Since I am trying to be topical and let’s face it with gas pricing going up and up and the economy going down and down, and even the president asking for conservation it is hard to be more topical than how to save gas. So I have a new and improved post.
(Just a quick reminder) In most other countries (except our neighbors to the north and south)gas is betweeen $5 and $9 a gallon. However, saving money is never a bad thing.
Ok the most under rated way to save money on gas is to check the inflation of your tires, under inflation can cost you >7% of your fuel efficiency, plus tires aren’t free and wear faster when under inflated. You can find the proper inflation pressure on the VIN sticker on the driver side door frame. On long, high speed trips slight over inflation can improve your mileage, but since it can affect ride characteristics and traction on snow or mud I mention it only for completeness.
Remove excess weight, since every 100 lbs of extra weight is a ~5% reduction in fuel efficiency, so the 400 lbs of crap in your truck is causing you to have 20% worse gas mileage.
If you are going over 45 mph and your car is less than 20 years old then running the AC is more efficient than open windows. Sure the compressor loads the engine, but over 45 the aerodynamics of the car are comprised more by the drag of open windows, than the load. Below 45 it is a wash, but I like to be cool. Speaking of engine load if you don’t need it on, when you drive, then turn it off. What am I talking about? Well anything, the lights, the radio, cruise control everything. The car is not magic, everything in it takes power to run, and power comes at the price of fuel economy. Running the headlights is >1% against fuel economy. Your custom stereo that when the base hits can stun birds in flight is ~5% against you mileage per 1000Ws, (plus the weight).
If you drive a truck cover the bed or remove the tailgate. Remember a solid tail gate has the same aerodynamic properties of a wall and kills your mileage.
If you will be idling for more than a minute turn off the engine, a warmed up fuel injected engine uses no more gas to start than it does any other time. A minute is just a guideline, but long waits at a drive through window or creeping traffic kill your mileage, so go in and get the food, or wait at work till traffic decreases you will save lots (like a third or more). It pains me to say this but driving slower helps too, newish cars are most fuel efficient between 45-60 MPH. Above 70 you take a substantial hit in fuel economy, and going 80 requires almost twice the fuel of 55, so how fast do you really need to get there?
Do your preventative maintenance, a clogged air filter, EGR valve or crack case vent, kill the gas mileage, as does a worn out oxygen sensor, dirty fuel system, or just bad tuning. Get you car a checkup and replace some cheap parts, you might save >50%. Remember $8 for a new air filter can mean 15% better mileage alone, plus a better torque curve. If your car is newish then get it washed and waxed, the dirt and bugs can cost you up to 2% fuel efficiency. (Why do you think you never see dirty UPS or FedEx trucks, or an airplane with “wash me” written on the tail?)
The number one way to save money on gas is buy the right fuel for your car. Premium or super is not better gas, is simply higher octane so it can be compressed more before it detonates. In fact 91 octane gas contains lots less energy than 87 regular gas. Is super a good deal? Well 91 costs like a quarter more a gallon and you have to burn up to 10% more to make the same power, so I am going with no! Now if you drive a modern luxury car or have super/turbo charging than you have a high compression engine and need 91 to prevent knock, for the rest of us 87 is fine. 89 or midgrade is a total waste of money since it is too high octane for regular compression engines to make good power but too little for high compression engine to prevent knocking.
While I am on the subject most fuel additives are a waste too, and cost serious money. If you buy good quality gas (like Exxon or Chevron) instead of Racetrac’s old coffee/fuel mix and are least once a week going more than 15 miles in one trip at high speed, you fuel systems and valves are plenty clean. (The detergent in good gas isn’t really detergent it is solvents and ions but for marketing purposes detergent = cleaning and is easy for most people to understand.) However, it really does clean the fuel system, but only if the engine gets hot and stays hot. Now if you are buying cheap gas or only make short trips, some injector cleaner can help but you still have to make that long high speed trip for it to work. Don’t be fooled jet fuel is just cheap kerosene not some magic super fuel, Teflon/PTFE just burns and kills the catalytic converter, remember there is no magical mystical fuel additive on the market that can improve MPG. More importantly there is no gadget that can improve your MPG, that doesn’t involve at least removing the valve cover or altering the computer, so beware of snake oil vendors. (For the love of gd never add water, ATF or oil to your fuel, unless you drive a WWII era fighter plane, ask me and I can explain.)
If you really want to save money buy a diesel car since diesel engines are by their very nature >25% more fuel efficient than gasoline engines, and because they are massively overbuilt can last three as long as a gas engine. If that isn’t an option cut back on your mileage, plan you errands and actives so you drive the minimum number of miles, or at least never backtrack, and always drive your most fuel efficient car. A trip to the store to buy bread doesn’t require you to drive a Hummer (unless you live in a war torn suburb and without the 50 cal mounted in the back, your kids will be orphans.) For most things a Honda will do, ok you can’t put enough 2x4s in a Honda to frame a house, but do you need to buy/drive a Dodge RAM UltraMega Cab truck, when the only forest products you intent to transport are a box of invitations from Crane & Co. for your retro Fondue party? (No, it doesn’t count if the paper is heavy bond!) Yes, your kids will complaint it is tight in the back seat of a Honda, but 35 mpg vs 3 mpg can provide a lot of comfort. If you kids are teenagers, an uncomfortable back seat is a good thing…
Instead of driving, try biking or walking, most American can afford to waste caloric fuel more than petroleum based fuel. In my case once it cools off I will walk the 4 miles to the store and back, it is good exercise and at current prices saves me like 50 cents.
Going too far for biking or walking? Well then try to share a ride or carpool, yes I know the reason you bought a car was so that you didn’t have to share, but if you share then you save gas, since you aren’t driving all the time. Plus, you get to bond with your neighbors and coworkers, ok bad example, um you get judge your neighbors and coworkers, and pick on people in the safety of your car. Scary as it may sound you might also consider mass transit. Yes, bus and trains are scary, but maybe you really ought to think about it, $2 in bus fare versus $9 in gas. You don’t have to be lucid to get to work, so you can skip that first thing in the morning trip to Starbucks and that is a savings right there. (Actually being the environmentally friendly company Starbucks is, they should find away to make suburban locations ride share meting places.) Then you can use the money you save to buy an IPod and some really great headphones from Shure, that way you can pretend you aren’t on a bus, or you can use the time to read. Remember the time you swore to someone at a party you had read all of Dicken’s works, or put on your resume you spoke conversational Aramaic? Now you can make good, book CDs are a wonderful thing.
Hope this helps, and remember a Republican has asked you to conserve, so that really means something.
No comments:
Post a Comment