Fuel Economy Log - Week 2

First off, I'd like to take this opportunity to "toot my own horn" because, as I write, Daily Fuel Economy Tip is now the 11th most visited automotive blog according to Blog Top Sites. So thank you to everyone who has been coming to check out this site. I'm hope it's helped you increase your vehicle's gas mileage and that you've shared it with everyone you know!

Now for my weekly Fuel Economy Log entry:

When I filled up today, I paid $3.00 per gallon, bought 10.681 gallons of gas and had traveled 384.5 miles since my last fill up. All of that equates to gas mileage of 35.99 mpg.

Based on my Neon's average fuel economy of 29 mpg, I was able to increase my gas mileage by 24%! In terms of money, that's a savings of $7.68 for this week. Couple that with my savings from last week and over the past two weeks I have saved $12.63 on my car's gas bill.

Spread that out over an entire year, that's a savings of $328.38!

Not bad for just making a few slight changes to my driving habits.

Fuel Economy Tip - Take Care of Things Before You Start the Car

Today's tip will help you find several small ways to help reduce the amount of time you idle shortly after you start the car.

Do all the little things BEFORE you start your vehicle.

Here's a list of some things people regularly do AFTER they start their vehicle that should be done BEFORE they start their vehicle:

• Put on their seat belt
• Flip through their CDs
• Adjust side and rear view mirrors
• Make sure children are buckled in
• Roll down windows (yes, some people, like myself, still have cars without automatic windows)

In the grand scheme of things, you're probably reducing the amount of time your vehicle idles by between 10 and 30 seconds each time you hop in for a drive. While you're certainly not saving gallons gas by performing these tasks before you start your vehicle, the fact is that you are saving gas and over time it will add up.

By doing the small things listed above before you start your car, I wouldn't be surprised you saved between $10 and $25 per year.

While that doesn't seem like much, it all adds up!

Fuel Economy Tip - Turn Down the Music

Today's tip is a little more subtle than most, but if you're like me, I know it's going to help you increase your car's gas mileage and save you money.

Turn down the radio.

At first glance, you're probably wondering what difference it makes how loud your radio is. First off, let me tell you that the loudness of your radio isn't a direct drain on your fuel economy; it's not like your radio is gas powered.

More than likely, the loudness of your radio does have a direct effect on how fast you drive.

I'll be the first to admit, when I'm driving, especially on the highway, and I'm listening to a song with a good beat, it's not unusual for me to look down at the speedometer and see that I'm going 10 or more miles per hour over the speed limit!

I'm sure many of you are the same way.

Going back to the very first tip posted on this site, driving even 5 mph over the speed limit, especially at higher speeds, can reduce your car's gas mileage by close to 7%, if not more.

So if you're one of those drivers that tends to get a heavier foot the louder the music gets, take the radio down a couple of notches and save some money!

Fuel Economy Tip - Park and Walk

It's aggravating to watch people drive up and down the aisles of a parking lot, searching for the closest spot. Getting "stalked" for your spot as you walk to your car is even worse. You should feel some pity for people like that because all they're doing is wasting gas.

Stop searching for the closest spot. Park and walk.

Going back to the Ditch the Drive Through tip, by driving around and searching for the closest spot, all you're doing is wasting gas and dropping your vehicle's fuel economy. All so that you don't have to walk an extra 200 yards to get where you're going.

Especially on days when the weather is nice, park your car in the first available spot and then just walk to where you are going.

Of course, if you have a disability or feel you are in an unsafe area, I would advise parking as close as possible.

Otherwise, park the car, enjoy the weather and take a little walk.

Fuel Economy Tip - Stop Tapping the Brakes

Are you one of those drivers that makes everyone in the car nauseous with your constant brake tapping? Not only is this a great way to annoy everyone in the vehicle, but it also reduces your vehicle's gas mileage by up to 2%.

Don't constantly tap your brakes.

You may be asking, "what does braking have anything to do with my car's gas mileage?"

It's not necessarily the quick stops or speed reductions that hurt your vehicle's fuel economy, but it's the gas you have to use to get back up to and maintain speed that ultimately causes your car's gas mileage to drop.

With the average cost of a gallon of regular unleaded fuel up to $2.92, that 2% decrease in fuel economy amounts to nearly $.06 per gallon. Again, while that may not seem like much, but that could cost you $50 or more per year, and several hundred dollars over the life of your vehicle.

Add in the cost of having to replace your brakes more frequently and you could spend over a thousand dollars over the life of your car just because you tap the brakes too frequently!

Driving at a constant speed may be one of the most important and easiest ways to ensure you're getting peak gas mileage from your car or truck.

Fuel Economy Tip - Ditch The Drive Through

The fast food or bank drive through (or any other drive through you can think of) has been one of the most convenient "innovations" in the shopping experience. Unfortunately, the drive through can also reduce your vehicle's overall gas mileage and fuel economy.

Stop using drive throughs. Park your vehicle instead.

It's certainly nice to never leave your car and have everything handed to you, but that convenience is probably going to cost you money.

When your vehicle just sits and idles, or moves just a couple of feet every minute or so, your fuel economy drops to a whopping 0 miles per gallon (wow, what a surprise).

So, instead of sitting in the drive through for three or four minutes, wasting gas and money, park your car and go into the restaurant, bank or store.

Obviously there are going to be times when you need to use the drive through, like when you're traveling with children or you're in a rush, but the less you use drive throughs, the more gas and money you're going to save.

Fuel Economy Tip - Brake With Your Right Foot

I'm sure a lot of you are asking, "what difference does it make which foot I use to brake as long as my car comes to a stop when I need it to?" Ultimately, I guess it doesn't matter as long as you are able to slow or stop your vehicle when you have to, but, breaking with the wrong foot can lead to decrease fuel economy.

Always brake with your right foot!

Since most people do this anyway, it isn't much of an issue, but for those of you that do brake with your left foot, pay attention.

Drivers who brake with their left foot tend to slightly rest their foot on the brake pedal as they are driving down the road. Even slightly resting your foot on the pedal causes the brakes to engage.

By engaging the brakes as you drive down the road, not only will you go through brake pads much faster than you should, you also reduce your vehicle's gas mileage.

By even slightly using the brakes, you are forcing your engine to work that much harder to increase and maintain speed. That extra effort put forth by your vehicle's engine is made possible by using more gas than it would otherwise.

All of that being said, if you do feel more comfortable braking with your left foot and don't want to switch to using your right foot, make sure you keep your left foot off the brake pedal as you are driving down the road.

While this change isn't likely to increase your fuel economy by a sizeable amount, it will help you save a bit of money at the pump and even more money on brake replacements.

Fuel Economy Log - Week 1

First off, thanks for checking out my site each day to see what the new tip is. I appreciate it and I hope that these tips are helping you to save money.

In order to add a little more concrete evidence that my tips actually do help you save money, I thought it would be a good idea to create a weekly post where I would share how my tips have helped increase my car's gas mileage and fuel economy.

First, some background. I drive a 2000 Dodge Neon and I have tracked my car's gas mileage since I bought the vehicle in October 2004. I know, it's a bit nerdy, but it gives me a good basis for comparison to see how much money I've saved each time I enter in this journal.

I have calculated my base fuel economy to be roughly 29 miles per gallon, which in the grand scheme of things really isn't bad.

This past week, I have made a conscious effort to make sure that I travel the speed limit, I added some air to two tires to make sure they were at the proper pressure and I reduced my car's weight by taking out personal items that were just taking up space.

When I filled up today, I paid $3.00 per gallon (yikes) and put 10.320 gallons worth of fuel in my car. Since I last filled up my car, I had traveled 349.2 miles, which equates to gas mileage of 33.8 mpg, a 16.5% increase over what my car has typically averaged!

In terms of saving money, that 16.5% increase in fuel efficiency saved me $4.95 today. Not too bad for just making a few small changes!

Hopefully from this point forward you will go ahead and join me in keeping a fuel economy log. Please feel free to share how much money you've saved by posting a comment in next week's journal entry.

Fuel Economy Tip - Stop Driving Out of Your Way to Save $.03

With the proliferation of sites like Gas Buddy, it seems more and more people are trying to find the cheapest gas in their area. This isn't a bad thing, but it may not necessary be good either.

Stop driving across town to save pennies per gallon of gas!

I'm sure some of you are asking, "isn't that the point of this site, to help me save money on my car's gas bill?"

Yes, that is this site's goal, but I'm going to show you why taking even a 5 mile trek out of your way to get cheaper gas probably isn't worth it.

Let's say you're like me and drive an average car with a 12 gallon tank and that gets roughly 25 miles per gallon.

By driving 5 miles (10 round trip) to fill up and save $.03 per gallon, in theory you've saved about $.36 on your fill up. Not bad considering this site's mantra is "every little bit adds up."

But, what did it COST you to save that $.36?

Since your car gets 25 mpg, that 10 mile round trip caused you to use .4 gallons. With the average price of regular unleaded fuel being $2.91 per gallon, that .4 gallons cost you $1.16.

You LOST $1.16 by saving $.36, putting you $.80 in the hole!

So, all of that being said, it probably isn't worth it to fill up anywhere but your closest gas station.

Addendum to Proper Tire Pressure

I've received several emails in response to yesterday's tip regarding proper tire pressure and fuel economy, so I'll go into more depth regarding the issue today. There are two additional items I'd like to focus on regarding tire pressure:

1. Where else you can find information regarding proper tire pressure
2. What happens if you OVER inflate your tires

In addition to being able to find the proper tire pressure for your vehicle in the owners' manual or on the inside of the driver's door, you may also be able to find the proper tire pressure on the actual tire itself.

If you check both the owners' manual and the tire, you may notice that each recommends a different tire pressure, although that may not always be the case. If there is a difference, it should be pretty small.

The reason for the difference is because the tire pressure given in the owners' manual is meant for giving the car the smoothest ride, while the pressure listed on the tire is meant to reduce wear on the tire and maximize its life.

Ultimately, which one you choose will probably just come down to personal preference, and shouldn't really make much of a difference regarding your fuel economy.

Now that you're making sure that you don't have under inflated tires, you also should be aware of the problems presented by over inflated tires. Some things that can happen if you have over inflated tires include:

1. Faster wear on the tire
2. Increased stopping distance and time
3. Increased likelihood of a blowout

Taking the negatives of having either under or over inflated tires into account, it should become even more obvious how important it is to maintain proper tire pressure.

Fuel Economy Tip - Proper Tire Pressure

Most people tend to care about their tires' air pressure when the tire goes flat. However, properly inflated tires can help you increase your car or truck's fuel economy.

Make sure that your vehicle's tires are inflated properly.

According to AAA, driving with under inflated tires can reduce your vehicle's gas mileage and fuel efficiency by up to 2% which, for a $3.00 gallon of gas, causes you to lose $.06 per gallon.

The reason under inflated tires reduce gas mileage is because they are less "round" than properly inflated tires. Due to being less round, under inflated tires require more energy to begin moving and to maintain speed.

I like to check my vehicle's tire pressure at least once a month, usually when I'm already at a gas station, so that if I have to add any air, I can go ahead and use the gas station's air pump.

You should be able to find the proper tire pressure in your vehicle's owner's manual. If you can't find it there, check on the driver's side door.

Fuel Economy Tip - Reduce Excess Weight

It's amazing how quickly your car or truck can become cluttered with useless items that do nothing but take up space and add weight to your vehicle.

Clean out your car!

From what I've read, the fuel of thumb is: For every extra 100 pounds you carry in your vehicle, you reduce gas mileage and fuel economy by roughly 1%.

To give you a real life example of how easy it is to "overcome" this, I'll share my experience.

This past weekend I cleaned out just the trunk of my car and removed the following items:

• Golf clubs and golf shoes - 18 lbs
• Two large CD cases - 20 lbs
• Five library books - 6 lbs

By simply taking these items out of the trunk of my car, I reduced my car's weight by 44 pounds, which should improve my gas mileage and fuel economy by about .44%.

While that certainly doesn't seem like much, it all adds up, especially when coupled with some other fuel economy tips that you can get from this site.

Fuel Economy Tip - Accelerate Less Rapidly

Today's tip is along the same lines as yesterday's, only it doesn't concern how fast you go, rather how fast you get to that speed.

Accelerate less rapidly.

How many times have you pulled up to a red light or stop sign and then "floored it" when the light turned green or it was your turn to go? That's a great strategy if you're a professional drag racer or you just like to waste gas and ruin your vehicle's fuel economy.

According to Car Junky.com, rapid acceleration, coupled with excessive breaking, can reduce your vehicle's gas mileage by up to 33% at highway speeds and up to 5% during local driving.

That's a significant amount of money you're losing for just wanting to be the first person off the line or to fly past the slow poke in the middle lane.

Imagine being able to save literally hundreds of dollars each year on your vehicle's fuel costs by simply taking it easy when you accelerate.

Obviously, there are going to be times when you need to "punch it" but if you can minimize those times, you're not going to needlessly lose money each time you have to fill up your vehicle.

Fuel Economy Tip - Drive The Speed Limit

This tip is the first tip because it will keep you from losing your money not only to the gas pump, but to tickets and insurance as well.

According to Fuel Economy.Gov, for every additional 5 miles per hour (mph) you drive over 60 mph, you are spending an additional $.19 per gallon of gas. At today's national average price for unleaded fuel, that would be the equivalent to adding over 6.5% to your gas bill.

Let's look at it in regards to the amount of money you're losing in a year by driving 5 mph over the speed limit:

If you fill up your 12 gallon tank once a week, that $.19 per gallon ends up costing you $118.56 per year!

Don't tell me that $.19 per gallon doesn't add up over time.

In addition to saving you money at the pump, driving the speed limit saves you money in additional ways:

1. Reduces your chances for a speeding ticket (that shouldn't come as a shock).
2. Reduces your chances for getting into a serious accident.
3. Because of reasons 1 and 2, you're more likely to have lower insurance premiums.
4. Reduces the wear and tear on your car, helping it last longer.

All of these things considered, speeding probably costs the average driver several hundred dollars each year.

Care to tell me again why you're speeding?

About Daily Fuel Economy Tip

Gas is becoming more and more expensive and from the looks of things, the price is only going to continue to increase.

The national average cost for a gallon of gas of regular unleaded gas is up to $2.84.

Whether the next stop is $3, $4, $5 or more remains to be seen, but at some point you're going to feel the pain at the pump. Maybe you already are.

Higher gas prices are going to affect your daily life and habits. That's the bad news.

The good news is there is a silver lining to this very dark cloud.

There are things you can do right now to help improve your vehicle's gas mileage and fuel economy and help you save money.

The best part is, many of these things don't require drastic change. Just make a few simple changes in your driving habits mixed with some common sense and you can be well on your way to increasing your vehicle's gas mileage and fuel economy by 2 to 10%.

While that might not seem like much, over time that 2 to 10% will add up to hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars at the pump and maybe even more off your car's maintenance and insurance.

Every day, I will post a new tip that will help you either increase your vehicle's gas mileage and fuel economy or just save you money on your car's gas bill.

Make sure you come back and check this site regularly and share it with your friends because these simple steps will keep you from needlessly losing thousands of dollars at the gas pump.