| Real Money-Saving Steps | | | | -- Avoid unnecessary braking and |
| | | | acceleration, and improve your fuel economy |
| There are numerous no- or low-cost steps you | | | | by 5 to 10 percent. In city driving, nearly |
| can take to combat rising gas prices. | | | | 50 percent of the energy needed to power your |
| | | | car goes to acceleration. Go easy on the gas |
| Most cars can run on regular unleaded - 87 | | | | pedal and brakes. "Jack-rabbit" starts and |
| octane. High performance vehicles will | | | | sudden stops are wasteful. Let off the gas |
| usually require 91 octane or higher. Check | | | | early when approaching yellow and red lights, |
| your owner's manual to determine the right | | | | stop signs etc... Most fuel-injected cars |
| octane level for your car. It's also usually | | | | will cut off the fuel supply to the engine |
| written inside your gas lid, door panel, and | | | | while you slow down saving you even more gas. |
| sometimes right on your dashboard under the | | | | |
| fuel gauge. It will say something like | | | | -- Combine errands. Several short trips taken |
| "Premium Unleaded Only" which means 91 octane | | | | from a cold start can use twice as much fuel |
| or higher. All gas pumps must post the | | | | as one trip covering the same distance when |
| octane rating. | | | | the engine is warm. It takes about 15 to 20 |
| | | | minutes for a car to reach normal operating |
| Gas Cards | | | | temperature. Until then, your car is using |
| | | | almost twice as much fuel to keep the engine |
| Check out gas card offers from gas stations | | | | running! |
| and credit card companies. The can save you | | | | |
| an additional 1% to 5% off every gallon or | | | | -- Remove excess weight from the trunk. Avoid |
| earn you free gas. One of the best cards out | | | | carrying unneeded items, especially heavy |
| there right now can be found | | | | ones. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk |
| | | | reduces a typical car's fuel economy by one |
| If you put 20 gallons in your car at $3.00 | | | | to two percent. |
| per gallon, that's $60. A 5% cash back would | | | | |
| save you $3.00 making your effective cost per | | | | Maintain your car |
| gallon just $2.85. It's like getting a free | | | | |
| gallon of gas with every fill up! | | | | Keep your engine tuned. Studies have shown |
| | | | that a poorly tuned engine can increase fuel |
| Drive more efficiently: | | | | consumption by as much as 10 to 20 percent |
| | | | depending on a car's condition. Follow the |
| -- Stay within posted speed limits. The | | | | recommended maintenance schedule in your |
| faster you drive, the more fuel you use. For | | | | owner's manual; you'll save fuel and your car |
| example, driving at 65 miles per hour (mph), | | | | will run better and last longer. |
| rather than 55 mph, increases fuel | | | | |
| consumption by 20 percent. Driving at 75 mph, | | | | -- Keep your tires properly inflated and |
| rather than 65 mph, increases fuel | | | | aligned. Under inflated tires on a car is |
| consumption by another 25 percent. This is | | | | like running on the beach with no shoes. Car |
| caused by the amount of energy it takes to | | | | manufacturers must place a label in the car |
| push your car through the air and the amount | | | | stating the correct tire pressure. The label |
| of drag created by your cars body. | | | | usually is on the edge of the door or |
| | | | doorjamb, in the glove box, or on the inside |
| So if your car gets 25-mpg highway at 55 mph, | | | | of the gas cap cover. If the label lists a |
| driving 65mph will drop it down to 20 mpg! | | | | psi (pounds per square inch) range, use the |
| Driving 75 mph drops it down to just 16 mpg! | | | | higher number to maximize your fuel |
| | | | efficiency. Under inflated tires cause fuel |
| My personal experience with my 98 VW Beetle: | | | | consumption to increase by 6%. |
| I drove to New York at the posted speed | | | | |
| limits between 55 and 65 mph. I got about | | | | -- Change your oil. Clean oil reduces wear |
| 35mpg and 450 miles on one tank!!! When I | | | | caused by friction between moving parts and |
| drove to Florida the posted speed limits were | | | | removes harmful substances from the engine. |
| between 55 - 70 mph. I actually drove about | | | | Change your oil as recommended by the vehicle |
| 75 mph most of the way. I only got 27 mpg | | | | manufacturer. |
| and about 350 miles on one tank. I lost | | | | |
| almost 100 miles distant per tank! I | | | | -- Check and replace air filters regularly. |
| couldn't believe it. | | | | Your car's air filter keeps impurities in the |
| | | | air from damaging internal engine components. |
| -- Use overdrive gears. Overdrive gears | | | | Not only will replacing a dirty air filter |
| improve the fuel economy of your car during | | | | improve your fuel economy, it also will |
| highway driving. Your car's engine speed | | | | protect your engine. Clogged filters can |
| decreases when you use overdrive. This | | | | cause up to a 10% increase in fuel |
| reduces both fuel consumption and engine | | | | consumption. Imagine running up a flight of |
| wear. Most automatic transmission cars will | | | | stairs with only using one nostril in your |
| have an overdrive button right on the | | | | nose to breath. |
| gearshift. Look for a "D" and/or "O/D". You | | | | |
| will see a light on the dash indicating | | | | Gas Cards |
| weather it's on or off. Check your owner's | | | | |
| manual to be sure. If your car has a | | | | Check out gas card offers from gas stations |
| tachometer, you should be able to tell by | | | | and credit card companies. The can save you |
| watching your engine's rpm speed on the | | | | an additional 1% to 5% off every gallon or |
| highway. Buy switching the overdrive on, | | | | earn you free gas. One of the best cards out |
| your rpm's should drop significantly. | | | | there right now can be found |
| | | | |
| -- Use cruise control. For longer trips using | | | | If you put 20 gallons in your car at $3.00 |
| cruise control can help you maintain a | | | | per gallon, that's $60. A 5% cash back would |
| constant speed and, in most cases, reduce | | | | save you $3.00 making your effective cost per |
| your fuel consumption. Set it to 55 mph on | | | | gallon just $2.85. It's like getting a free |
| highways. | | | | gallon of gas with every fill up! |
| | | | |