Fuel Economy Log - Week 10

Wow, hard to believe I've been writing the Daily Fuel Economy Tip for over 10 weeks. Hopefully you've been able to save some gas, and in the process keep some cash in your pocket!

This week I drove 369.0 miles between fill ups, used 11.564 gallons and paid $2.96 per gallon, all of which equates to and average of 31.91 MPG, by far my lowest average gas mileage since I've been making a conscious effort to have better driving habits. That being said, I still achieved roughly 10% better gas mileage than my car's average, which saved me about $.29 per gallon, or $3.53 for this fill up.

Combining that with the $52.65 I've saved over the first nine weeks, I have saved $56.18 thus far. Average that out over an entire year, and I'm on pace to save about $295.

I'm fine with that.

Fuel Economy Tip - Gas Saving Devices Mostly A Scam

Today's tip won't help you save any gas, but it'll help save you from wasting your money on scams that claim to help you increase your car's gas mileage.

Avoid buying devices or products that claim to help increase your vehicle's fuel economy - they are more than likely a scam.

The basis for this tip came from an article I read on MSN.com, which talked about various devices and products (like many of the AdSense links on this site) that claim to increase fuel economy, but almost always fall well short of their claims.

Whether these devices bleed air into the carburetor, heat the gas before it is ignited, or try to change the gas' molecular structure, one thing remains constant - they don't work!

There are a couple of items from this article that I though were particularly interesting and want to elaborate on:

1. In the September 2005 issue of Popular Mechanics, experts tested seven "fuel saving" products and found that none of them increased gas mileage, and two actually increased fuel consumption (decreased gas mileage). With some of these items costing what a tank of gas typically runs, it sounds to me like you would be better off just keeping that money in your pocket.
2. The advertising that goes along with these products is often faulty and very misleading. For example, one advertisement may make the claim that the product will increase your gas mileage by up to 20%. That's all fine and dandy, but there is no information given as to how they were able to come up with that figure. As you know from reading this blog, there are many different ways to affect gas mileage - you driving habits (speeding, jack rabbit driving), traffic, your car's condition, etc. So, unless the advertisement states that the product was tested in identical conditions as what most drivers face, don't believe the hype.
3. Fuel tank additives really don't work. This one was the one that got me, because I actually believed the claims that these additives would help clean my car's fuel line. That being said, there are enough detergents already in gasoline that this shouldn't be an issue.
4. There is no conspiracy among the automotive manufactures. If car makers could come up with new ways to help increase their vehicles' fuel economy, they would probably go ahead and incorporate it into the vehicles. So, these products that are all add-on, have all been reviewed my automotive manufacturers and have been deemed to not live up to the hype. If a company that has billions of research dollars at its disposal doesn't believe in a product's claims, you probably shouldn't either.

So, the moral of this story is (much like I have claimed all along) the only real way for you to increase your car's gas mileage is to change your driving habits.

Sorry, I Was Out of Town

I just wanted to apologize for being so delinquent in updating the Daily Fuel Economy Tip. I was out of town coaching at a basketball camp, so needless to say, I didn't have any internet access.

Anyway, back to more tips....

Fuel Economy Tip - Go Early, Stay Late

I got today's tip from a commercial for Maryland's Eastern Shore, but I thought it was a pretty good idea for helping to save gas while on the road for your summer vacation(s).

Go early, stay late.

The basic idea behind this commercial's motto (and today's tip) is to avoid getting stuck in traffic by being on the road during non-peak driving hours.

I would imagine that on a three or four hour trip to or from the beach (leaving your regular time and getting stuck in some traffic), you could shave off at least a half an hour by simply getting on the road during non-peak hours. In addition to saving time, you're probably saving a gallon or more of gas, and that's probably a conservative estimate!

This "go early, stay late" motto doesn't just have to apply to your vacations; it can apply to your daily commute, going to a game, going shopping, etc.

Just goes to show that small changes in your driving habits can greatly affect your vehicle's gas mileage and your bank account.

Fuel Economy Log Weeks 8 & 9

Week 8, I drove 381.4 miles between fill ups, used 11.203 gallons and paid $2.98 per gallon, which equates to 34.04 miles per gallon. This is a 14.8% increase over my car's average gas mileage, which is a savings of roughly $.44 per gallon, or $4.93 for this fill up.

Week 9, I drove 331.5 miles between fill ups, used 10.124 gallons and paid $2.90 per gallon, which equates to 32.75 mpg. This is a 12.93% increase over my car's average fuel economy, which is a savings of roughly $.38 per gallon, or $3.85 for this fill up.

This brings my total savings up to $52.65 for nine weeks, which over the span of a year means a savings of well over $300.

Not bad for taking it easy and being a smart driver.

Fuel Economy Tip - Limit Your Use of Defrost

Today's tip is just another one of many ways for you to easily save some money on gas without having to alter your driving habits.

Don't forget to turn your defrost off after it has done its job.

On hot, muggy mornings, it is pretty much a necessity to throw the air on defrost to help reduce the condensation on your windshield. However, once the defrost has done its job and cleared your view, make sure to return your air settings back to normal vent.

All too often, people forget to turn their setting back from defrost to vent, which is an easy way to rob your vehicle of gas mileage. This is because the defrost setting automatically uses your car's air conditioning, which, as you should remember, can greatly reduce your car's fuel economy.

So, after the defrost has done its job and cleared your windshield of condensation, turn the air settings back to vent and you should see an increase of between 1% and 3% in your vehicle's gas mileage.

Fuel Economy Tip - Keep Your Sunroof Screen Closed

Today's tip will hopefully help you save a little bit of gas and, at the very least, help keep your car a little less hot during the bright, sunny summer days.

Keep your sunroof "screen" closed.

As I write this the actual name for what I'm trying to describe is escaping me (although I'm sure one of my faithful readers will point it out in the comments section). But, for most car's with a sunroof, there is the actual glass sunroof and then there is the section in the interior of the car that you can slide back to allow sunlight to enter.

That's the part that I'm telling you to keep closed.

Keeping this section open will cause your car to heat up even faster, and will negate the work your air conditioning is doing, essentially causing you to waste gas.

So, go ahead and keep your sunroof "screen" closed, and you should be able to help keep your car a little bit cooler.

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

Today's tip is an update to my previous post about how it was a bad idea to put customized rims on your vehicle.

If you feel the need to replace your vehicle's rims, make sure you're getting rims that weigh less than the ones currently on your vehicle.

I'll be the first to admit when I make a mistake, and in my previous post, I was very unclear in what I meant by not putting "sweet rims" on your vehicle.

What I meant was to not go out and buy rims that are wider than the rims currently on your car and/or had all those extra bells and whistles that make them weigh more than your current rims.

As many of you graciously pointed out, I was wrong in condemning all rims because there are rims out there that will help you INCREASE your gas mileage. This is mostly because they are made out of material that makes them lighter than what is currently on your vehicle.

So, thank you to those of you who pointed out the error of my ways. Hopefully this addendum has helped to clear up any confusion.

Fuel Economy Tip - Accelerate Before You Reach the Hill

First off, I just want to thank whoever posted yesterday's tip on Fark.com. This site definitely got more hits in one day than it has in the past month. Thanks.

Today's tip is more of a common sense driving tip, but is a good way to help you save some gas.

Accelerate before you start going up a hill.

A lot of this goes back to anticipating and paying attention to the road ahead while you're driving. When you're driving, especially on flat terrain, and you see a large hill, go ahead and gently accelerate before you get on the hill.

The reason being, you're already going to expend more gas by going up the hill, you're only going to exacerbate the problem by waiting to jam on the accelerator to maintain speed.

So, by slightly accelerating before you start up a hill, you should be able to maintain much of your speed while not having to use as much gas.

Fuel Economy Tip - Wash and Wax?

I wish I knew for certain that today's tip actually does help you get better gas mileage, but even if it doesn't, you'll have the nicest looking car in the neighborhood.

Regularly wash and wax your vehicle.

If this idea actually works, I wish I could take credit for it (if it turns out to be a scam, you didn't get the idea from me). While searching other gas saving sites, I came across a tip that claims if you wash and wax your car, you can improve your gas mileage by up to 7%, which based on today's prices would be about $.21 per gallon.
Not too shabby.

The basic idea behind it is, after washing and waxing your car, the surface of the vehicle is much more likely to be nice and smooth, therefore, it should be more aerodynamic than when you have lots of bug guts smeared all over.

It looks like a sound theory, but I don't know if simply cleaning your car will increase your fuel economy that drastically. However, it's worth a shot because at the very least, your car's going to look nice.

Especially if you're NOT kicking sweet rims.

Fuel Economy Tip - Lay Off The Doughnuts

Today's tip will hopefully help you save a small amount of gas while helping you prolong your life.

Go on a diet and lose some weight.

Look, I know I'm reaching here, but it's true: if you lose some of that spare tire you're carrying around your mid-section, you will get better gas mileage. Take that Jared dude from the Subway commercials as an example; he's not happy about the fact he's getting free subs for life, he's just pumped he's saving on his car's gas.

As I have stated in previous posts, carrying around an extra 100 pounds will reduce your gas mileage by roughly two percent. For example, if you're carrying around an extra 25 pounds, you're reducing your gas mileage by about about two cents per gallon.

So, if you need some extra incentive to get off the couch and stop doing the 12 ounce curls, maybe this'll do it.

Or, you can check out all the research that links being overweight to heart disease, cancer, diabetes, etc. Whatever floats your boat to get you to live a healthier life, take it and run with it.

No pun intended.

Fuel Economy Tip - Make it a Night In

Today's tip will help you save a little bit on gas and hopefully make for a nice, relaxing evening at home.

Make it a night in.

Instead of going out every Friday night to your favorite restaurant and then to see the latest summer blockbuster (or flop), cancel your reservations and make it a night in. Not only is this a great way to save money on food and entertainment, but it's also a great way to help save a little bit of gas.

Think about it, instead of going out to a restaurant and paying $50 or more for a dinner for two and then dropping another $20 at the movies, why don't you just make a great home cooked meal for less than $25 and watch one of the millions of DVDs you own but never seem to find the time to watch.

By doing this, you're probably saving about $50 on food and entertainment, not to mention the fact you're probably saving more than a gallon of gas by not driving around all over town. Tack on that $3 savings and you've saved enough money to pay for your next two fill ups.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating that you become a shut-in, but reducing the amount of "nights out" will do nothing but increase your savings!

Fuel Economy Log - Week 7

This past week I drove 374.1 miles between fill ups, used 11.648 gallons and paid $3.04 per gallon, which equates to 32.12. For the second week in a row I have achieved the lowest gas mileage since I started making a conscious effort to get the best fuel economy possible.

That being said, the 32.12 miles per gallon is an 11% increase over my car's average gas mileage, which is a savings of roughly $3.90, bringing my seven week savings up to $43.87. All things considered, that's not too shabby.

The reason why my fuel economy was so much lower this week is because I did a lot of driving with the windows down (the weather was nice) and there were two instances when I was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic for more than a half an hour.

Either way, I'll still take the savings!

Fuel Economy Tip - Keep Your Tailgate Up

Today's tip will probably come as a surprise to most of you, but will be especially useful for those of you who drive trucks.

Driving with your tailgate down doesn't help you save gas.

I'll be the first to admit, I bought into the notion that by having your truck's tailgate down while you're driving down the road (especially the highway) you would greatly increase your truck's fuel economy. Apparently that just isn't true.

According to several sites (Ask Yahoo! for example) state that you get roughly the same gas mileage driving with your tailgate up as you do when your tailgate is down.

According to the Ask Yahoo! article, this is the reason why:

"When the tailgate is raised, a "separated bubble" of stagnant air is formed in the bed of the pickup. Wind tends to swoosh over this bubble as though it were part of the truck. Lower the tailgate, and the bubble disappears, which leads to increased wind resistance."

So, get rid of that net you used to replace your tailgate and go ahead and drive around with your tailgate up!

Fuel Economy Tip - Park in the Shade

Today's tip will hopefully help you save some gas as well as make getting in to your car a little more comfortable.

Park in the shade whenever possible.

The reasoning behind this tip is simple: if you park in the shade your car will be cooler and you won't have to use your air conditioning as quickly.

I would also recommend that you keep the windows of your car rolled down as well. This will allow a good cross breeze and will help prevent heat from building up inside your car. Even if you can't park in the shade, I would recommend keeping your windows down.

While this tip certainly isn't going to help you save a noticeable amount on your car's fuel bill, it will help make for a more comfortable experience when you get into your car.

Fuel Economy Tip - Car pool

Chalk another one up for the obvious tips (although sometimes it's good to be reminded).

Try and car pool as much as you can.

I know a lot of you are saying that car pooling is inconvenient and is a waste of time. I beg to differ; I think it's relatively easy and can help you and your buddies save a bunch of cash.

For example, you and a co-worker live a half a mile away from each other, and each of you separately commutes 15 miles into work. Both of you drive relatively economic cars that get 30 mpg, so between the two of you, you're using two gallons of gas each day.

One day, the two of you get smart and decide that one of you will pick the other up each day to drive in to work and to make it fair, you'll alternate weeks.

Now, you're using a little over a gallon of gas - you have to take the extra distance between the two houses, as well as the extra weight, into consideration, so we'll say 1.1 gallons of gas - between the two of you each day.

Over the 250 or so days you'll commute into work, you're going to save 225 gallons of gas. At today's prices, that 225 gallons equals $650 saved between the two of you.

By simply car pooling to work with one coworker, you'll be saving $325 each year.

And it doesn't have to just be car pooling to work. You can car pool to school, soccer practice, concerts, etc.

So, if you want to save money and gas, I would say car pooling is a very easy, viable option.

Fuel Economy Tip - Anticipate Driving Conditions

Today's tip will not only help you save on gas but will also help keep your passengers from wanting to puke.

Keep looking down the road and anticipate what traffic will do.

You can do a much better job of controlling your jack rabbit driving by simply paying attention to more than the car directly in front of you. By keeping your eyes down the road, you will be able to better prepare for slowing traffic (you'll know when you hit the breaks or when to go ahead and coast), stop lights, stop signs, etc.

By not constantly going back and forth between your brakes and accelerator and doing a better job of anticipating driving conditions, you will save a bunch on your gas.

Fuel Economy Log - Week 6

This past week, I drove 361.1 miles between fill ups, used 10.696 gallons and paid $2.90 per gallon, which equates to 33.76 mpg, the lowest my gas mileage has been since I started making a conscious effort to be a better driver.

This 33.76 mpg is 16.4% higher than what my car typically gets (29 mpg). By getting better gas mileage I saved $5.09, bringing my six week total up to $39.97.

This past week, the weather where I live has been unseasonably warm (mid-90's) so I've had to use my air conditioning more that usual. Hopefully it'll cool down a bit so I don't have to use the AC as much, but in the meantime I'm willing to spend a little extra money to make sure I don't sweat through my suits by the time I get to work!

Fuel Economy Tip - Avoid Engine Braking

Today's tip is yet another easy way to save money and wear and tear on your transmission.

Avoid engine breaking.

Essentially, engine braking is when you down shift the transmission in order to slow down your vehicle. For example, you're going down a road in fifth gear, you see a red light ahead and instead of slowing your car by using the breaks, you down shift into third gear.

While down shifting is an easy way to take it easy on your brakes, it's also a great way to needlessly waste gas.

Anytime your engine revs and the RPMs increase (which is what happens when you down shift), you will use more gas than you would at the same speed but in a higher gear (lower RPMs).

So, instead of using your engine to brake go ahead and ease on to your brake pedal and smoothly come to a stop.

Fuel Economy Tip - Drive Like You're On Eggshells

Today's tip is probably the best advice I can give in regards to helping you save a lot of money on you're car's gas bill.

Accelerate and brake like there's an egg between your foot and your car's pedals.

I don't know exactly where I heard this phrase used, but it's the perfect way to describe how you should accelerate and brake while driving your car. Instead of flooring the gas or slamming on the brakes, ease on the pedals for smooth accelerations and stops.

Accelerating quickly can reduce your vehicle's gas mileage by up to 12 mpg, according to General Motor's website. Conversely, accelerating into a stop (slamming on your brakes at the last second) also will hurt your car's fuel economy.

So, be a smooth driver and you'll save at the pump.