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Reference Desk
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Driving Habits That Will Save
Money and Gas
As the price
of gas continues to increase both businesses and individuals are looking
for ways to economize. Here are some realistic tips you can use to
reduce your gas consumption and increase the green in your wallet.
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Ok, here
are the obvious ones, you don't want to hear:
1. Drive less. Duh! Combine shopping trips and errands. To travel
short distances, walk or ride a bike (come 'on it'll be good for
you) For longer distances, carpool or use mass transit or convince
your boss to let you work from home. If it is a trip that can be put
off, wait until you have another reason to travel to that part of
town. If you are going to buy an item and it is more than 10-15
miles away it might be cheaper to have it shipped, especially if you
take into account wear and tear on your vehicle, in addition to the
cost of fuel.
2. Get a more fuel efficient car. Again, duh! Look, do you really
need that gas hog to get a few bags of groceries and drop off your
kid at soccer practice? (By the way, kudos' for combining trips) I
know it's fun to sit and look down on everybody from your big
captains chair, but we've got a planet to save here! |
3. Don't drive
like a maniac - aggressive driving can reduce mileage by up to an
astounding 37%. (Serenity now)
4. Remove unneeded cargo. Excess weight reduces mileage. (Another reason
to start that diet you've been putting off).
5. Keep your car tuned up and in good operating condition. Also change
your oil regularly and keep the filters clean.
6. Don't be in a hurry. Driving slow and even can save as much as 14% on
mileage.
7. If you have cruise control, use it. On average it will give you about a
7 percent savings.
8. Newer cars with fuel injectors require less gas to start. If you are
going to be sitting at a drive-up window more than 30 seconds turn the
engine off and give your lungs a break.
9. Use smoother straighter routes to your destination. Rough roads reduce
gas mileage dramatically and corners, curves and stops use extra gas.
10. Think ahead when you are driving. For instance, accelerate and build
your speed up before climbing a hill and when coming to a down slope let
off the gas early and let gravity do most of the work, rather then gassing
it all the way and then having to put on the brakes half way down the hill
because you are going to fast. Look ahead for stop lights and if they are
red, slow down a little so that you hit it when it is green and don't have
come to a complete stop.
11. Use the right gear for the job. If you are driving a manual
transmission, shift into the higher gear as soon as you can without
bogging the engine down. Using a lower gear at high RPMs can use as much
as 42% more fuel then necessary.
12. Use your pedals less - meaning when you know you will be coming to a
stop or be slowing down, take your foot off the gas sooner and put it on
the brake later (safely, of course) so that your momentum carries you most
of the way. There is no sense in flooring it and then slamming on the
brakes. It wastes gas, wears out your brakes, and really doesn't save you
more than a few micro-seconds of time. Realistically, it usually won't
save you any time, because more often then not you will just have to sit
their and wait anyway.
13. Don't top off the tank. You'll just end up spilling fuel which wastes
gas and contaminates the environment.
14. Accelerate smoothly (especially from a dead stop) and slowly. Burning
rubber will not only waste fuel, it will also wear your tires and
transmission out faster
15. Don't rev your engine. Who do you think you are? Mario Andretti?
16. Don't take all day warming up your engine (30-40 seconds is enough)
and don't turn on the car five minutes ahead of time to get the inside
heated up or cooled down. To cool it down, open up the doors or windows
for a few minutes. To heat it up, wear a coat or just tough it out for a
few minutes.
Saving Gas Article
Copyright Empirical Publishing
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