The price of gas has skyrocketed, but there are a few ways to reduce your consumption and, therefore, your expenses. From a few simple tricks here and there to a permanent sustainable way of life. The following tips and tricks will help you save that hard-earned money at least when it comes to gasoline.
Keep your car in good shape.
This is an important one. Giving your car the proper maintenance such as oil changes and regular tune-ups will keep your car in its most efficient state for the longest amount of time possible. Just changing the filters can save up to 10% of fuel expenditure per measure of time. Add to this the fact that your car will need fewer trips to the repair shop and you can see how this will help your pocket.
Look for a good mechanic.
Either that or you can always learn to fix and maintain your car by yourself. With the help of a good mechanic, you can make sure that not only is your engine in good condition, but also your tires, transmission, alternator, air compressor and battery/accumulator. Believe it or not those last items I’ve listed can increase your gasoline consumption by large quantities if not serviced properly.
Without getting into the details on how a “sludgy” transmission or an alternator with the wrong coil or wrong pulley can make your car spend more gas; suffice to say that anything that puts resistance on the engine while it’s doing its work will inevitably waste gas. A pulley that is not “frictionless” will both empty your tank and your wallet when an engine article ultimately fails too.
Use the right kind of gas
Find out what type of gasoline your car needs. Look for the “Octane Rating” this is a measure of how much compression gasoline can withstand before automatically exploding like in a diesel engine. This car-damaging phenomenon is called “Engine Knock” and generally happens when a “High Compression” vehicle such as a Ford Mustang is fed with “Low Octane” fuel. Sports cars typically have high compression engines therefore, so the cheap gasoline cannot take the beating and explodes before the spark plug even ignites it thus pushing back on the reverse direction of the crankshafts movement and slowing down the car, as well as shortening engine life.
Use alternate routes
This doesn’t mean that you need to take the “shortest” way to work in the morning. Instead, look for ways that have fewer stops, which waste energy. Unbelievable amounts of energy are wasted when you slam on the breaks too! Try to calculate your cars “Momentum” so that you can take advantage of slopes and distances. Make sure not to accelerate just to immediately slam on the brake pedal in front of a light. Studies have shown that it is possible to save up to 15% just by driving in off-peak hours and/or taking alternate, faster streets.
These are just a few out of literally hundreds of apparently minuscule changes you can make to your driving machine and habits in order to improve efficiency and save cash.
Let us know if you have a gas-saving tip that you would like us to share!