Ways to beat high gas prices.

[Shelly F - Ohio]

With gas climbing I thought it would be good to share ways to lower fuel consumption.

For example:
*Make sure your tires are properly inflated. And keep your oil changed as well and replace the air filter.
*Remove items from the trunk that add weight.
*Where my husband works he has the option of parking in a surface lot that is $2 cheaper than parking in the garage but on hot hot hot days he parks in the garage to keep his car cool.
*I run my errands early in the morning when the temps are cooler and I dont need to use the A/C. Plus running errands on a weekend morning also means less traffic and less stop and go.


I am sure other DISers have tips they can share. What is your tip?

 

[MsDisney23]

I've been only going out once a week and doing all my errands in one day. less trips!

 

[eliza61]

If it's available use public transportation. during the week, I have to drive to work so on the weekend if I want to go to the mall or into Philly, I try and take public transportation. not only is it cheaper but I don't have to pay toll or parking. Sorry, I know this will only help folks who live in more city areas.

Also I've heard that you should not idle your car. every morning outside of wawa there are tons of cars "idling" while people run in for coffee

 

[ssawka]

Also I've heard that you should not idle your car. every morning outside of wawa there are tons of cars "idling" while people run in for coffee

It is also not very safe. There was just a segment on the local news (D.C. area) where thieves have been stealing cars that are left idling in front of peoples' houses.

 

[Swimalie]

It is also not very safe. There was just a segment on the local news (D.C. area) where thieves have been stealing cars that are left idling in front of peoples' houses.

It's also illegal in some parts of the country.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Brakes are for stopping, not slowing down. Slowing down is accomplished by coasting. I once followed a tailgator for 10 miles in semi-light traffic with a handful of stoplights. In that stretch, I touched my brakes 11 times. The tailgator ahead of me hit her brakes 144 times. I guarantee she was getting horrendous gas mileage.

Braking is lost energy (unless you have a hybrid, and then it's only partially lost). If you accelerate from 55 to 65, then brake back to 55, you've just wasted whatever gas you used accelerating from 55 to 65. So, back off of the person in front of you, and start slowing down for curves by coasting rather than running right up on them & jamming on the brakes. You'll also save wear & tear on your car. My 2002 GMC is still on its original brake pads after 71,000 miles

BTW, my wife is not a tailgator, but she's the world's worst about being on & off the gas & brake w/o any coasting in between (she's a left-foot braker, so there's not even a split second between her being on the gas & being on the brake). Over similar stretches of road, I can average 2-4 MPG better than her in the same car.

When you start your car, put the key to the "on" position, but do not start it. This will start the electric fuel pump, but not the car. Next, put on your seat belt & sunglasses (if need be). THEN, start the car, put it in gear, and go. Aside from the tiny savings of gas, your car will also start quicker due to the fuel pressure being up. 90% of the wear on an engine is during the starting process when oil pressure is at zero. If you can minimize the TIME it takes to start the car, you'll lessen the wear on your engine.

Biggest thing you can do is drive like you have an egg under your foot. Going a bit slower & in particular accelerating slower will really help your mileage.

 

[kiki02]

We're looking for a rental or to own a home in a community (fla) where there are stores to walk to. At least to be able to get milk, bread, pizza, stuff like this if not a super target or publix. This wouls save me gas while also getting healthy exercise. Take bikes or walk. Having trouble finding such community though. ::((

Brakes are for stopping, not slowing down. Slowing down is accomplished by coasting. I once followed a tailgator for 10 miles in semi-light traffic with a handful of stoplights. In that stretch, I touched my brakes 11 times. The tailgator ahead of me hit her brakes 144 times. I guarantee she was getting horrendous gas mileage.

Braking is lost energy (unless you have a hybrid, and then it's only partially lost). If you accelerate from 55 to 65, then brake back to 55, you've just wasted whatever gas you used accelerating from 55 to 65. So, back off of the person in front of you, and start slowing down for curves by coasting rather than running right up on them & jamming on the brakes. You'll also save wear & tear on your car. My 2002 GMC is still on its original brake pads after 71,000 miles

BTW, my wife is not a tailgator, but she's the world's worst about being on & off the gas & brake w/o any coasting in between (she's a left-foot braker, so there's not even a split second between her being on the gas & being on the brake). Over similar stretches of road, I can average 2-4 MPG better than her in the same car.

When you start your car, put the key to the "on" position, but do not start it. This will start the electric fuel pump, but not the car. Next, put on your seat belt & sunglasses (if need be). THEN, start the car, put it in gear, and go. Aside from the tiny savings of gas, your car will also start quicker due to the fuel pressure being up. 90% of the wear on an engine is during the starting process when oil pressure is at zero. If you can minimize the TIME it takes to start the car, you'll lessen the wear on your engine.

Biggest thing you can do is drive like you have an egg under your foot. Going a bit slower & in particular accelerating slower will really help your mileage.

 

[maleficentmom]

These are great tips! I didn't know about turning key "on" for a few seconds before "starting", thanks for that tip especially!..Here we usually find gas cheaper at Sams than anywhere in town...but often some better or equal deals can be found using gas points from Ingles,Kroger,and Food City grocery stores. Walmart always has some discount if you buy their gas cards to use there. Food City stores and a few others here have Premium for midgrade price every Friday...but I just use regular. We take advantage and sign up whenever one of our credit cards ups their rewards for gas purchases for the month.

 

[msheriffm]

I shop at Safeway for my groceries and you can build up bonus points that can save you on gas. Of course you have to fill up at their store but I have saved a dollar a gallon before with just using what I had saved during my regular shopping. I didn't use it for years but since my friend showed me the discount which always seems to be at least 30 cents off I have been using it. Also many gas companies offer a discount if you use there credit card to buy gas. Also Costco (Sams) has discounted gas at some locations. These discounts are great but I don't drive out of my way to get them rather fill up my tank when going by. I am in S.F. area and our gas is $4.30 a gallon. That might make some of you feel better about your gas prices.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Walmart always has some discount if you buy their gas cards to use there.

10 cents per gallon IIRC. My parents do that (Wal*Mart isn't on my typical route, so I usually buy elsewhere).

 

[Ayla]

I've been only going out once a week and doing all my errands in one day. less trips!

I've been doing this, too. I'm just driving less.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

These are great tips! I didn't know about turning key "on" for a few seconds before "starting", thanks for that tip especially!..

Just to clarify, it really only needs to be in the "on" position for about 1 second to help. But, there's no harm in it being on for several seconds, so that's how I do it

 

[bettymae1121]

Rather than DH taking his gas-guzzeling truck 80 miles round-trip to work every day...

...we bought a "new" car ('08 nissan altima).

Ok, we needed a new car anyway for various reasons, high fuel costs were just the icing on the cake.

Now DH can take my old Saturn to drive to work and I have the Nissan to drive (I can't drive the truck which is a stick shift, plus it's only a two-seater so a car seat is problematic). We figure the gas savings will cover half the monthly car payment on the nissan!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Rather than DH taking his gas-guzzeling truck 80 miles round-trip to work every day...

...we bought a "new" car ('08 nissan altima).

Ok, we needed a new car anyway for various reasons, high fuel costs were just the icing on the cake.

Now DH can take my old Saturn to drive to work and I have the Nissan to drive (I can't drive the truck which is a stick shift, plus it's only a two-seater so a car seat is problematic). We figure the gas savings will cover half the monthly car payment on the nissan!

I had a 112-mile round trip commute back when gas was only a buck a gallon. And even then, it was WELL worth the money spent to have the 3rd car - not only for the gas savings, but little disposable cars are a LOT cheaper to replace than full-size, 4wd pickup trucks. My 3rd car allowed me to keep the old truck 3 extra years, and kept over 100,000 miles off the new one (which I've now had 10+ years).

In your case, even if your husband's truck gets 15 MPG and the Saturn gets 30 MPG, you're likely saving more than $250/month in gas. It's even more if he's not doing that well.

 

[KristinU]

Brakes are for stopping, not slowing down. Slowing down is accomplished by coasting. I once followed a tailgator for 10 miles in semi-light traffic with a handful of stoplights. In that stretch, I touched my brakes 11 times. The tailgator ahead of me hit her brakes 144 times. I guarantee she was getting horrendous gas mileage.

Braking is lost energy (unless you have a hybrid, and then it's only partially lost). If you accelerate from 55 to 65, then brake back to 55, you've just wasted whatever gas you used accelerating from 55 to 65. So, back off of the person in front of you, and start slowing down for curves by coasting rather than running right up on them & jamming on the brakes. You'll also save wear & tear on your car. My 2002 GMC is still on its original brake pads after 71,000 miles

BTW, my wife is not a tailgator, but she's the world's worst about being on & off the gas & brake w/o any coasting in between (she's a left-foot braker, so there's not even a split second between her being on the gas & being on the brake). Over similar stretches of road, I can average 2-4 MPG better than her in the same car.

When you start your car, put the key to the "on" position, but do not start it. This will start the electric fuel pump, but not the car. Next, put on your seat belt & sunglasses (if need be). THEN, start the car, put it in gear, and go. Aside from the tiny savings of gas, your car will also start quicker due to the fuel pressure being up. 90% of the wear on an engine is during the starting process when oil pressure is at zero. If you can minimize the TIME it takes to start the car, you'll lessen the wear on your engine.

Biggest thing you can do is drive like you have an egg under your foot. Going a bit slower & in particular accelerating slower will really help your mileage.

Lots of good tips here!

Slowing down and driving gently not only saves gas, but it has really calmed me down behind the wheel. We recently bought a hybrid, a Honda Insight, and I love it - it really drives home a lot of the basics in efficient driving since it has a bunch of readouts - almost like a little game to try to get the best MPG in real-time feedback.

Avoiding jackrabbit starts is another big help, just gently accelerate...again, like Gumbo said - pretend there is an egg under the pedal.

 

[seus-mouse]

As far as driving from here near Buffalo to Orlando we've found that gas prices are much better at big truck stops like JJJ's and such. A quart of oil was very expensive in the small places too.

Great ideas, thanks folks,

 

[englishteacha]

Gas prices like these make me miss my old Dodge Neon. 33 MPG. Sigh.

Our big savings is to take our family car, the minivan, whenever we can, because our other car is DH's truck, which gets 14 MPG on a good day. When the truck needs replacing, we may get a little car, and DH will use the van and I'll take the car on my commute. I wish I could carpool, but no one from my area works where I do, and there's no central place to meet people from the outlying towns.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Slowing down and driving gently not only saves gas, but it has really calmed me down behind the wheel.

BTDT. Back when I had that long commute, I originally hung out in the left lane *trying* to go 70+ MPH. I just wound up ticked off. Started hanging out in the far right lane at 65 and MAN did the stress level drop off, plus the gas mileage went up.

Not to take this too far off track, but I found when I had that long commute, cars tend to "pack up" outside the immediate urban area. You'll have someone in the far right lane minding their own business. The center lane will have someone pacing the car to the right, and the left lane will be a third car pacing both of them. They leave no way around and cars will begin to stack up behind the lead 3 cars.

If you get stuck in one of these packs, the natural tendancy is to think, "Man, if I could just get around, I'd be all by myself out there in front". But, it's nearly impossible to do. What a lot of folks don't realize is that 1/4-1/2 mile behind you, there's probably another row of idiots doing the SAME THING. So, if you slow down a little and drop back OUT of the pack, you could find yourself running pretty much all alone just the same as if you had somehow maanged to get out in front of the original pack.

Okay, hijack off

 

[mrodgers]

Lots of good tips here!

Slowing down and driving gently not only saves gas, but it has really calmed me down behind the wheel. We recently bought a hybrid, a Honda Insight, and I love it - it really drives home a lot of the basics in efficient driving since it has a bunch of readouts - almost like a little game to try to get the best MPG in real-time feedback.

Avoiding jackrabbit starts is another big help, just gently accelerate...again, like Gumbo said - pretend there is an egg under the pedal.

Perhaps not. A discussion forum of car folks have more credibility than a discussion forum of Disneyworld enthusiasts. The discussion of the most efficient way of accelerating is always going on. I don't get involved, but the consensus is that it is more efficient to accelerate at near full throttle than pretending there is an egg under the pedal. It is true that it is more efficient, meaning you achieve more work, thus more acceleration up to a given speed per unit of energy consumed. I am just leery of the thought that because you get better power usage that you are actually using less energy to perform the work quicker.

It is also said that when off the throttle and coasting with a car in gear, no fuel is being used because none is needed to keep the engine running. This would apply to a manual transmission, I do not know how it would apply to an automatic in which there is no solid mechanical connection between the powerplant and the drivetrain.

What you really want to do is be sure you are accelerating within the proper power range of your engine configuration. You want to have the acceleration done at or above the peak torque produced by the engine. That is where you have maximum efficiency when acceleration. When accelerating below this peak torque rpm, the engine is working far less efficiently than when at or above the peak.

I will use my car compared to the majority of 4 cylinder cars. I have a small turbo'ed 4 cylinder. Because of the manufacturer's design of the turbocharged engine (not all turbo engines are like this) it produces peak torque at a very low rpm, around 1950 rpm. A typical say, Honda Civic produces peak torque at 4300 rpm. Translated to driving, this is why when climbing a hill in a Civic, you are revving the engine like crazy to keep speed constant or to accelerate if needed where as with my car, I am either staying in top gear (I can't even really feel that I am climbing a hill) or if acceleration is needed, I don't have to rev it high up through the rpm range to get the needed acceleration.

That addresses the misconception of driving "gently". Now for the driving slow.

When my wife was a SAHM, she drove slow and gently everywhere she went. She drives a Ford Escape, 19 city, 22 highway rating. We live in the boonies in hilly western PA and everywhere we drive is basically highway miles up and down hills. She averaged 18-19 mpg all the time. When my car was down and I was working on it, I drove her Escape to work. I am by no means a non-aggressive driver. I accelerate hard, I turn hard, I enjoy driving and driving hard (not speed demon, mind you.) When I used the Escape for long periods of time, I averaged about 22 mpg. When she started working again, her driving got far more aggressive. She began to drive more like I do. Harder acceleration and driving faster (65-70 in 55 zone is typical on our work commute road.) Since she started working, her average has increased and now for the last 2 years, she's been averaging 22 mpg.

So, it isn't as simple as just driving slow and gently. That may work fine in East South Dakota where I was amazed at how flat everything was. Things change drastically when you toss in the fact that you may only be driving on flat level ground 20% of the time.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Perhaps not. A discussion forum of car folks have more credibility than a discussion forum of Disneyworld enthusiasts. The discussion of the most efficient way of accelerating is always going on. I don't get involved, but the consensus is that it is more efficient to accelerate at near full throttle than pretending there is an egg under the pedal. It is true that it is more efficient, meaning you achieve more work, thus more acceleration up to a given speed per unit of energy consumed. I am just leery of the thought that because you get better power usage that you are actually using less energy to perform the work quicker.

I can assure you that this is the only NON-gearhead forum to which I belong, plus I also studied mechanical engineering, so I'm not completely out of my realm in this discussion

It is true that an engine's most "efficient" at wide open throttle. That however does not necessarily equate to best fuel consumption.

Best way to demonstrate is say with weight lifting. Now, if your maximum lifting capacity is 300lbs, you must exert ALL of your energy to lift that 300lbs. This is when you are at your most "efficient". OTOH, what if you're lifting less? Do you exert every ounce of strength to lift a carton of milk? Of course not. And doing so would in fact be wasted energy. So it is with cars. And the goal is not maximum utilization of your car's "work capacity", but rather to utilize only a small percentage of its potential in the least costly method. So, WOT rarely works here.

And actually, your idea of coasting with a manual is incorrect. You'd be better off with the clutch in or the car out of gear. Spinning the gears in the transmission creates friction, which of course leads to inefficiency. And while it doesn't necessarily REQUIRE fuel to burn, you will burn some fuel in the process. Most efficient would be shutting the engine off & coasting in neutral, though that obviously could lead to other issues

You do make some good points about driving different cars differently though & utilizing the powerband of the car correctly. No, you don't want to try to drive uphill in 6th gear at 20 MPH. Oddly enough though, doing so would require wide open throttle where matching gears to speed would not. So, that kind of nixes that theory But, I had a truck with a VERY steep overdrive at one time. I got better mileage running it in 3rd than I did in 4th (with the exception of running at 70+ on the Interstate with no load behind it).

So, while it's not necessarily an absolute, "In general", slow & steady will produce better mileage than hammer on/hammer off.

My best hills comparison is when I tow my racer. Between my house & one of my favorite destination is a series of loooooooooong, fairly steep grades. If I attempt to maintain 70+ MPH up & down these hills, my transmission will downshift & I'll run uphill at 3,700 RPM. Or, I can do the egg under the foot thing and lose 10-20 MPH while keeping my truck in overdrive. The former produces 9.5-10 MPG. The latter 11-11.5 MPG. This works even better in rolling hills. You accelerate a little on the downhill, and almost coast UP the next hill. It requires you to run at an unsteady speed, but it saves the car from a lot of work.