Improve Fuel Economy - Over 30 Ways to Increase Your MPG and Save Money on Gas

There are two major categories in fuel savings:

First, DRIVING HABITS:

  1. Anticipate, use your brakes less, and don't accelerate quickly. Look far down the road ahead, even if "far" is a city block. Get into turn-lanes smoothly and early: avoid accelerating to get in front of traffic. Anticipate stops or slow-downs ahead and take your foot off the gas: try to coast much more than you brake. Additional coasting distance saves fuel and extends brake-pad life.
    Remember: he who leaves stoplight quickest pays more at pump.


  2. Use Cruise Control. It saves fuel and speeding tickets. But it's not just for cruising. The "Resume" button can give you decent acceleration without wasting fuel.


  3. Overdrive and gear selection. If your automatic has Overdrive, use it. If you have a manual transmission, shift early to keep engine rpm's lower and always use the highest gear for highway cruising.


  4. Slow down. As you increase speed above 60 mph, wind resistance increases rapidly as a percentage of total fuel consumption. Typically, every mile over 60 mph costs you ~1% in fuel economy.


  5. Carefully consider your route and the time of day: traffic flow is a huge factor.
    For example, say that along your interstate travel route, the space between vehicles averages 3 to 4 car lengths