During a bad economy, particularly with the recent increase in fuel costs, everyone aims to save as much as possible on gas money even if it means riding a bicycle to work. The truth is there are ways of saving on gas without having to sacrifice the pleasure and convenience of driving a car. Here are some things that we all do to avoid:
Spending more than 45 seconds warming up your engine
Engine warm-up shouldn’t take longer than 45 seconds (yes, that’s right), even on cold mornings. During winter, park your car in the garage instead of in the driveway. This way, the car engine won’t get as cold and therefore will take less time to warm up. After the engine warms up, make sure you disengage the automatic choke or else you’ll end up wasting fuel and damaging the engine. Many argue that the best way to warm up your car is to drive it. This is based on the fact that idling your car for more than 10 seconds actually burns gas nearly twice as fast as driving it. So unless it’s winter, you probably should just drive your car slowly to warm it up.
Filling up in the middle of the day
The best time to buy gasoline is the coolest time of the day – early morning or late evening. This is because gasoline tends to be denser in colder temperatures and so you’ll get better gas price economy if you fill up your gas tank during cooler time since gas pumps are set to measure the volume of the fuel that you pump and not the density. You can also save money on gas if you choose the brand carefully. Be a good observer and look for a cheaper alternative. Most major gas companies offer gasoline credit card that you can use to purchase gas and get 5 to 10 percent rebate on the purchase. Depending on how frequently you fill up using the card, this rebate can add up to significant savings. If you plan for a trip that requires a long drive you can use the internet to find the cheapest gas price along the route to your destination.
Driving 70 mph vs. 55 mph
One of the best ways to save on gas while you drive is to, well, obey the speed limits. While it’s true that speed limits are set for safety reasons, by sticking to the legal speed limits you can increase fuel efficiency and decrease gas consumption. For example, traveling at 55 mph gives you up to 21 percent better mileage than driving at 70 mph. In addition, you can get better gas mileage by reducing air drag. The drag, caused by open windows, can reduce your mileage by 10 percent. Therefore, when traveling at highway speeds, make sure all the windows are closed. Lastly, try to drive steadily. Driving too fast or too slow can waste fuel. Avoid tailgating at all cost as it is unsafe and can affect your economy if the driver in front of you suddenly slows down or breaks unexpectedly.
There are many more gas saving tips out there that can save you money during this hard time when everything seems to be expensive. If you have useful tips that you want to share with us please do so here. For further reading, check out another great guide to saving money at the gas pump.
Other useful resources:
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www.wikihow.com/Save-Money-on-Gas tells you more about how to save money on gas.
- www.fueleconomy.gov offers useful gas mileage tips.
- www.gasbuddy.com helps you find cheap gas prices in your city.
