Fuel Saving Tips

Fuel costs are continually rising in price and are making it a painful experience to refuel our vehicles at the gasoline pump. Methods to saving fuel in a time where gasoline is exceeding $5 per gallon in some parts of the country can offer some relief to drivers. There will not be a single poison pill to make a large V8 engine earn a fuel mileage of 50 miles per gallon, but small adjustments in the maintenance and driving habits of the average driver can add up to increase the fuel mileage of the vehicle. Many tips to saving fuel exist, however many of the methods are very low cost and simply require attention.

Regular oil, oil filter and air filter change should be done around the same time, depending on driving conditions. Changing the oil in an engine will improve fuel economy due to the decrease in friction inside the engine. Every three months or 3,000 miles is the recommended interval for oil changes. Air filters can sometimes last longer and the best way to tell if the air filter needs changing is to see if an abundant amount of light can be seen through the filter. The more light that can be seen, the more air that can reach your engine for combustion.

Tire pressure is often overlooked as an excellent gas saving method. Automotive specifications have the recommended tire pressure inside the driver door of each car for front and back tire pressure. Checking the pressure on a weekly basis will ensure tires wear properly and promote the best gas mileage. Maintaining an optimum tire pressure decreases rolling resistance in your tires and requires less work by the engine to accelerate the vehicle.

One step further is to use an aluminum wheel if the vehicle comes with steel wheels. Aluminum is lighter, but not as strong as steel, however this is rarely a problem. When selecting a tire, a tire with a lower rolling resistance will also save fuel by not requiring as much torque to turn the wheels. The trade off here is the low rolling resistance tires typically do not grip the road as well a normal radial.

When accelerating, a gradual climb to the desired speed saves more fuel versus punching the accelerator at the green light like a top fuel dragster. The higher RPM in the engine right away burns the most amount of fuel, especially since the vehicle is moving from a dead stop. Starting a car from a dead start and rapid acceleration are the two largest fuel guzzling practices common in driving habits.

If stopping somewhere for only a short while, keeping the engine running on idle for one minute uses the same amount of fuel as shutting the car down and restarting. If in a situation where frequent stopping and starting of a car is necessary, it might be a better idea to simply keep the engine idling.

The time of day when fuel is bought makes a big difference in the amount of fuel being purchased at the pump. When gasoline is pumped, it is measured in gallons delivered, not the density of the fuel. When gasoline is bought early in the morning, the gasoline is cold and denser than it would be at hotter temperatures. Simply put, buying cold gasoline will yield a higher mileage than buying gasoline during the heat of the day.

Running the air conditioning puts a strain on the engine that requires more fuel to be burnt when the engine is engaging the compressor. Opening the windows in a car is an economical means to cool down the driver and passengers, but there is a trade off to this method. Opening the windows in a car and travelling at highway speeds actually causes a high amount of drag from the lack of wind resistance.

The rule states that if driving above 40 mph, using the air conditioning is more economical than opening the windows. The opposite works for speeds below 40 mph, as opening the windows is more economical than using the air conditioning.

Automatic and manual transmissions have their advantages and disadvantages to saving fuel. On a whole, manual transmissions use less fuel, however certain steps can be taken to conserve fuel depending on what type of transmission is on the vehicle. Manual transmissions use less fuel because they do not need to be cooled down as much as an automatic transmission. Shifting early and keeping the RPM low will conserve fuel but limit the acceleration of the vehicle. If driving around town where gradual acceleration is desired, this method works great. The trade off is shifting too early can put wear on to the clutch components.

For those with an automatic transmission, shifting into neutral when decelerating or stopping will keep the engine at an idle RPM when the transmission would be otherwise engaged. Shifting into neutral uses less fuel but will also but a higher wear on to the braking system of the vehicle. The engine compression, when attached to the transmission, will aid in decelerating the vehicle. When in neutral, stopping is left solely up to the braking system of the vehicle. The bottom line is to find an optimum balance of conserving fuel while limiting the wear and tear to the vehicle.