CarReview is urging drivers to adopt fuel saving techniques or pay the price at the pumps, as $4 per gallon of gas arrives and the prediction of gasoline reaching $5 per gallon is not too far off.
Drivers are already using their cars less, with government figures showing a 3.4 per cent fall in gasoline sales in the third quarter of 2010 compared to the same period in 2009. But there are also significant economies to be made simply by changing driving style.
Obviously, one of the best ways to lower your gasoline consumption is to purchase the most fuel-efficient car on the market. But since not everyone can dash right out to the dealership and pick up the newest hybrid, it’s good to have a Plan B. For most of us, Plan B is to maximize the efficiency of the car we already own.
CarReview has some easy tips to reduce fuel consumption:
1. Read the road ahead – try to anticipate the traffic around you, for example at traffic lights, roundabouts and junctions. This reduces the need for hard acceleration and braking – MPG killers. Cruise control is useful and economic for smooth driving on long journeys.
2. Stick to the speed limit – reducing speed from 85mph to 70mph can save up to a gallon of gas every 80 miles.
3. Switch off the engine if you are going to stop for some time at a train crossing or stuck in traffic behind an accident. Big to medium size cars use a quarter gallon of gas every 15 minutes it sits idling.
4. Lighten the load – excess baggage or an empty roof box will increase your fuel consumption. Check that the contents of your trunk and cabin are essential, and remove the roof box while not in use.
5. Check your tires – under inflated tires will increase your fuel consumption by up to three per cent. Check tire pressures when the tires are cold, at least once a month.
If five fuel saving tips are not enough for you, click on the link below to read our eleven tips for improving your fuel consumption each time you drive.
Not 10, But 11 Gas Saving Tips
11 Gas Saving Tips
With gasoline and diesel prices continually rising at an astronomic rate, people are looking for ways to keep their fuel bills from devastating their already tight budget. Without investing into a hybrid or some other alternative fuel vehicle – which has an huge initial cost – you can go a little farther on that tank of gas and realize some immediate results by using some or all of the following gas saving tips. We compiled an easy list of things you can do right away and make fewer trips to the gas station.
It is easier to check your tire pressure by using tire pressure monitor caps. Normally I use gauge to check if my tires are properly inflated. Recently I bought a set of caps from Quick Pressure, they work really well on my tires.
@pimpbot – makes perfect sense to me. I usually switch off CC when coming up on a rise in the road and then resume when the road flattens out again.
Heh… my car actually gets better gas mileage with the cruise control off. 28 mpg with cruise on, 30 mpg off. Probalby because the car isn’t trying to accelerate up every little rise in the road.