I Want Better Gas Mileage

When gas prices rise, there isn’t much you can do except cough up the extra cash at the gas pump and hope you can afford to buy a hybrid car when its time to replace your current gas guzzler. Don’t lose hope. There are a few ways to squeeze a little extra gas mileage out of your existing automobile.

The first is to change your driving habits. Driving aggressively — namely doing things like speeding or engaging in rapid starts and stops wastes gasoline and will lower your gas mileage.
Driving the proper speed also saves fuel. You can increase your gas mileage by about a third at highway driving speeds and around five percent driving at city speeds by following the posted speed signs. At speeds greater than 60 mph, gas economy drops for every five miles per hour you add. Think of every five extra mph over the speed limit you drive as an additional quarter added to the price per gallon you are paying for gas.
You can also empty out the trunk and backseat of unnecessary items. It may seem like a good idea to keep your golf clubs in the trunk just in case you get a spontaneous opportunity to play a round, but that extra weight in the trunk affects your gas mileage. For example, carrying an extra 100 pounds in your vehicle can reduce your gas mileage by up to 2 percent.
Leaving your car idling can eat up gas too. Turn off your car when you don’t need to have the engine running, like when you’re waiting to pick the kids up from school. Remember that an idling car gets 0 miles per gallon.

Using cruise control can also help you to preserve fuel and increase your gas mileage by maintaining a constant speed. Taking advantage of your car’s overdrive gear will slow your engine speed down and conserve gas as well. Consult your owner’s manual for advice on when to properly use the overdrive function on your automobile.

There are a number of mechanical issues that can affect fuel economy, so it’s best to keep your car tuned up and up to date on its regular repair and maintenance schedule. Just being out of tune could affect your fuel economy by an average of four percent. If left unchecked, other engine issues could affect your gas mileage by higher rates, sometimes as much as 40 percent.

Simple things like maintaining the proper air pressure increases gas mileage as well. Using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil will also add to your miles per gallon. Much of this information is included in the owner’s manual and is worth a read to find the best way to maintain your car for peak efficiency.

None of these suggestions is all that costly or difficult. By simply changing your driving habits and keeping your vehicle in top shape, you’ll be able to stretch your existing car’s gas mileage and save money along the way.

With rising gas prices and growing concerns about the environment, everyone wants a car with high mileage that produces little pollution.  While gas-electric hybrids are getting most of the buzz, there’s another car that you should consider.  Today’s diesel can meet both of your green requirements – both more green in the bank and more green for the environment.

Today’s diesel cars burn a different type of diesel fuel than was used in the past – one that produces fewer sulfur emissions.  We’ve finally reached the days of clean burning diesel.  Second, diesel engines have been re-engineered to overcome one of their biggest problems – a slow start.  Still, when you start driving a diesel car, you’ll need to adjust your habits somewhat.  Here’s what you need to know about driving a diesel car.

Forget jackrabbit starts.  Not only are they a bad idea in any car, but they just aren’t possible in a diesel.  You’ll hit the red line too quickly in first and second gear if you try to start off too fast.  Remember that these lower gears have a lot of torque and avoid that red line.  Your driving style will eventually adjust if you give it a chance.

Obviously, you’ll want to avoid speeding if you’re looking for maximum fuel efficiency.  Even driving 10% over the speed limit can burn extra fuel, which costs you more money.  Also, choose routes with fewer stops and starts when you can.  It’s the lower “getting up to speed” speeds that use more fuel than just maintaining a safe speed.  Get into a higher gear as quickly as you can, but not by redlining in the lower gears.

You also want to make sure to down shift when needed in a diesel car.  Never force your engine to maintain a low speed in a higher gear.  Not only will you waste fuel if you do that, but you can also damage your engine.  Driving more slowly than you’re used to is a small price to pay when you consider the additional repair bills you could find yourself facing.

Similarly, don’t down shift to stop your car.  Instead, let yourself coast when you can.  When stopping, depress your clutch, putting the car in neutral, and using your brake.  It may not seem like a big difference, but down shifting will put additional wear on your transmission, which is much more expensive to replace than brake pads.

Finally, to get maximum mileage from your diesel car, use your cruise control whenever possible.  Computer-aided cruise control does a much better job of maintaining the correct speed than any human can.  Not only will you save money on fuel costs, but you’ll also avoid nasty speeding tickets that can seriously increase your cost of driving.

Driving a diesel car can be a wonderful choice, both for saving money and for saving the environment.  Take a little time to adjust to the quirks of your new diesel car, and you’ll soon be enjoying both your gas savings and your new ride.

The state you live on has a lot of effect on how much you pay at the pump. For example, if you’re on an island trip to Maui, expect to pay close to $3 a gallon currently (even after the huge drop in gas prices). Alaska is really expensive too, even though a lot of drilling is done there.

Among the cheaper states are Texas, Wyoming, and Colorado. Those states are well less than $2/gallon.

Even if you are in a more expensive state, it’s much better than Europe. There, because of high taxes on fuel consumption, gas is well over $4/gallon, often around $6/gallon when gas prices get expensive!