Get better gas mileage ... for free!

1 comment:

• bobunf posted at 12:14 am on Mon, Feb 27, 2012.

  Posts: 369

  Here are some other ideas for saving money on gas:

  1. Buy at Costco or use a credit card that gives discounts. Discover gives a 5% credit for six months every year. Some versions of the Chase Freedom card also periodically give a 5% credit. There are lots of other credit card deals.

  2. There are other loyalty deal with Fry's, Safeway and Maverick. The Maverick Adventure Club Card always gives 2 to 4 cents off and Maverick is frequently the cheapest station around. They have 170 stores in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado and Idaho, although none in the valley.

  3. Buy on cold days, cloudy days and early in the morning. You pay for volume; so, when you buy when its cold, you buy more "mass" of fuel for the same price. Bulk deliveries of petroleum products are volume corrected to 60º F. You get about 2% less gasoline by filling when the temperature is in the low nineties, as opposed to filling when the termperature is in the low sixties. Never fill the tank completely or it will overflow when the temperature of the gasoline rises.

  4. Wait to fill until the tank is near empty. This, and not filling all the way will reduce the average amount of gasoline you carry around; and this will extend your gas because you will haul a lighter load on the average. Ten gallons of gas weighs about 80 pounds. If you reduced your average gasoline load by 50 pounds, you would save around ½% of the gas you would otherwise use. There may also be some saving from less evaporation.

  5. Don’t start the car until you’re ready to go; arrange your belongings, get everyone in the car; adjust the seat and mirrors; put on your seat belt; know where you’re going; all before you turn the key. Lower the windows with the engine off.

  6. When you arrive, turn the car off. Don’t wait until you finish your cellphone call, or have sorted out what you’re taking with you. To listen to a few more minutes of your radio show, turn the key to the accessories position. Raise the windows with the engine off.

  7. Avoid drive-throughs at fast food restaurants, banks and other places—too much idle gas consuming.

  8. On the other hand, do use drive-through parking places. It takes less time, energy and gasoline to pull forward out of a parking space, than it takes to back out, and then switch gears.

  9. If you’re waiting for someone, it’s usually best to turn the car off. If you don’t know how long they might take, things usually take longer than planned. Rule of thumb: one minute of idling equals one start.

  10. Don’t press on the gas pedal before or while starting the car; it just tends to flood the engine and waste gas. Just turn the key and let the car start without your help from the gas pedal.

  11. Don’t go to the post office; leave the envelope in the mailbox for the mailman to pick up, or use the internet for paying bills and communications where feasible. Even putting an extra unnecessary stamp on an envelope will almost always be cheaper than going to the post office.

  12. Not using the AC when stopped or driving slowly will save gasoline. Having the windows open when traveling at high speeds will use more gasoline. So to save gas, keep the AC off as long as you don’t have to lower the windows at high speed. How much gas will this save? I don’t know, but I suspect one is dealing with several percent.

  13. Park in the first spot you find. If you wander all over the parking lot looking for that really close parking space, you'll use more gas.

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