Fuel Economy Tip - Use Mass Transit

Today's tip may not help you save a lot of money, but it will help you do your part to save the environment.

Take mass transit whenever possible.

Obviously, this will be more applicable for people who live in or near a major urban area, but is good advice for anyone. But for those of you who can take advantage of mass transit, whether it's riding the bus, taking the subway, or both, taking mass transit is a great way to save gas.... because you're not using any!

I've read a couple of studies that show you don't really save much (if any) money using mass tansit verus driving, so if saving money is what you're after, it's probably a push.

But, aside from saving gas, by taking mass transit, you're helping to reduce the amount of emissions put into the air each day. That in and of itself may be worth taking mass transit, even if it doesn't help you save much cash.

So, if you're looking for a way to save gas that also has some intrinsic value, mass transit is the way!

Fuel Economy Tip - Clean Out Your Bed

Today's tip is a great way for those of you who drive pick up trucks to increase your gas mileage by up to 5%.

Once winter is over, remove the sand bags and/or bricks from your pick up's bed.

During the winter, a lot of people will put heavy items in the back of their trucks to help weigh down the back of the vehicle. This helps keep the truck's back end from sliding around on snowy or icy roads.

But, once that danger has passed, all the extra weight does is reduce your truck's gas mileage, which is probably not that great to begin with.

Going back to the reduce excess weight tip, adding 100 pounds to the weight of your vehicle will reduce its fuel economy by roughly 1%.

So, if you're driving around with four 50 pound sand bags in the back of your truck, you're reducing your gas mileage by roughly 2%. While that may not seem like much, you could be wasting $1.50 or more each time you fill up. Over a year, that's over $75.

I don't know about you, but if I could keep $75 in my pocket by not being lazy, I'd probably go ahead and do it.

Fuel Economy Tip - Have The Party At Your Place

Today's tip will help you save money on gas and make everyone think you're a social butterfly.

Invite people over to your house so you don't have to drive to theirs.

This is a great idea for those summer cookouts and get togethers that are always popping up when the weather starts to get warm.

I'm not recommending that you become a social hermit and not hang out with your friends for fear of spending money on gas, I'm just saying to go ahead and instead of going to the party, have the party come to you.

And, instead of preparing all of the food yourself, make it a pot-luck sort of thing and you won't be spending the money you're saving.

Fuel Economy Log - Week 5

I've kind of gotten behind on the weekly fuel economy logs, so today's post is for last week. I will post week 6's log tomorrow.

For week 5, I filled up at $2.96 per gallon, bought 11.329 gallons and drove 393.1 miles between fill ups, which means I got roughly 34.7 miles per gallon.

Based on my car's average fuel economy of 29 mpg, I was able to increase my gas mileage by 19.65%. By increasing my gas mileage this much, I was able to save $6.59.

This brings my five week savings up to 34.88, which spread out over a year is a savings about $365.

Works for me.

Fuel Economy Tip - Enjoy Your Memorial Day

Today, I'm not going to post a tip because I'm going to go out and enjoy my Memorial Day weekend. My only tip is that you go and do the same.

So go eat too much, hang out with friends and have a good time.

Fuel Economy Tip - Tailgating Doesn't Help

Today's tip won't help you save much gas, but will help you stay out of costly fender benders which, if you ask me, is just as good.

Tailgating doesn't help your fuel economy, so go ahead and stick to the two second rule.

A couple of people have emailed me and asked whether or not tailgating is a good way to help save gas. One person even asked if "drafting, like what they do in Nascar" could increase your car's gas mileage by a sizeable amount.

While the theory is sound, I'll give a couple of reasons why tailgating probably isn't the best way to go about increasing your car's fuel economy.

In going back to the Nascar comment, "drafting" really isn't relevant to us normal drivers. In Nascar, or other forms of motor racing, cars are driving inches, if not millimeters, from each other, and that's how they're able to benefit from drafting. Even the most aggressive drivers don't tailgate that closely on the street.

Also, at some Nascar tracks, the cars are traveling at over 200 mph, so the cars have to use a lot of energy to be able to cut through the air. That's why drafting is so important; by being on the bumper of the car ahead of you, your car doesn't have to use as much energy to go as fast. While driving 60 mph on the street may sound fast, you don't use nearly as much energy to get up to and maintain speed so drafting / tailgating isn't as beneficial or necessary.

Finally, tailgating will exponentially increase your risk for an accident. By driving closely to the car in front of you, you are decreasing the amount of time you have to react in case you have to stop or swerve. Go ahead and stay at least two seconds behind the car in front of you so you can have enough time and distance to properly react.

While tailgating may be a great idea when you're driving 200 mph on an oval, it probably isn't the best way to save gas when you're driving through the neighborhood.

Fuel Economy Tip - Pack What You Need

Today's tip is particularly relevant with the start of vacation season and will hopefully help you save a bit of gas.

When going on vacation, pack light and bring only what you need.

The whole premise of packing light to save gas goes back to the reduce excess weight tip. For every extra 100 pounds you carry in your vehicle, you will reduce your gas mileage from 1 to 2 percent. On a long road trip, that can add up, especially if you're traveling in one of those gas guzzling SUVs.

Here are some ways you can reduce the amount of crap you're carrying when you go on vacation:

• Don't bring groceries, just buy everything when you get to your vacation spot.
• Don't over pack your clothes.
• Take all the extra junk out of your trunk that's not related to your vacation.
• Leave the kids at home (just kidding)

Long story short, it's easy to make sure that you don't over pack and by doing so, you'll increase your car's gas mileage.

Fuel Economy Tip - Check Your Spark Plugs

Today's tip will hopefully help you save some money on gas and help improve the performance of your vehicle.

Check your spark plugs and replace as necessary.

The purpose of spark plugs is to ignite the air/fuel mixture, which turns that mixture into the energy that moves your car.

If you're driving around with fouled spark plugs, the air/fuel mixture will be ignited less efficiently, which robs your car of performance and needlessly wastes fuel.

So, how do you know when it's time to change your spark plugs? According to About.com, you should replace your vehicle's spark plugs every two years or 30,000 miles, although some plugs may get up to 100,000 miles before they need to be replaced.

Also, when the spark plugs become inefficient due to carbon build up, it's time to go ahead and replace them.

So, this tip goes along with the saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." By replacing spark plugs as necessary you'll improve both the performance of your car as well as its fuel economy.

Fuel Economy Tip - Avoid the Spoiler

Today's tip may or may not be able to help you out, but if it can, it'll help you save a bunch of cash.

If you can help it, avoid having (or adding) a spoiler on your car.

Look, I know this isn't going to help you if you have a car that already has one, but maybe this will help dissuade you from getting a car with a spoiler or adding one to your car.

The basic function of a spoiler is to add downforce to your car to help improve handling at high speeds, so at it's very nature, having a spoiler will hurt your fuel economy.

Much like when you have your sunroof or windows open, a spoiler adds a lot of drag to your car, which, as I'm sure I've made you aware, drastically reduces your vehicle's gas mileage.

So, if you can avoid buying a car that's got a spoiler, or can avoid putting one on your car when you "trick it out," you'll save a bunch of money.

Fuel Economy Tip - Don't Get "Sweet" Rims

Today's tip will help you save money on your gas bill and will keep you from spending hundreds or thousands of dollars on your car's wheels.

Admire other people's tricked out tires and rims, but don't put them on your vehicle.

First, I'd just like to explain that I do have a bias; I think spending money to put "fancy" rims and wide tires on your car is stupid and a waste of money. If you feel the need to waste that amount of money, go ahead and send me a check for $500.

That being said, there is merit behind why you shouldn't put them on your car.

Your car will get better gas mileage the more "stock" it is, meaning it's the way the automotive engineers designed it. The more things you add to it, the worse fuel economy it's going to get.

Additionally, tricked out rims tend to need wider tires which, as you guessed it, reduces your gas mileage. The wider the tire, the more surface that makes contact with the road. That extra surface requires more energy to get up to and maintain speed, meaning more gas used.

Save your money and save your gas.

Fuel Economy Tip - Check Your Gas Cap Gasket

Today's tip is a good addendum to the Three Click Your Gas Cap post and is another cheap and easy way to save a lot of gas.

Check your gas cap's gasket for cracks.

In order for your vehicle's gas cap to get a proper seal (which makes sure vaporized gas does not escape from your gas tank) the gas cap's thin rubber gasket must be in good shape. If there are any cracks or breaks in the gasket, the cap will not get a full seal and vaporized gas will escape from the gas tank which needlessly wastes gas and money.

Even if the gasket is in good shape, it may not be a bad idea to ahead and apply a small amount of lubricant to the gasket to keep it from dry rotting and to extend its life.

If you find that you do need to replace the gasket, you should be able to get the proper replacement at most auto parts stores. Even if you can't find the proper gasket, it is probably worth it to go ahead and pay a few extra dollars and just buy a brand new gas cap.

Making sure your gas cap's gasket is in proper shape is just another one of those small things you can do that can help you save gas and money without taking a huge cash outlay or time commitment.

Fuel Economy Tip - Fill Your Tank All The Way

Today's tip is in regards to several emails I have received about filling up your gas tank only quarter or half way.

Fill up your gas tank all the way each time you go to the gas station.

The logic behind filling up your tank only a quarter, half or three quarters of the way isn't faulty - by putting less gas in your car you're reducing the amount of weight your vehicle is carrying around, thus increasing gas mileage.

While the logic isn't faulty, the practice of not filling up your gas tank all the way more than likely is.

By not filling up your gas tank all the way, naturally you will have to take more trips to the pump, needlessly wasting gas.

Additionally, every time you remove your gas cap to add fuel to the gas tank, vaporized gas escapes from your tank. As I stated in a previous Fuel Economy Tip, over 147 million gallons of vaporized gas escape from gas tanks each year, so the less often you remove your gas cap, the better.

So, I would say that at the very least, the amount of money you save by driving around less weight is negated by the money you'll lose by making extra trips to the pump and vaporized gas you'll lose each time you remove the gas cap.

Fuel Economy Tip - Three Click Your Gas Cap

Today's tip will probably take you less than a second to implement, but if everyone did this, we would be able to save millions of gallons of gas each year.

When you're done filling up, make sure your gas cap seals the gas tank properly.

According to Advance Auto Part's website over 147 million gallons of gas is wasted each year simply due to improperly seated gas caps. If a gas cap does not get a proper seal, gas is able to vaporize and leak out of the gas tank.

With today's gas average regular unleaded gas price at about 2.90, that 147 million gallons of gas equates to over $425 million dollars wasted each year.

So, to make sure that you aren't needlessly wasting gas and money, make sure that your gas cap clicks three times when you're done filling up. This will help to ensure that the cap is properly sealing the gas tank and that you're not contributing to the 147 million gallons of wasted vaporized gas.

Cutting Your Gas with Acetone

Today's tip really isn't a "tip" but more of a discussion in regards to cutting your gas with Acetone.

This topic is something I've received a lot of emails about, however I do not feel comfortable recommending it; the reason being I just don't know enough about it to feel like I'm giving good advice that's not going to ruin your car.

Acetone is a colorless, flammable liquid and its most common use is as nail polish remover but can also be used to make plastics, fibers, drugs and other chemicals. (from Wikipedia).

That's all fine and great, but how did people get the idea that it would be good as a fuel additive? Well, some people believe that if you add small quantities of Acetone to gasoline, the Acetone helps to improve the fuel's ability to vaporize completely as well as increase the burning temperature of the fuel. In turn, all this stuff (yes, that's my technical jargon) supposedly helps increase gas mileage and possibly reduce emissions.

On the flip side, there have been plenty of reports that adding Acetone does not increase your vehicle's fuel economy and because of it's nature, over time may erode and weaken plastic and rubber in your car's engine. I have also read that while the Acetone/gas mixture may increase fuel economy, when burned it produces less energy, causing you to use more of the mixture to get the same power. Since you are using more of the mixture, the benefits are a wash.

Long story short, I have not tried adding Acetone, but because so many people have asked about it, I felt it was worth addressing. I do not recommend it, however if you do your due diligence and find that it works, by all means post a comment to let everyone know. Or, if you have had a bad experience, post a comment as well.

Here are a couple of links that might be of interest regarding the use of Acetone:

Acetone as an Additive

Wikipedia

Pure Energy Systems

Fuel Economy Tip - Use the Proper Grade

Today's tip won't increase your gas mileage, but it can help you keep a bunch of money that you are needlessly throwing away.

Use the proper grade of fuel for your car, as recommended by the manufacturer.

Not that I want to make grand assumptions, but I'm going to assume that most of the people that read these tips are regular Joes (like myself) who drive cars that take regular 87 octane gas. And I'm also going to work under the assumption that most of us always fill up with the regular 87 octane gas.

But, there are some of us who needlessly fill up with mid-grade or premium gas either because we mistakenly think that's what our vehicle should be running on or because we think it's going to make our cars run better.

Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on how you look at it), needlessly bumping up your vehicle's fuel grade does nothing but drain your wallet. Using a mid or premium gas when your car should be taking regular unleaded does not improve performance, give you extra power or give you better fuel economy.

It is simply a waste of money.... unless it is recommended by your car's manufacturer. Then, by all means, use the higher graded fuels.

But for argument's sake, let's assume you're an average Joe like me and drive a regular unleaded car, but you've been filling it with mid-grade gas, spending an extra $.10 on each gallon of gas.

In terms of money spent, for a 15 gallon car, you're wasting $1.50 every time you fill up. If you fill up once a week, that's over $75 a year, with nothing to show for it.

So, before you fill up with a higher grade fuel, make sure that it's recommended by your vehicle's manufacturer. Otherwise, stick with regular unleaded.

Fuel Economy Tip - Don't Sit and Idle

Today's tip is more of a personal preference than anything, but can be a good way to save gas, especially for newer cars.

Turn your car off if you're going to idle for more than one minute.

From all of the research I have done, FOR MOST VEHICLES, you waste more gas idling for one minute than you do by turning off and restarting your car.

For example, if you're going to pull into someone's driveway and run inside for a couple of minutes, turn your car off. Or, if you're the the first car to get stuck at a red light and you know you're going to be sitting for a minute or two before the light turns green, go ahead and turn off your car.

That being said, the amount of time will vary from vehicle to vehicle. Older cars tend to use more gas when restarted, so the amount of time they should be allowed to idle time may be longer.

Another thing to take into consideration is the extra wear and tear that your car's battery and alternator will be put through. If you have a weak battery or your alternator is due to be replaced, I wouldn't recommend constantly turning your car on and off.

All in all, the moral of the story is the less amount of time you spend in your car idling, the better gas mileage you're going to get and the more money you're going to save.

Fuel Economy Log - Week 4

This week was my best so far, and because I'm a dork, I'm pretty excited about it.

This week I filled up at $2.90 per gallon, bought 11.198 gallons of gas and drove 412.3 miles between fill ups, all of which means I got 36.8 mpg!

Based on my car's average fuel economy of 29 mpg, I was able to increase my car's gas mileage by a whopping 27%! This increased gas mileage equates to a savings of $8.73 on this tank of gas.

My four week total savings is now up to $28.29, which means I've pretty much paid for one fill up just by being a better driver. Spread that out over an entire year, and I'll save about $370 on gas.

So, for those of you who say the small savings don't add up, I'd like to know what you do for a living because $370 is a lot of money!

Fuel Economy Tip - Bring Your Lunch

Today's tip will hopefully help you save money on your gas bill and on the amount of money you spend each day on lunch.

Bring your lunch to work each day.

Aside from all the money that you spend each day on McDonalds, Taco Bell or Ruby Tuesday's (if you're high class), you're also spending a bunch of money on gas to get there and back.

If you drive 5 miles each day to grab lunch (10 miles round trip), you're probably wasting between 1 and 3 gallons of gas each week.

Now, if you were to bring your lunch to work, you would only be spending gas to go to the grocery store and bring everything back home. And even that cost might be negligible because you probably have to go to the grocery store at some point during the week anyhow.

By saving between 1 and 3 gallons each week, you are saving between $156 and $468 each year, not to mention all of the money you've saved on lunch each day.

Try this out for a week and then thank me for all of the money you've saved.

Fuel Economy Tip - Replace Your Air Filter

Today's tip will might cost you up to $20 bucks but in the end will probably help you save 10 times that amount!

Replace your dirty air filter.

According to fueleconomy.gov driving with an excessively dirty or clogged air filter can reduce your vehicle's gas mileage by up to 10%. In terms of dollars, that's the equivalent of adding close to $.30 to each gallon of gas you buy!

Edmonds.com recommends that you change your air filter at least once per year. But how do you know when your car's air filter is dirty enough so that it should be replaced?

Here's a simple way to know that your air filter has become so clogged that it has become a detriment to your fuel economy: Remove the air filter from its casing and shine a flashlight on it. If light (or most of the light) is able to get through, your air filter is fine for the time being. However, if most of the light is unable to get through, it's time for you to replace the filter.

More than likely, the air filter that you would need is readily available at most auto parts stores and you should be able to replace the filter on your own. All said and done, it should take less than 15 minutes to check and, if necessary, replace a clogged air filter.

Sounds to me that 15 minutes and $20 bucks (for the new filter) is time and money well spent if it means your not tacking $.30 extra cents on to each gallon of gas you buy!

Fuel Economy Tip - Clear the Roof

Today's tip is another one taken from the obvious category, but is still a great way to help you save on gas. Besides, we can always use a friendly reminder.

Clear the roof of your car.

People seemingly have more stuff and less room to carry it, so many drivers have resorted to carrying these extra items on the roof of their vehicles. Whether you're carrying items by just strapping them down or are placing them in carriers designed to be placed on the roof of your car, you are significantly reducing your vehicle's gas mileage.

The first reason you are hurting gas mileage is because you are adding extra weight to your vehicle. As I said before, adding weight to your car decreases fuel economy 1% for every extra 100 pounds you carry.

The second reason you are reducing your fuel economy is because by placing items on the roof of your vehicle you are making it less aerodynamic - much like having your sunroof open - and are increasing the amount of drag.

At highway speeds, carrying items (especially bulky items) on the roof of your vehicle can reduce your gas mileage between 2% and 10%, which is essentially adding between $.06 and $.30 to each gallon of gas you buy.

So, if you can get away with carrying all of your items in your vehicle, you'll be much better served.

Fuel Economy Tip - Walk or Ride Your Bike

Today's tip is probably one of the most obvious, but sometimes it's nice to get a friendly reminder.

Walk or ride your bike.

Like I said, this tip isn't going to win any awards for originality, but at the same time it is a great and healthy way for you to save on your vehicle's fuel consumption.

Since most of us live either in a city or in the suburbs, we should have almost everything we need within walking distance. I'm sure that within a mile or two of your home there is a grocery store, one of those big box shops like Wal-Mart or Target, a strip mall and a convenience store.

Despite the fact most of us have at least one of the above close to our home, I'm positive most of us can't remember the last time we walked to one of these places.

So, do yourself a favor and when it's nice out, put on a pair of walking shoes or hop on your bike and get to the store that way.

Who knows, you might even lose some weight, which will increase your gas mileage even more!

Fuel Economy Tip - Combine Trips

Today's tip will help you save a bit of gas and hopefully make your shopping trips a little less time consuming.

Combine your short trips.

Let me give you an example from my own personal experience:

Last weekend I had to make three separate trips to different stores. I went to Office Depot (3 miles from my house) in the morning, Target (8 miles from my house) in the afternoon and Home Depot (5 miles from my house) in the evening.

So, all said and done, I traveled 32 miles to go shopping.

Because I'm a bit of a nerd, after I made it back home from Home Depot, I calculated how much gas I could have saved if I had simply combined all of the shopping trips into one larger trip. Here's how it SHOULD have gone:

• 3 miles from home to Office Depot
• 2 miles from Office Depot to Home Depot
• 4 miles from Home Depot to Target
• 8 miles from Target back to my house

If I would have combined trips, I would have traveled only 17 miles as opposed to the 32 miles I traveled during the three separate trips.

By traveling those 15 extra miles, I wasted roughly a half a gallon of gas, based on my car's 29 mpg average. With the cost of an average gallon of gas being around $3.00, I essentially wasted $1.50 by taking three separate shopping trips.

If you were to take those three separate trips each weekend, you're losing $75 per year just for poor planning!

Moral of the story, think ahead and combine your small trips.

Fuel Economy Tip - Selectively Use Cruise Control

Today's tip will help you decide how and when to use your cruise control to help you save gas and increase your vehicle's fuel economy.

Use your cruise control selectively

Using your cruise control will help you increase your car's gas mileage because it will help you maintain speed (hopefully you'll be maintaining the speed limit) and will help with smooth accelerations when you use the "resume" function.

That being said, here is when you SHOULD use cruise control:

• Driving on the highway
• Driving on relatively flat terrain

All of that being said, there are ways using cruise control can actually reduce your vehicle's gas mileage. When driving on hilly roads, using cruise control may cause your engine to "race" to maintain speed, meaning the engine will reach higher RPMs under cruise control than if you were controlling the acceleration on your own.

So, here's when you SHOULD NOT use cruise control:

• Driving in stop and go traffic
• Driving on hilly roads

While having cruise control is a nice luxury to have, especially on long road trips, if you're not careful how you use it, it may end up costing you a bit of gas.

Fuel Economy Tip - Stop Driving Like a Maniac

Today's tip will not only help you save gas, but should help you save your sanity as well.

Stop driving like a maniac.

An aggressive driver not only is an aggravation to everyone else on the road, but also needlessly wastes a lot of gas. Here are some of the things that an aggressive driver does that increases fuel consumption:

• Excessive speeding
• Tailgating, which leads to constantly tapping the brakes
• Very quick acceleration
• "Punching it" to pass slower traffic

By all means this isn't a fully inclusive list, but doing the things listed above can reduce your car's gas mileage by up to 33%, according to fueleconomy.gov. With the current average gas price at $2.89 per gallon, a this is like adding $.95 per gallon.

Spread out over an entire year, being an aggressive driver can cost you well over $500 on gas.

Take it easy when you drive, it'll save you both aggravation AND money!

Fuel Economy Log - Week 3

It's that time of the week again.

Yesterday I filled up at $2.93 per gallon, bought 11.264 gallons and had traveled 394.3 miles since my last fill up, all of which equates to gas mileage of 35 mpg.

Based on my car's average fuel economy of 29 miles per gallon, I was able to increase my gas mileage by a little under 21%, which equates to a savings of $6.93. Combining this weeks' savings with my previous savings, I have saved $19.56 since I've started to make a conscious effort to save gas.

Spread that savings out over an entire year and I'm on pace to save $339.04 this year.

All things considered, I'd rather have that money in my bank account than give it to some huge oil company!

Fuel Economy Tip - Off Peak Driving

Today's tip will not only help you save a lot of fuel, but hopefully it will help you save a lot of traffic induced aggravation.

Drive during off peak times.

Obviously, if you are on the road when there aren't as many cars, you'll spend less time stuck in traffic, which means less time idling. The less amount of time you spend idling, the less amount of gas you waste.

If you are lucky enough you be able to adjust your work hours slightly, this will probably save you the most amount of gas. From personal experience, by leaving my house to go to work even just a half an hour earlier (from 7:00 to 6:30), I've reduced the amount of time it takes me to commute to work by 15 minutes.

Unfortunately, most of us don't have the luxury of being able to adjust our work hours. That being said there are still plenty of ways you can drive during off peak hours. For example, instead of going grocery shopping at 11 am on Sunday morning (and getting stuck in church traffic) get up a little bit earlier and get your day started at 8:30.

Pretty much, driving during off peak hours boils down to your ability to be on the road either earlier or later than everyone else.

Fuel Economy Tip - Keep Your Sunroof Closed

Today's tip is right along the lines of the previous "Roll Up Your Windows" tip.

Keep your sunroof closed.

Obviously, if your car doesn't have a sunroof, pay no mind. But, if you do have the "luxury" of a sunroof, make sure you keep it shut.

Just like when you have your windows rolled down, having your sunroof open will increase the amount of drag on your vehicle, making it less aerodynamic. Again, the less aerodynamic your vehicle is, the harder it has to work to move through air.

If you are just taking a leisurely drive through the neighborhood (driving 25 mph or so) the amount of drag placed on your vehicle won't make a noticeable difference, but the amount of drag placed on your vehicle at highway speeds (55 mph or more), an open sunroof may reduce your fuel economy by 3 or 4 percent.

Fuel Economy Tip - Smart Use of AC

Today's tip is a follow on to the driving with your windows up post and should be especially useful for all of those hot summer days coming up.

Use your air conditioning wisely.

In my previous post, I stated that you should drive with your windows up and use the vent because it is the best way to help you use your vehicle's aerodynamics to help you get better gas mileage. That being said, there are going to be plenty of days this summer when it's so hot outside that you have to use your air conditioning.

While using your AC is a drain on your fuel economy, there are several ways you can use it more efficiently so that it's not so much of a drain.

• When approaching and driving up long inclines, turn off the AC
• Put the AC on "recycle" mode; this will cool the air that is already in the vehicle as opposed to cooling the outside air and then pumping it into the car
• Park your car in the shade or in a covered area so you are able to drive a bit longer without having to turn on the air conditioning
• Especially at higher speeds, using the air conditioning is much more fuel efficient than rolling down the windows

Again, the easiest way to make sure you're getting the best gas mileage for your vehicle is to drive without the air conditioning on. However, when it's necessary to use the AC, try some of the above recommendations and you should be able to get the best gas mileage possible.

Fuel Economy Tip - Shop Online

Today's tip will not only help you save on your car's gas, but will also help you save time as well.

Shop online.

It seems you can shop online for pretty much anything now, whether it's music, movies, clothes, books, even groceries - you name it, there are probably 20 different sites that sell it.

By shopping online, not only are you saving time by not having to drive to a bunch of different stores, but you're also saving a lot of gas.

Since many companies offer free shipping (usually if your total order is above a certain amount), it's not like the money you're saving on gas go towards having the product sent to your house.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that you become a hermit and never leave your house, but if there are times when you can wait for a product to get shipped to you and it's something nominal like a new CD or DVD, you might want to think about buying it online.

Fuel Economy Tip - Drive in the Highest Gear

While today's tip certainly isn't going to help you win any races down the highway, it will help you save a significant amount of money on your vehicle's fuel bill.

Drive in the highest possible gear.

When you're cruising down the road, try to drive in the highest gear possible. This will help you keep your car's engine's RPMs down, which will ultimately reduce the amount of fuel you end up using.

By doing this, you will notice that your vehicle may not be as responsive when you try to quickly increase speed. This is because you are keeping the engine out of its "power band", which is typically in the mid to upper range of RPMs. Staying in this "power band" requires your engine to use more fuel.

All of that being said, be realistic about keeping your car in the highest gear. You don't want to keep your RPMs so low that the engine bogs down; it's not good for the engine or your fuel economy.

Obviously, it is easiest to control what gear your car is in if you drive a manual transmission (stick, clutch, etc.) car.

Not all hope is lost if you drive an automatic, though. If this is the case, just make sure that you keep the over drive feature on.

If you're someone with a lead foot, this tip will be beneficial because it will help you keep your speeding to a minimum, increasing your gas mileage even more.

Fuel Economy Tip - Maintain Your Vehicle

Today's tip will not only help you save money on gas, but it will save you even more money by helping you stave off costly engine repairs and by extending the life of your car.

Properly maintain your vehicle.

What I have put together certainly isn't an exhaustive list of things you can do to make sure your vehicle is properly maintained, but it's a good place to start:

• Replace dirty air filters
• Replace worn spark plugs
• Maintain proper fluid levels
• Regularly change your vehicle's oil
• Use the proper grade of oil

By doing the above suggestions, you will help your car's engine run much more efficiently, which means two important things:

1. You will use less gas, potentially saving you a couple hundred bucks per year
2. There will be less excessive wear on the engine, potentially saving you thousands of dollars

While doing the above items may seem like a burden at the time, they will definitely help you save a lot of money in the long run.

For example, driving with a dirty air filter can decrease your vehicle's gas mileage by up to 10%, which is essentially the same as adding $.29 to each gallon of gas you buy. Over a year, this extra cost can total over $200!

Now, just imagine you would have gone out and paid $20 for a new air filter. You'd technically be ahead at least $180 (if not more) instead of out $200.

Take care of your car and it'll take care of your wallet.

Fuel Economy Tip - Reduce Your Driving

Today's tip may be the most common sense tip in the history of the world, but at the same time, so many people take needless trips that this tip is worth giving out.

Don't drive if you don't have to.

The easiest way to go about saving gas is to simply not drive your vehicle!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating becoming a reclusive hermit. What I am saying is to decide whether or not a trip is necessary before actually going out and driving your car.

If the trip is necessary, can you walk, ride your bike or use mass transit to get there and back?

So, long story short, if your goal is to reduce the amount of money you spend on your car's gas, the most simple way to go about doing that is by reducing the amount of time you drive.

Fuel Economy Tip - Roll the Windows Up

With the weather being nice, I'm sure many of you wouldn't mind hopping in the car, rolling down the windows and going for a drive. While that's not a bad idea, you may want to keep the windows up if you're trying to get good gas mileage out of your leisurely drive.

Keep your car's windows up, especially the faster you go.

A car is its most aerodynamic (meaning it moves through the air with less resistance) when the windows are rolled up.

When your vechicle's windows are down, especially at highway speeds, there is more drag placed on the vehicle. Drag is the force that opposes your car's movement, so the less amount of drag, the less amount of energy (gas) your car has to use to get up to and maintain speed.

By having the windows down at highway speeds, you can reduce your vehicle's fuel economy by up to 3%, or roughly add $.09 to each gallon of gas you use! For a 15 gallon car that is filled up once per week, that adds up to over $70 per year.

Especially when the weather is nice (not hot), you should be able to keep the windows up and get away with using a cool vent.

We'll talk more about using the AC in a following tip.

Fuel Economy Tip - Don't Accelerate to Stops

How many times have you been driving, seen a red light or stop sign and continued accelerating until the last possible second before hitting the brakes hard and coming to a screeching halt?

Don't accelerate to red lights and stop signs. Coast and apply your brakes smoothly.

When you continue to accelerate to red lights or stop signs, only to jam on your brakes at the last second, all you are doing is wasting energy, gas and money, not to mention putting extreme stress on your car's braking system.

Why should you be in such a hurry to get to the red light, only to sit there and idle, waiting for the light to turn green?

Much like a smooth acceleration will help you increase your vehicle's gas mileage, so too will coasting and smooth braking.