How can I make the most out of the gas in my car?

Question

Gas is so damn expensive these days, and it seems like I'm using gas like water. Does anybody have any useful tips thatb actually works on how to conserve and use less gas?

Answer 1

Drive Sensibly
Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas.
Observe the Speed Limit
While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Observing the speed limit is also safer.

Remove Excess Weight
Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%.

Avoid Excessive Idling
Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.

Use Cruise Control
Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Use Overdrive Gears
When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.


Keep your car in shape
Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned
Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done.
Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.

Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly
Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.

Keep Tires Properly Inflated
You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil
You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil.

Plan & combining trips
Combining errands into one trip saves you time and money. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.

Commuting
If you can stagger your work hours to avoid peak rush hours, you'll spend less time sitting in traffic and consume less fuel.
If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets the best gas mileage whenever possible.
Ride Share if possible, take advantage of carpools and ride-share programs.
Consider using public transit if it is available and convenient for you.

Traveling
A roof rack or carrier provides additional cargo space and may allow you to meet your needs with a smaller car. However, a loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5 percent.


Choose a more efficient vehicle

Answer 2

Electric cars are much cleaner for several reasons. Here's why coal doesn't matter: * Electricity is NOT made mostly from coal, no matter how many times you might read this. Only about a third of electricity is still made from coal in the US (see sources below.) The proportion has been steadily decreasing for years. The rest of the electrical capacity comes from natural gas, hydro, wind, solar, nuclear etc (oil isn't used anymore to make electricity, it's too expensive.) All of these other sources are much, much cleaner than petroleum. * Coal power is "baseload". Coal electricity plants can't adjust quickly enough to track changing loads, so they are designed to run at 100% output all the time. As electric demand changes throughout the day, other types of plants start and stop - the coal electricity stays steady. So plugging in electric cars doesn't change the amount of coal pollution - because you can't run a plant harder than 100%. * Gasoline needs electricity, too. Huge amounts of electricity, and other fossil fuel, is used during the very energy-intensive refining process that turns oil into gasoline. It takes more energy just to MAKE gasoline, mile for mile, than electric cars use. Electric cars just need electricity - gas cars need BOTH electricity and petroleum.

Answer 3

Drive More Efficiently

Observe the speed limit. Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. The EPA estimates you can improve your fuel efficiency by 10-15 percent by driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph.
Stop aggressive driving—speeding and rapid acceleration and braking wastes gas. The largest fuel waste occurs with aggressive driving.
Accelerate smoothly and brake gradually.
Maintain a steady speed whenever possible.
Avoid unnecessary idling. Turn off your engine when you have to idle more than 30 seconds.
Combine errands.
When commuting, car pool. Stagger your work hours, if possible, to drive during off peak times and avoid sitting in traffic.
Use cruise control and overdrive gears when appropriate.
Remove excess weight from your vehicle. Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your trunk.
Avoid packing items on the top of your vehicle.
Minimize your use of air-conditioning.
Keep Your Car in Good Running Condition

Keep your engine tuned up.
Check and replace air filters regularly
Keep you tires properly inflated and aligned.
Change your oil regularly and use the grade of oil recommended for your car.

Answer 4

Make sure your car is tuned up. Check to be sure all of these items have been taken care of within the last 30k miles.

Air filter.
Fuel filter.
Spark plugs.
Spark plug wires.
Distributor cap and rotor (if applicable).

Also make sure you change your oil within the prescribed intervals and use the lowest weight synthetic that your owners manual recommends.

Make sure your tires are properly inflated. You can find the correct air pressure on the driver side door jam in most cars or the owners manual. You can safely inflate them about 5 psi over what the car suggests as long as you don't drive the car hard in corners and take it easy in the rain. Just make sure you don't go over the max tire pressure listed on the tire, and make sure you're checking and adjusting the tires when they're cold or at least cooled off, not hot off the road.

Make sure when you're driving that you never, ever floor it. Coast as much as possible. Don't accelerate to stop at red lights...there's no point.

Answer 5

Depends on what type of car you have.

Maybe you can take out the car seats you dont use (making your car lighter)

Maybe you can stop cruising and just go from point A straight to point B ?

They say if you can avoid stopping lights, say, drive straight in the freeway or highway and not a neighborhood with "stopping and going" mandates you will have less tear-and-wear in your car brakes, transmission and such too. Try that if you can!

Answer 6

Smooth accelerations and drive the speed limit will help improve gas mileage. Also make sure your car is in tune and keep a new air cleaner in it at all times.

Answer 7

buy gas in the morning when the temperature is lower.this makes the gas denser and you basically get more bang for the buck. and avoid jackrabbit starts and keep your foot from getting heavy

Answer 8

Dont slam on the brakes.

Answer 9

don't drive anywhere. bum rides from friends.