May
2008
Saving Gas
Best Gas-Saving Tip Ever, from the Sierra Club:
Drive slower.
Obviously this isn’t breaking news, but they translated miles per hour into money spent in one of their last e-newsletters.
Some interesting facts:
- According to the Union of Concerned Scientists, dropping from 70 to 60 miles per hour improves fuel efficiency by an average of 17.2 percent.
- Dropping from 75 to 55 improves fuel efficiency by 30.6 percent.
- In a family sedan, every 10 mph that you drive over 60 is like paying 54 cents per gallon more for gas you bought at $3.25 a gallon. (That cost is even higher for larger vehicles, like SUVs or trucks.)
- On a 300 mile trip, driving 65 instead of 70 mph would only cost you an additional 20 minutes.
I don’t know about you guys, but I have a little bit of a lead foot. It’s not that I want to drive fast. It’s just that I’m usually late for things.
So maybe my ultimate gas saving tip is to “get organized” so that I am leaving my house with plenty of time to get where I’m going. So that, yes - I can drive slower.
Not only does driving slower allow you to save money and burn less carbon, it also lets you:
- Take it easy on your brakes.
- Avoid some accidents and/or traffic tickets. (Ahem, yes, I’m speaking from experience!)
- Have a less stressful day.
- Listen to more of your Eat, Pray, Love audio book.
- Have an excuse for being late for work. “Boss, I was trying to save the ozone layer.”
So - Save money. Save the environment. Be lime. Drive lime.
Does anyone else out there have some gas saving tips, or reasons to drive slower? Please share in the comment section below! Thanks!
In the on-going quest for more MPG’s, I’ve very recently started slowing my acceleration and top-speed (not that I was a speed demon to begin with, I drive a Kia Rio). By allowing my car to roll a second or two before accelerating, accelerating slowly, and following posted speed limits; I had increased my in-town gas mileage by about 2 or 3 miles per gallon. Almost 15%!
Another thing is reducing braking. As soon as you see that a light up ahead is red, stop accelerating. Just coast to it. Many times, you’ll reach the light as it’s turning green, thus never having to use your brakes. Brake usage = gas wasting. Same goes for following cars closely. Leave a big gap and you don’t have to repeatedly brake every time they do.
This all basically equates to driving like an old person, but hey, the savings add up. I’m getting almost 30 extra miles out of every tank of gas.
I had looked into making aerodynamic modifications to the body of my car, but realized that may be just a liiittle crazy. Maybe next summer.
I have started slowing down in my daily commute to and from work. Seems to be adding a mile or two per gallon. Not a lot, but over the course of a week getting 21-22 mpg instead of 19-20 mpg adds up. As the previous poster said, that is like getting an extra 30 or so miles per take or a gallon and a half of gas.
Thanks for your tips and advice guys! Much appreciated!! I especially like to hear that every little bit adds up. Important to remember.