Save Money on Gas: How I Increased My Gas Mileage by almost 26%

Gas Pump

Getting Better Gas Mileage - The Process (continued)

Continued from Page 2 (click to go back)

4) At the risk of sounding redundant, #4 is also related to #2 and #3, but important enough to deserve it's own listing: consider your brakes the enemy as far as gas mileage is concerned. Hitting the brakes means that you car will have to lose all that gas-efficient momentum and then use extra gas to regain the momemtum and get you back to the speed you were before you braked.

How does this translate? First, leave enough room between yourself and the car in front of you so that you don't have to punch the brakes every time he slows or brakes. Second, consider testing the effects of your gas mileage with different routes that require less stopping, starting, and turning. Third, learn to time your city's traffic lights so that you have a good idea of what speed to stay at so that you don't accelerate to each light, only to have to brake to a stop until the light changes. As you practice this, you will also have a little chuckle at how often you will catch up at a traffic light to a speed-demon car that zoomed past you further back on the road and is now stopped at the red light.

5) Use the cruise control. I learned to use the cruise control whenever I had an open stretch of road, even just a 1/4 mile, and even on roads that were at slower speed limits. With the cruise control, I can set it at the speed limit, and then using my mileage calculator display could tweak my speed up or down a bit until the display shows the best mileage rate. I often cruise at 39 mpg, which seems to occur at speeds of around 45-46 mph in my car.

I had not used my cruise control too much, except for interstate driving, because I had the thought that it was somehow not safe. I've learned that for me it is actually much safer. With the cruise control set, I don't mindlessly find myself going 10 mph over the speed limit. I watch the cars around me to be sure that my speed is compatible with the flow of traffic. My foot is ready for the brake or accelerator at any time, just by habit, no stress.

I have also saved myself a stress attack (who knows, even a ticket) when I've driven past a sheriff's speed trap, by knowing that I am going within the speed limit because my trusty cruise control is set to keep me there.

6) Drive a little slower. As I noted while using the cruise control, often just easing up on the gas by 1-2 mph made a 4 -5 mpg difference in the mileage. At even greater speeds, such as interstate driving, the difference was very noticeable. For example, I might register 23-24 mpg at 75 mph and 29-30 mpg at 68 mph. Notice also that I found that my car gets the best mileage in the 43-55 mph range. So I can use that information when I have the choice of routes that might have different speed limits.

Note: Consumer Reports (April 2011) tested a Toyota Camry and showed that fuel economy dropped 5 mpg from 55 to 65 mph and another 5 mpg from 65 to 75. So in their testing, you would lose 10 mpg by increasing your speed from 55 to 75 mph. Another good reason to drive within the 55 mph speed limit on non-interstate roads.

7) Leave 5 -10 minutes earlier for your destination. Allowing a few minutes of extra time relieves any presssure of trying to go just a little faster, accelerate a little harder, and all those stressful, gas-guzzling habits we acquire when we feel that we are going to be late getting somewhere. You'll be more likely to coast instead of brake, accelerate slowly after a stop, and allow the cars in front of you a little extra breathing space.

8) Avoid jack-rabbit starts after a stop. During heavy acceleration from a full stop, my car gets about 1 - 3 mpg. Even a moderately heavy acceleration reads 7-10 mpg. I try to accelerate with smooth, quick, level speed and keep the gauge no lower than 12 mpg. Again, I thought that I'd have impatient cars tailing close on my bumper if I consistently did this, but I have found that even with my moderate acceleration, I rarely have any cars that seem bothered by my acceleration rate. Sometimes the cars even lag far behind. I suppose that means that I'd be labeled the speed demon at that moment.

Note: Consumer Reports (March 2011) reported that frequent bursts of acceleration and braking reduced gas mileage by 2 to 3 mpg on a tested Toyota Camry.

9) Check the tire inflation and keep the tires properly inflated. During my driving habit adjustments, I remembered that properly inflated tires can help improve gas mileage. I don't recall all of the details for this one. I do remember that my tires were surprisingly lower than the recommended pressure and I put more air in them. My car drove a lot smoother and handled a little better after I filled all the tires. The gas mileage seemed a little improved, but since the results were co-mingled with the other adjustments I was making, I cannot give any hard numbers on the effect of changing the air pressure in the tires.

Note: Consumer Reports (April 2011) tested a 1.3 mpg loss when tires were underinflated by 10 psi.

Additional note: When researching the Michelin Tire website to see how much pressure should be in my tires, they noted that the pressure marked on the sides of the tires was simply a maximum and that you should always inflate your tires according to your vehicle's owner's manual or on the decal on the doorpost. Michelin also said that for every 7 psi below the correct pressure on your tires, gas mileage efficiency drops by 1%.

With all these methods combined, I increased my gas mileage from 19 mpg to 24 mpg, a savings of 26%. I now drive about 10,000 miles a year. At $4.00 a gallon, that is a savings of $438.60 a year. Even if prices drop back to $2.99 a gallon, I will still be saving $327.85 a year. The effort is well worth the savings, especially since I enjoy it.

I hope that you are able to use at least one or two of these tips to greatly increase your own gas mileage. The savings can be substantial and the process is actually fun. Now that's The Fat Dollar way.

Other resources:

The site mpgbuddy.com will display your specific vehicle's expected miles per gallon when you enter in the year, make, and model.

Michelin Tire Company

Consumer Reports -Gas Saving Tips

Watch for TheFat Dollar upcoming article on other ways to save money on gas. You will want to try some of them ... some of them you may find to be too much trouble to warrant the effort.

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