How to Save Money on Gas
1. Slow down
For each 5 miles you go over 60 miles per hour, you pay an extra 15 cents a gallon. So, instead of going 60 you go 70, that means you are paying $3.10 plus an extra 30 cent, a total of 3.40 a gallon. Now, that is a significant increase in gas cost, not that the $3.10 isn’t already high enough. Make sure whenever you push that gas pedal you remember this, over a long period of time you can save yourself a lot of money but just going the speed limit.
2. Check your tire pressure
Underinflated tires can cost you up to another 9 cent per gallon. Make sure you keep your tires inflated to the pressure that is recommended for your car. You can usually find the sticker and the information on the doorframe on the driver’s side. Furthermore, instead of having to spend a quarter to use the air pressure machine at the gas station you can buy yourself a manual air pump and a tire gauge.
3. Avoid Idling
While idling, your car gets exactly 0 miles to the gallon. Although it is said that starting your car uses a lot of gas, it is still very little compared to idling for more than a few seconds. Try not to idle your car to warm it up in the morning or to cool it off in the summer, drive to do so.
4. Gas up on colder days
Buy fuel on colder days or after 7 pm when it gets colder. When you buy on cold days, and pay for volume, you buy more fuel for the same price, because the gas is denser. Never fill the tank past the automatic shutoff or it will overflow when it gets hotter and you will be wasting money that way.
5. Park in the shade
In the summer when you park directly in the sun gasoline will evaporate much faster and you will use up more gas than you will if you park in the shade. Plus, your car will be less hot and it will take less time to cool it down.
6. Avoid having to stop
Look ahead, try to slow down way before the red light, so by the time you get to the traffic light it might already turn green. This way instead of having to speed up from 0 you will only have to speed up from 10 or 15.
7. Park in the first spot you find
Have you driven around a parking lot before, trying to get the closest parking space to the store? If you park in the first parking spot you see, you’ll save gas plus you will get your exercise in.
8. Tune-up
While giving your car a tune-up won’t actually save you money at the gas pump, it will save you gas and that will in the long run save you money. Make sure you get your oil changed on a regular basis, every 3 months or every 3000 miles whatever comes first, but make sure the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil is used. Plus, check you air filter and replace it when it’s dirty, this way you can save up 31 cent a gallon.
9. Use lower octane gas mix octanes
Use the lowest recommended octane for your car (check your owner’s manual). The difference between the different octanes are up to like 50 cent.
10. Combine trips
It saves you money just to combine trips instead of having to do a couple of short trips. Plus, instead of warming the car up for just one short trip and wasting gas you can go ahead and combine it all and you won’t have to waste money on having to warm the car up because it will already be warmed up. Call ahead to see if certain places are open, so you don’t waste gas and time.
11. Fill your tires with nitrogen
Putting nitrogen in your tires can improve your gas mileage by 1 to 1.5 miles per gallon. Nitrogen molecules are larger and a tire loses less nitrogen than air. Furthermore, nitrogen is less likely to have temperature changes when driving for long periods, plus nitrogen can help the tire to last longer.
12. Buy a smaller car
There are a lot of different smaller cars out there, that will give you 40 miles to a gallon. If you don’t have kids and you work along ways from home that is the ideal solution. On the other hand if you already paid off your car you might not want to start a new car payment right now, though you might still be saving some money.
13. Clean out your car
Make sure you remove any items that you don’t need from your car. If your car is lighter, it uses less fuel to get to where you are going.
Plus, if you have a ski or bicycle rack, remove it when you aren’t using it. It causes drag and lowers mileage.
14. Consistent speed
Avoid braking or accelerating fast and you could save up to $1.00 per gallon. Plus, make sure you keep the windows up and reduce the drag on your car that way. Don’t forget whenever possible if you drive on the interstate turn your cruise control on.
15. Public transportation
With gas prices getting outrages, you might want to look into taking the bus or train to work or getting together with a couple of friends and car-pooling to work. This usually saves not even on gas but also on heartbreak trying to get a parking space before it’s time to go to work. That doesn’t just help you but the environment also.
Those are only a couple of things you can do to help with your gas mileage and your gas costs. Furthermore, use gas treatments or fuel injector/carburetor cleaners. Plus, if you live near a construction zone, you might want to find an alternate route, so you won’t be standing in traffice jam idling your car wasting precious time and money. Whatever little thing you can find to improve your gas mileage can turn out to be worthwhile.
