their gallon of gas to the limit—getting between 50-150 miles per gallon in a standard vehicle. Unfortunately, some of their techniques are impractical, dangerous, or uncomfortable for most people, but we can use some of their tricks to get a few more miles per gallon out of our own vehicles.

If the cost of gas is making you really upset, you may be tempted to buy a newer, more efficient automobile, but make sure to take into consideration how much money it is really going to save you. If your current car payment is $250 per month and will be paid off soon, is it really worth it to pay more per month for an additional 4-6 years just to get a few miles to gallon more? The answer will be different for different people, but make sure to calculate how much money the mileage difference will actually make in your monthly budget.

Car Maintenance

How well your vehicle is maintained makes a big difference in how good your mileage is. In fact, professionals say that this is the number one reason people spend too much money on gas.

-Check your air filter and change it frequently. A dirty air filter inhibits air-flow and causes your car to run rich on gas.

-Proper air pressure is important for both tire wear and gas mileage. When your tires are under-inflated it makes the engine work harder to go the same distance—think about how much harder it is to ride a bicycle with under-inflated tires. Additionally, the wider your tires are, the more gasoline you expend to go the same distance.

-Wheel alignment and balanced tires are also important for maximum fuel efficiency. If you think about it, improperly aligned wheels work against each other, causing your engine to work harder to get your car to go in a straight line.

In general, keep your car well maintained by doing your regularly scheduled tune-ups and oil changes. The better your engine runs, the more efficient it will be.

Driving

-Remove excess stuff from the car and the trunk. Every extra pound you carry decreases your fuel efficiency by a little bit. (Don’t take out emergency stuff like the spare tire though! LOL)

-Try to time traffic lights. If you live in the city and you have to endure stop and go traffic, try to drive at the speed that allows you to reach each light as it is green. In most cities, the speed needed to do that is the speed limit plus and minus a few MPH.

-Stop slowly and accelerate slowly. Accelerating quickly is a major waste of fuel, and experts have found that sudden stops and starts actually save very little time on your total trip—an average of just 75 seconds over the course of a 90 minute trip. Added bonus: easing into acceleration and stopping also saves you money on car maintenance. Everything from your engine and transmission, to your brakes and tires will last longer.

-Plan your trips ahead of time. When I have to go out, I try to plan my trip to be in a circle, if possible, so I don’t have to go back and forth across town. It is also a good idea to do several errands at the same time. For example, you are better off going to the bank, the grocery store, and visiting a friend all in one trip than in several different trips.

-Don’t bother rolling down your windows in the summer instead of using the air conditioner. While it is true that using the A/C does use more gasoline than driving without, rolling down the windows causes your car to lose almost the same amount of gasoline because of reduced aerodynamics.

-If you are going up and down hills, it is better to accelerate a little bit before getting to an uphill and let the momentum carry you up the hill a little bit. Try not to accelerate while going up the hill at all—in fact, if it is possible, let your car lose a little speed going uphill.

-If you are on a long, straight stretch of highway with little traffic, use your cruise control.

-Go the speed limit. Fuel efficiency is significantly reduced at high speeds.

-If you have a truck, leave the tailgate up. Putting the gate down actually reduces the aerodynamics of the vehicle.