(All cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $2.91/gallon.)
Drive sensibly: Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town.The articles I've read stressed that driving slower is the best way to conserve gas.
Fuel Economy Benefit: 5-33%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.15-$0.96/gallon
Observe the speed limit: While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas.
Fuel Economy Benefit: 7-23%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.20-$0.67/gallon
Remove excess weight: Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.
Fuel Economy Benefit: 1-2%/100 lbs
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.03-$0.06/gallon
Most modern vehicles deliver their best fuel economy in the 50-to 60-mph range. We're talking 3 to 5 miles per gallon better mileage than the same vehicle delivers at 75-plus mph.If your vehicle has a 20 gallon tank, you could drive 60-100 miles further if you reduced your speed. That's a significant savings. Just be careful with any money you save though. If you spend it on fast food and gain weight, your savings will go right out the door.
Update: Kvatch @ Blognonymous left some other good tips to help you conserve gas in the comment section. Check them out and feel free to leave a few of your own.
5 comments:
Remove excess weight
Heh, sadly, that would leave ME outside the car! (I kid...)
The sticker shock at the gas pumps is really getting to me. That Lincoln Navigator for my wife, the car that seemed like such a great idea a few years ago, is a source of constant surprise at fill-up time. I drive a Jeep Wrangler myself, which gets much better mileage, so for us it largely evens out.
These are some great tips, though!
What America really needs to do is examine mass transportation for most of our needs (driving to work, school, etc)and stop the suburban sprawl that adds drive times to those who commute everyday.
I think everybody knows HOW to conserve. They just don't do it...especially if they can afford not to. It's not the poor that are the problem. And the rich, I'm afraid, don't give a shit. All us little folk can do all the conservation we want and the rich will go, "Good! That leaves more for me!"
Midwestern, I'm glad to see you drive American made cars. Kudos! (Sorry, but I'm biased since my hubby works for one of the Big 3. We refuse to bite the hand that feeds us.)
Lew, I agree that we need more mass transit, especially here in Michigan. Unfortunately, the GOP'ers here derided Sen. Stabenow when she got Congress to appropriate money for a study to determine the feasibility of having a train between Ann Arbor and Detroit. Sen. Stevens from Alaska gets money for a bridge to nowhere and there's nary a peep. Stabenow wants a train between major cities in a highly populated area and they whine about the money. Sheesh.
Neil, you have a good point, but I posted these tips because I've found that many people just don't know how to stretch their mileage. In fact, I had one person tell me the reason Bush hasn't reduced the speed limits is because going slower doesn't save gas.
I lived through the gas crisis in the 1970's so I remember the years when speeds were reduced. Bush lived through those years too so you would think he'd roll back the speeds and help reduce demand, but like you said, the rich don't give a shit.
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