Improve Fuel Economy - Over 30 Ways to Increase Your MPG and Save Money on Gas
There are two major categories in fuel savings:
- driving habits
- vehicle maintenance/upgrades
First, DRIVING HABITS:
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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