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| How to Save Money on Gas: 30+ Gas Tips |
Submitted by:
Tip Hero 06/23/2008 6:00 AM
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This article highlights the many tips our readers have submitted related to how to save money on gas. You may not choose to act on every single one of them, but just acting on a few can add up to huge savings. And once you’ve read through all of the tips, you’ll have earned a PHD in fuel savings!
Thinking Ahead Awareness. Just the simple act of calculating how much you pay per mile to operate your automobile can have a dramatic impact on your driving habits. If you factor in gas, oil changes, and all of the other maintenance costs that go into running your car, the cost for many mid-size vehicles can be as much as $0.20-$0.25 per mile to operate. Driving SUVs or having a commute where you idle in traffic jams can be even higher.
I’ve calculated the per-mile cost for my car and now feel like I’m in a taxi cab with the meter running each time I drive. When you realize just how much money you’re spending per mile, you start to question your driving habits. Now, instead of going to the grocery store twice a week, I’m well aware that you can save a buck if I go only once a week. I’ve also given “taking the bus” much more thought. Riding a bike has always been a great way to get more exercise, but nowadays I can save $0.25 per mile. Per-mile cost awareness can be a significant force to changing driving habits and saving money.
Buy a more fuel-efficient car. We won't go into much detail here since it's pretty self-explanatory, except to say this is one of the biggest factors in lowering your fuel costs. However, before selling a less fuel-efficient, car put pad to paper to calculate the gas savings to see if it will make up for any value lost in the transaction.
Combine trips. Combining trips is one of the most effective ways to keep your fuel costs down. One TipHero reader told us how he keeps a car journal just like a food journal, writing down all of his car trips and mileage. From the journal, he is able to spot ways to combine reoccurring trips and save.
Carpool. Most people only consider carpooling to school, to sporting events, or to work. But it’s also easy to setup carpools for trips to the grocery store, church service, or other regularly-scheduled activities. Be proactive and ask others if they would be interested in carpooling.
Use a bike for shorter trips and nearby errands. I never thought I’d be one to ditch my car and use my bike for short errands. With gas now over $4.00, I’ve dusted off my bike and am in the process of buying a bike basket.
Call Ahead. You can avoid a trip with a simple phone call. A friend recently recounted how his father, when shopping for specific items in mind, would call ahead to all of the stores he thought might carry the item and ask about the price. He would then drive to the store with the lowest price, sparing him a longer trip hopping from store to store. Always ask yourself if you can avoid a car trip with a simple phone call.
 Avoid Peak Traffic Hours. Idling in traffic and constant starting-and-stopping really sinks your fuel efficiency. My local grocery store is open until 11pm, and I often head there at 9:30-10:00pm when I know there won’t be much traffic on the road.
Effective Route Planning. Start at the furthest point and work your way in when planning multi-stop car trips. This is what UPS drivers do so they don’t backtrack and waste fuel covering the same ground twice. They also try to plan routes with fewer left turns, as these often involve sitting idle waiting to make a left across oncoming traffic.
Use the most fuel efficient car for the longest commute. All too often I’ll see a student drive a tiny car a few miles down the road to high school while the parent heads off in a big car on a twenty mile commute to work. Switching cars and using the most fuel efficient car on the longest journey can mean significant savings.
Park & Ride. Many cities now have park-and-ride options where you can drive to a bus, train, or light rail station, park your car and take public transportation into the city. Many companies have programs to subsidize public transportation so be sure to check your company's policy.
If you have a job where it is not critical that you be in the office, see if your employer will let you work one day per week from home.
Ask your employer if they will let you stagger your hours with rush hour traffic so that you don’t waste gas sitting idle in traffic.
Check to see if there is a rideshare bulletin board on your local CraigsList (CraigsList.org). Many people are looking for a ride or offering to share one in exchange for a little help with gas. These are typically for one-off, long-haul trips of 50 miles or more.
Avoid rough or rocky roads as there is more friction and slippage between the tire on these types of roads, requiring more fuel.
How you Drive:Drive easy and at consistent speeds. Aggressive moves where you either speed up quickly or slow down quickly are extremely inefficient. Driving aggressively can decrease fuel mileage by up to 30% on highways and by 5% in towns and cities.
 Watch your Speed. Each car has its optimal speed range for achieving the highest mpg. Gas mileage decreases rapidly once the speed gauge starts going past 60 mph. The reason this happens is that the faster you travel, the more wind resistance, or drag, the car encounters. By keeping your speed down, you can increase fuel economy by 7-23%.
Use Cruise Control on Highways. This helps increase fuel economy by maintaining a constant rate of speed free from excessive acceleration or de-acceleration. Keep in mind that setting your cruise control higher than 60 mph will decrease miles per gallon.
Avoid Idling. Having your engine running while your car is standing still effectively gets you zero miles to the gallon. If you’re going to be awhile, it’s better to park and turn off the engine.
Avoid excessive idling to warm up your car in the morning. You really don’t need more than a minute of warming up.
Maintenance: Properly inflating your tires improves gas mileage because lower tire pressure causes more of the surface of the tire to come in contact with the road, thus creating more friction. Flatter tires cause more friction with the road. The EPA states that having your tires properly inflated can improve fuel economy by up to 3%. They also state that under-inflated tires can reduce fuel economy by 0.04% for every 1 PSI drop in pressure. Many mechanics recommend checking your tire pressure once a month. You can buy a cheap tire pressure gauge for under $2.
Remove excess weight. The EPA states that an extra 100 pounds in your vehicle can reduce miles per gallon by up to 2%.
Check and replace air filters regularly. How does this save gas? Dirt can clog up air filters causing less oxygen to reach the engine. Like Tom Hanks learned in Castaway, oxygen really helps the combustion process. With less oxygen, your engine requires a higher percentage of gas for combustion. The fuel economy benefit from having a clean air filter vs. a clogged one can be up to 10%, according to the EPA.
Use the recommended grade of motor oil. The EPA says using the manufacturer's recommended oil grade can provide a 1-2% fuel economy benefit.
Roof and Bike Racks. Remove roof or bike racks when they’re not being used. They create extra drag and can reduce fuel efficiency by 6%.
Remove snow tires as soon as snow and ice threat ends, as they are less fuel-efficient.
Getting the Best Price on Gas:Don’t stop at the first gas station you see when you get off the highway. These stations typically charge higher gas prices.
If you’re planning to drive through a long stretch of baron highway, fill-up your tank before heading out so you don’t have to rely on that one gas station in the middle of nowhere with the absurdly high-priced gas. Folks who drive through Big Sur, California should be quite familiar with this one.
Look for a rewards credit card that offers cash-back savings at gas stations.
Use Gasbuddy.com to find the cheapest gas station near you.
Gas Savings Myths:Keeping your tank low on gas at all times on purpose. Some people site this as a gas savings tip. The logic is that less gas means less weight, which means better fuel economy. This is correct in theory but rather poor in practice. A gallon of gas weighs roughly six pounds. Many cars have gas tank capacities of around 15-20 gallons. So if you assume an 18 gallon capacity and you only fill-up half-way at 9 gallons, you are reducing your vehicle’s weight by 54 pounds. You save about 1-2% in fuel economy for every 100 pounds. So in this case, you are saving roughly 1%. These savings are pretty much negated by the extra time and mileage of making an extra trip to the gas station.
 Fuel Additives. Be wary of fuel additives that profess to increase your mileage per gallon. There is some buzz on the Internet about the effectiveness of adding Acetone to your fuel and boosting mpg. Tom and Ray from CarTalk on NPR have mentioned that Acetone is basically the main ingredient in nail polish and has the ability to corrode rubber components like gaskets and O-rings. Keep in mind the old adage—If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.
Did we miss a good tip? Let all of us know how you save money on gas by submitting a comment below. For more Gas and other money saving tips, please be sure to sign up for our newsletter
Photo Credits: adpowers, gohsuket, fueleconomy.gov, mag3737, pheez |
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