I think I read somewhere (not sure how accurate this is) that you should not fly flags outside your car window since it causes an aerodynamic drag which helps to burn even more gas. I wonder how many people know this. Every time there’s a huge sporting event, like the European Championships that’s currently going on, all you see are flags on car windows. I guess with a massive immigrant population in Canada, that’s expected. I recall 2 years ago when the world cup was going on, some cars had 2 and 3 flags on them. As a HUGE soccer football fan I know too well the passion when these big tournaments comes around.
With gas prices so freaking high (notice how it goes up every night now?) I thought I’d share a few gas saving tips with you today. After-all, we do most of our driving during the summer months!
Keep your tires properly inflated.
Buy a quality tire gauge and check the pressure of your tires before you start…. remember to check while they’re cold and do it at least once a month. When your tires are under-inflated, they require much more horsepower to rotate, thus consuming more gas. Most cars have a label that lists proper tire pressure, usually on a plate attached to the drivers door. Your owner’s manual has the original tire specifications and required inflation pressures also, as long as you haven’t changed tire sizes, these are the numbers you want to target.
Lighten up and don’t haul anything you don’t absolutely need, around with you.
Check your trunk, glove box and front and back seats for belongings that you really don’t need on a permanent basis. This won’t save you a fortune (unless you have a habit of driving with the full trunk all the time) - but with gas prices headed closer to the $4.00 mark, it does save enough to consider an automotive clean out, and it doesn’t cost a dime.
Remove bicycle or ski racks in between trips.
It’s not really the extra weight that hurts your gas mileage; it’s mostly aerodynamic drag.
Do not fill your tank up completely.
Instead, keep it half full. Depending on your tank size, your car will have 50-100 pounds less to haul all the time… less weight, less gas.
Fill your tank at the coolest time of day.
Fuel is denser when it’s cool in the early morning or late night.. Your engine consumes fuel by weight but gas pumps dispense fuel by volume. The colder the fuel is when you pump it, the more of it you get for the same money.
Do you need to shop around for better gas prices?
Sure, just don’t overdo this and burn 5 gallons of gas while you search for a better price. The price difference is probably not going to be more than a few cents, so keep this in mind and use your common sense. Use your phone or the Internet instead of driving to every gas station around. Gasbuddy.com is a great place to start.
Try not to stomp on the gas anymore than you need to.
Aggressive acceleration equals maximum gas consumption. The slower you accelerate, the better your gas mileage will be. On the other hand, if you creep along like a snail, the drivers behind you will get mad. Experiment with how little “pedal” your car needs to move at a reasonable traffic speed and save your gas.
Likewise, try not to slam on your brakes.
The more you brake, the more you have to accelerate afterwards, and that costs money. Accelerate smoothly and brake soothly. Ideally you want to accelerate once, and then drive at a constant speed until you arrive at your destination. There are too many moving pieces to get stopping and starting patterns right every time, but the closer you get to constant speeds, the more gas you will save.
If you have several cars, use the one with the best gas mileage for daily commuting.
That car is usually easier to park, too.
Plan your route to avoid traffic jams.
Because you can’t avoid excessive idling, braking and acceleration while in a traffic, traffic is usually responsible for a big chunk of your gas consumed. You might avoid jams sometimes however, if you learn traffic patterns in your area and use them to your advantage.
Optimize your route.
The less distance you drive, the less gas you use. If you have several stops to make, see how you can route your trip to have the minimum number of miles driven. Keep an eye out for traffic jams, however – often you are better off driving more miles (sometimes even several dozens of miles) than sitting in traffic jams.
Why not?
Consider walking or using a bicycle for short trips, or use public transportation if convenient and cost effective. Yes, you actually save gas (and money) when you are not using your car.
Consider carpooling if possible.
Sure, it’s inconvenient sometimes, but it’s the single most efficient way to save money on your daily commute.
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