Things You'll Need:
- Internet
- Automobile
- Gasoline
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Step 1
Do not drive unless you have to. Gone are the days of just driving around to pass the time. The average price for a gallon of gas at the pump is hovering around $3.09 in many cities. Carpool, walk, take the bike or take a bus. This will not only save gas, but also will help save our environment and may be better for your health.
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Step 2
Get Low Resistance Tires. Some tires, such as Michelin Energy MX 4 Plus are supposed to increase gas mileage and use a synthetic oil instead of mineral oil. This will cause your engine to run better and give you better mileage.
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Step 3
Check the web for deals. Websites let you find the best deals in your area. Check out the Resources below to start. For example, check out GasBuddy.com, which gives you information on stations with the cheapest gas in your area.
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Step 4
Buy a hybrid car. Not only do hybrid cars give you immediate savings at the pump, but the US government and your local state also offer tax breaks for people who use gas-saving cars. Federal deductions for using gas-saving cars can be as high as $2,000, but check before buying to see if they're still in effect. If you can't afford it, consider getting a regular car with good miles per gallon. In general, the smaller the car, the better the mileage. Cars such as Nissan Versa, Toyota's Scion and Honda Fit, are good examples.
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Step 5
Use the lowest recommended octane for your car. The lower octane gas is cheaper. Most modern cars are engineered to run most efficiently on lower octane fuel and often recommend not using higher octane fuel. Check your owner's manual to be sure as not all car engines should use lowest octane gas.
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Step 6
Avoid idling your automobile. Idling to warm up is particularly bad, as the engine needs extra fuel to warm up. After start up, allow your car to idle 15 to 30 seconds, then drive conservatively until it reaches normal operating temperature. Park your car and go into the restaurant rather than idling in the drive through. Idling with the air conditioning on also uses extra fuel.
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Step 7
Plan your trips in advance to prevent wasting fuel and time. Plan to use alternative routes. Often back roads can prevent you from stopping at traffic lights and more importantly sitting in traffic jams.
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Step 8
Maintain a safe following distance. Don't stick to the bumper of the car directly in front of you. You will brake more and accelerate more to keep that unnecessary and dangerous narrow gap. This also gives you a lot more room to play with when you are timing traffic signals.
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Step 9
Slow down. Air resistance goes up as the square of velocity. The power consumed to overcome that air resistance goes up as the cube of the velocity. Rolling resistance is the dominant force below about 40 mph. Above that, every mph costs you mileage. Go as slow as traffic and your schedule will allow. Drive under 60 to 65 since air grows exponentially denser, in the aerodynamic sense, the faster we drive.
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Step 10
Fill the tank full. If you need to fill up, fill up all the way. The more money you try to save by adding $20 today and then $15 tomorrow will be wasted since each time you will have to travel to the station and wait for a pump. Instead, do it all at once to save time and money.
