Summer travel season is here and in case you haven’t noticed, the oil companies don’t care that you’re paying $4.00 a gallon. So, I did some research and located 5 tried and true methods by which you can do everything you can to make your vehicle as fuel efficient as possible.
MAP
Plan your route in advance. With GPS satellites and websites like mapquest, you have more tools than ever to make sure you’re taking the best route to get where you’re going. When planning your route, eliminate as many left turns as possible. Left turns make you wait where, like in most states, you can make a right turn even on a red light.
SLOW BUT SAFE
Have you ever heard the expression, slow and steady wins the race? Well I’ve updated that to 2008 and the saying goes, slow and steady helps save some gas. Keep this rule in mind. The faster you drive, the worse your gas mileage will be. Consumer Reports recently conducted a study with a Toyota Camry and found that driving 65 mph instead of 55 mph reduced the cars mileage from 40 mpg to 30 mpg. That is a significant drop.
AERODYNAMIC
Okay, so you’re not going to go out and buy a space age plane to be more aerodynamic, but you may lose that roof rack or roof rack you have on top of your vehicle. This builds drag on your vehicle, making your car work hard to get up to a certain MPH. Pack everything you need inside the vehicle.
LEARN TO DRIVE
OK, this is a bit harsh, but it has to be said. According to Consumer Reports, hard acceleration and braking can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%. Maintain a steady speed whenever possible and use cruise control if your car has it.
OFF WHEN STOPS
Guess what? Idling gives you zero miles per gallon. If it’s not moving or going anywhere, turn off the car. If you stop at a fast food restaurant, skip the road and go inside. If you must drive through a driveway and you’re just sitting there, turn off the engine. If you’re going to sit there for more than 30 seconds, turn off your car’s engine.
As you can see, there is nothing extraordinary or mind-blowing about these techniques. However, if you start implementing them, it can help save some money on gas.
