50 Ways to Save Gas

With the recent fluctuations and uncertain future of gas prices, it seems everyone is trying to economize on gasoline. Here are 50 tips on how to save money at the pump:

Tips 1-10

1. If you can, walk to your destination.

2. Take public transportation if it is reliable and gets you where you want to go.

3. Participate in a carpool.

4. Ride your bicycle instead of driving if weather permits and the distance isn't too great.

5. Use a GPS to find the most direct route, or the most efficient one. The latest GPS technology can determine if a route has congestion that will slow you down and waste gas idling your car.

6. Combine trips. For example, stop by the market on the way home from picking up the kids from soccer practice instead of making two separate trips.

7. Let the kids walk or take their bicycles to visit friends so you don't have to drive them.

8. Check websites for the least expensive gas in your area. See Resources below for one such website.

9. Maintain the correct tire pressure. According to Tom and Ray Magliozzi (the "Car Talk" guys), 10 pounds under the recommended tire pressure will cause a 4 percent drop in fuel economy.

10. Avoid accelerating uphill.

Tips 11-20

11. Accelerate slowly; "flooring it" dumps large amounts of gasoline into the engine.

12. Avoid braking hard by watching traffic and anticipating having to stop. Try to achieve "brakeless" driving (not to be confused with "reckless" driving), by maintaining safe distances between cars and coasting slowly rather than jerking to stop and start the car's movement.

13. Join gas credit card loyalty clubs that give you discounts and sometimes free gasoline for using their brand. Some grocery store chains offer such loyalty club discounts.

14. Next time you buy a car, get a more fuel-efficient one. Hybrids and electric cars are plentiful now, as are smaller, fuel-efficient passenger cars.

15. Consider buying a motorcycle or scooter for getting around, as they burn very little fuel compared to even small cars.

16. Use lowest grade of gas for your car.

17. Slow down; the faster you go, the more wind resistance your car will experience, causing it to burn more gas. Consumer Reports calculated the gas mileage for a Toyota Camry at 55, 65, and 75 mph; its findings indicate a 5 mpg loss of efficiency from 55 to 65 mph and again from 65 to 75 mph.

18. Drive a car with a manual transmission; automatic transmissions use more gas.

19. If you have a manual transmission, shifting into the highest gear at the lowest possible speed saves fuel because shifting causes the engine to turn more slowly, using less gas.

20. Remove any kind of roof rack if you don't need it. Such racks cause unnecessary wind resistance.

Tips 21-30

21. Take anything out of car you do not need to reduce weight. Each 100 pounds of weight reduces fuel efficiency by 1 or 2 percent.

22. Turn off your car if you will be sitting for more than 1 or 2 minutes. Idling uses more gas than starting the engine.

23. Don't use the air conditioner if you don't have to.

24. Make sure you take your car to the service center for regular services, especially oil changes and changing fuel filters.

25. Ensure the mechanic uses the correct oil viscosity for your car according to your owner's manual. Extra-thick oil makes engines work harder.

26. Do not let your car warm up too long before driving it, even in winter. Modern cars do not need the warm-up period that older cars did; many can be started and driven within a minute or so.

27. Avoid drive-through lanes at restaurants and pharmacies, so you will not subject your car to more fuel-burning idling, especially if there are long lines at the drive-through windows.

28. In hot weather, park in the shade if possible so the air conditioner will not have to work harder to cool the car once it is started again.

29. Use cash-back gas cards, but make sure you pay them off every month to reap the savings.

30. Listen to radio traffic reports to avoid traffic jams and fuel-wasting idling.

Tips 31-40

31. Large-quantity stores such as Costco and Sam's Club usually have less expensive gas than other outlets.

32. Fill up several days before holidays such as the Fourth of July and Thanksgiving to avoid the price hikes associated with them.

33. Use your cruise control to maintain a constant speed on the highway.

34. Secure your gas cap so fuel will not evaporate too quickly.

35. Bring your lunch to work to avoid going out in the middle of the day and using your car.

36. Use an electric lawn mower if you have a small lawn.

37. Manually clip your hedges instead of using gas-powered hedge-clippers.

38. Manually edge your lawn and avoid using gas-powered yard equipment.

39. Telecommute at least one day a week if possible. .

40. Conduct business meetings using Internet video technology so the participants will not have to drive to a central meeting place.

Tips 41-50

41. Use mapping websites to determine the most efficient driving route before you take a trip in your car.

42. Use highways instead of back roads whenever possible; even if the back roads are shortcuts in terms of miles, the constant speeds you can maintain on highways can save gas.

43. Do not rev your car's engine unnecessarily.

44. Do not use tires wider than recommended on your car; wide tires cause more drag.

45. Try to avoid driving at rush hour to save idling time.

46. Avoid gas stations along Interstate highways; their prices are usually higher than other gas stations.

47. Join AAA and use their discounts.

48. Check with your employer to see if there is a policy to reimburse you for business travel. Likewise, consult your accountant to see if business mileage can be deducted from your taxes.

49. Regularly rotate the tires on your car.

50. Make sure your car is in alignment at all times. Front-end alignment problems can diminish the fuel efficiency of your car.

References

• NPR's Car Talk
• Helping stop global warming

Resources

• Find local gas prices
• Find money-saving gas credit cards
• Truth about gas-saving myths