Tips: Let Your Dashboard Help You Save Gas
Listen, no matter how hot your ride, no one wants to spend their pocket cash on gas for it. There are better uses for your money.
In the interest of you having a great weekend with some extra spending money, here are some tips on controlling how much you spend on gas.
Use Cruise Control
Maintaining a constant speed is key to making sure you're not burning up extra fuel. An Edmunds.com study revealed that using cruise control at highway speeds offered an average fuel economy savings of 7 percent.
Turn off the AC
Who else grew up with 4/60 air conditioning in dad's car? That's the classic four open windows at 60 miles per hour. But was he right that turning off the a/c saves gas? Popular Mechanics put it to the test and got these results: "Driving at 55 mph with the a/c running, we got 24 mpg; turning it off bumped us up to 28 mpg. Then we opened all four windows, one at a time, and lost 1 mpg per window until we were back at 24 mpg.
"So at that speed, it's a wash." Here's the answer: The faster you go, the more the open windows hurt efficiency. Below 55 mph, open the windows and leave the a/c off. But at 60 mph or higher, keeping them closed and the air conditioning running will burn less fuel because of the aerodynamic benefit.
Use The Settings Menu
New cars with digital displays have trip odometer under the settings menu that allows you to see gas mileage. Check it periodically to see where you can improve.
Keep Your Car In Good Condition
Get your engine tuned up regularly, change the oil and keep your tires inflated properly. A tune-up could boost your miles per gallon anywhere from four to 40 percent. A new air filter could get you 10 percent more miles per gallon. When replacing your wheels, opt for the new fuel-efficient tires. Due to new materials in these tires, they use less energy when rolling along the road but maintain excellent wear and traction characteristics. Major tire makers, including Michelin, Goodyear and Bridgestone, all offer fuel-efficient models.
Drive Smarter
Drive more smoothly, avoid heavy breaking or accelerating, and coast to a stop in order to improve your vehicle's fuel efficiency and save on gas by maximizing miles per gallon. Avoid idling by shutting off the engine for prolonged waits (for the kids at school or a train crossing). Remove roof racks whenever possible as they can create significant drag. When carrying clamshell storage containers, bikes or other burdens, you reduce your fuel efficiency by as much as five percent, so take them off the car roof when not needed.
Slow The Heck Down
Yes, we're talking to you, hot rod. Ease up on the pedal. Slowing down from 75 to 65 miles per hour will drop your highway gasoline consumption by about 15 percent. That's money in your pocket.
Use Good Motor Oil
Choose fuel-efficient motor oil marked with an "Energy Conserving" label by the American Petroleum Institute. Motor oils with additives that reduce friction can increase a vehicle's fuel economy by 3 percent or more.