How to Save 25% on Gas Realistically

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

willingness to change your driving habits

Step 1

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mddudley/2137081579/

When you are starting from a full stop, accelerate slowly. Imagine that you are driving a big 18-wheeler loaded with lumber. Now drive a little slower than that. Try to take a full ½ mile to come up to speed (50mph) after stopping. Don’t pay any attention to the drivers behind you. They can pass you if they want.
Step 2

Calm the jets a bit. Drive 5-10 miles slower than the speed limit as long as it’s safe. If the road is crowded with a lot of speeding cars, then drive 5-10 miles slower than most of the other cars. Be sure to stay in the right-hand lane. Hazard lights let other cars know you are going slower.

We all have places to go. But if you drive 5-10 miles per hour slower it’ll only take you a few extra minutes to get where you want to go. So let everyone else stress. Relax and slow down! It’s really not hard once you get used to it, and, contrary to urban myth, people are not going to “run you over”!
Step 3

Cruise, baby, cruise. Try to maintain a constant speed as much as possible while maintaining safety. Choose the route with the least hills, stop lights and stop signs. The one exception is when you are going up hills. Let your car slow down 5 or 10 mph as you ascend the hill. If you need to accelerate and you’re soon to be driving down a hill, continue going slow until you get to the downward slope. Then accelerate gently while you are going downhill. This will save you a ton of gas! Maintain your speed by using cruise control if you have it. Maintain your speed on curves as long as you can do so safely.
Step 4

It’s all about RPM’s… Keep your tachometer below 2000 revolutions per minute. If you don’t have a tachometer, consider having an aftermarket tachometer installed. If getting an aftermarket tachometer is not possible, at least try to be aware of how hard your engine is working. If it starts to struggle to keep your speed up, slow down 5-10 miles per hour.
Step 5

Gravity can be your friend. If your route is quite hilly, make it a game to see how far you can go while coasting. (By “coasting”, I simply mean driving with your foot completely off the accelerator but with the transmission still in Drive. Do not shift your transmission into neutral to coast. This is dangerous and in many places it is illegal.) If you must accelerate try to do so gently while going downhill.

Pay attention to the terrain of places you go frequently. For example, our house is about a half-mile off the main road, mostly downhill. I can coast most of that half mile. It is a great feeling saving gas every time I hit the final stretch to home sweet home!

Another great strategy is to park at a high spot at the grocery store parking lot. That way you can just start your car, put it in drive, and exit your parking space by just taking your foot off the brake. Every little bit really helps!
Step 6

Anticipate! Try to make it your goal to never stop at a stop light. Observe the road a long way ahead of you very carefully. If that stop light a half mile ahead is red and you know it’s a long light then coast until it turns green. Avoiding stops and restarts saves massive amounts of gas!
Step 7

If you’re in a stop-and-go traffic jam, try to maintain a constant, slow speed. No sense in speeding up and slowing down umpteen times. Sure, cars will pull in front of you. Let ‘em! Your goal is to maintain a constant speed.
Step 8

Go with the flow… If you see a car is turning in front of you, safely switch lanes to maintain your speed. If you’re going to be turning left, pay attention to the traffic coming in the opposite direction. Try to manipulate your speed so that you do not have to completely stop to make your turn.
Step 9

Be neutral! When you are stopped at a long light, shift into neutral while keeping your foot on the brake. Or, if you know you will be stopped for more than a minute shut off your engine completely.

Speaking of stops, you can save a lot of gas by being smart in drive-thru lanes. If you are at the bank, fast-food place, or coffee shop drive-thru, shut your engine off if you suspect you may have to sit for 30 seconds or more. If there are cars in front of you in the drive-thru, chances are very high you will be in that line for at least five minutes. When you are idling, you are getting ZERO miles per gallon!
Step 10

Stay in top shape! Your car needs to be running at maximum efficiency. Regularly change the oil, oil and air filters, and give it a tune-up. Fill the tires with nitrogen so that they stay inflated properly. Nitrogen molecules are larger and don't leak out the way air can.
Step 11

Keep on keepin’ on! Eventually, it’ll become second nature to drive this way. Even my husband is learning! He is now well on his way to saving 25% on his gas. You can, too, starting TODAY!