Tips to Save on Gas
If like me, the current prices of gasoline are pinching your pocket, then maybe it is time to assess whether you are indulging in any wasteful driving practices. There are a lot of ways you can increase your mileage and cut down on your total consumption of gas.
Don’t Drive: This is the most obvious way to cut down on gasoline consumption. If you can, walk or use a bicycle for running errands. A surprising number of things can fit into a bicycle carrier or basket. If you have to go a good distance, consider taking the bus or other public transport before backing the car out of the driveway. At the very least try to combine several errands into one trip so you save yourself gas as well as money.
Drive at Optimum Speed: Drive neither too slow not too fast. Drive at a speed that is optimum for your particular vehicle. Some vehicles show the economy zone on the speedometer; stay within that. And be consistent and steady in your driving don’t keep braking and accelerating unnecessarily.
Check tuning and tire pressure: Keep your vehicle serviced and the engine well tuned at all times. Keep the tires inflated to their optimum level for good mileage; these factors make a substantial difference.
Reconsider the kind of vehicle that you drive: A diesel vehicle gives you better mileage per gallon than a gas car of equal dimensions or specifications, a hybrid gives you even better mileage than that. A two wheeler costs less to buy and to run than a car. If you consider an electric vehicle, this is the cheapest to drive, costing you a fraction of what a gas vehicle costs you.
Avoid Idling: If you stop at an intersection for longer than 30 seconds switch off the engine, it takes less gas to restart the engine than to idle it for longer than 30 seconds. Also when you start the car in the morning, 30 seconds is more than enough to warm up the engine, any more is just a waste.
Give a thought to when and what kind you buy: Buy gas at the coolest time of day, when the fuel is likely to be at its densest. Premium or costlier brands claim to give you better mileage, calculate if the improvement of mileage warrants the higher expenditure.
Don’t park in direct sunlight: Parking in the shade reduces the rate of evaporation of the gas in your car.
So happy driving all!
Great list Nicole. We use the Civic which gets about 40mpg as much as possible. I also just acquired a scooter that gets about 60mpg which I plan on using for trips to town and what not as much as possible as well.
As the price of gas continues to rise, I am sure these tips will become SOP(standard operation procedure)
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i saw this tweeted. thanks for the tips.
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Timely tips Nicole. You forget one of my favorites . . . buy a sailboat. Although I haven’t quite figured out how to use it to get to work, I still working on it
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Some cars also support diesel as an alternative and while it may cost more, the mileage will be a lot better at about 50mpg. Make sure your car supports it before buying it though.
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Thanks you for the tips, they will really help. I commute almost 2 hours daily, most of this in traffic …. High gas prices have been cutting into my home improvement budget, and this might just be what I need
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Thank you very much for your tips! I should share this to my husband.
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Thanks for your tips! It is (not) good to hear, that fuel is getting more expensive worldwide and not only here in germany. since a few weeks i prefer moving by bike, train or bus. and i think that is the main point, as you said it!
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Gas prices are way too high right now. It would be nice if I didn’t have to drive, but then I couldn’t get to work.
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Well, thanks for the tips! it is really valuable because gas prices are way expensive right now.
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Thank you all for the appreciation. I agree, these tips should become SOP. Top Rated, as for a sailboat, let me know when you figure it all out. : )
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Thank you so much for the tips. They will really help. My husband and I went to the gas station to buy gas yesterday and the price are really high. Your tips are really valuable.
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[...] Nicole has a post that offers Tips to Save Gas. [...]
Thanks for the tips
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I can’t drive yet, and with prices as they are I wonder if it’s worth me bothering. Driving lessons cost enough money and it’s all for nothing if I can’t aford the insurance premiums or the petrol cost.
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I have been doing a lot of other alternatives just to save on gas.
1. car pool
2. walk more
3. public transportation
4. stay at home
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To help save gas, our family purchased a Mini Cooper, which not only gets great gas mileage, but we get to have a lot of fun driving too. Also, we moved closer to my husbands work and try to bike and walk as much as possible. So, in addition to saving money, we are getting back in shape again. In an indirect way, the cost of gas has made us become more active and think before we get in the car.
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Thank you so much for the tips. They will really help. My husband and I went to the gas station to buy gas yesterday and the price are really high. Your tips are really valuable.
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