Even though gas prices have dropped some from their all time high a few months ago, they have not dropped very significantly, and may not anytime in the future due to the recent rise in the price of oil.
Saving money on gas can still help you save money, and its a good thing to do. But in the past year or so, I have heard many gas saving tips that sound fairly suspect, such as devices that you hook to your engine and a bunch of other tips that may or may not help you save money on gas. Here are some tips that actually do work, and ways to save on gas, and a few fuel saving “myths” that won’t really help you.
Facts-
Drive More Efficiently- Tips such as don’t speed, and don’t let the car idle can keep your mpg’s as high as possible.
Check your Air Pressure- Keeping your tires properly inflated can increase your gas mileage, at least a little.
Cash Back or Gas Card- Many cash back credit cards and gas credit cards can pay you up to 3% back, some even higher for an introductory time period. Consider using one when filling up.
Look for the best deals- Find the cheapest gas prices using Gasbuddy.com or Mapquest Gas Prices.
Fiction-
Fill up in morning or certain time of day- the temperature of gas in an underground tank doesn’t vary a whole lot, so you do not get more liquid gasoline (I guess the theory is that is if it is hotter there will be more vapors) by filling up early in the morning.
Roll down the windows instead of using the A/C- Once you hit 30 to 35 mph, with most cars, you actually lose fuel efficiency with the windows down, as it creates more drag. I don’t know about you, but most of the year I cannot drive around anyway without the A/C unless I want to be sweating when I reach my destination. So unless you are cruising around at 15-20 mph, feel free to use the A/C.
Replace your air filter- While your car may not run as smooth with a dirty air filter, the computer controlled fuel injection can adjust the amount of fuel needed, so a clean air filter will not help you save any. While its good to replace a filter that is dirty, don’t expect your mpg to go up.
Use premium fuel for better mileage- When you factor in the added cost of premium, almost all cars (unless the owner’s manual specifically says to use premium) get just as good mileage with regular than with premium gas.
Hooking up a gas saving “gadget” to your car- As much as we all would love to have something that we could hook to our car’s engine, according to a test by Popular Mechanics, none of more popular ones have been proven to work.
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Matt 10.07.08 at 7:09 pm
Not sure if any of you watch Mythbusters, but they had some of these covered in their show. Don’t waste your money on those silly gas-saving gadgets. With gasoline prices so high, people are looking for ways to take advantage of your trust.
These are some great tips and take little time for great returns. Another I’d add is to make sure you empty heavy items out of your car that you don’t need. The more weight in your car, the more gas it takes to move!
Daphne 10.07.08 at 9:05 pm
Very useful tips, and I like the myth busters too! So much false information is going around now, taking advantage of people’s fears due to the economy.
The air pressure tip is a good one, since this is often a silent fuel guzzler that people aren’t aware of.
RC 10.07.08 at 10:12 pm
Matt- Thanks for the link, I am a fan of Mythbusters, but did not see that episode. Good tip about the extra weight!
@Daphne- Thanks-Glad you enjoyed!