10 easy ways to save more than a grand on gas

According to this study, it would be better for the gov't to enforce tire pressure testing than a 55MPH speed limit

Go figure !!!!

Thank you for your advice. This was very informative. My 11 year old Dodge will be getting an all around tune up soon to see if it is getting the best gas mileage it can. Last time I calcluated the mileage, I got 25 mpg which I thought was pretty good for an 11 year old 6 cyl, with 3 kids in the back seat.

I see a REAL difference when I have a low tire. Definitely keep them inflated properly.

A couple he didn't mention that produced astonishing results for me:
After I changed my automatic transmission fluid my mileage jumped by 2 or 3 MPG.

You can use a synthetic motor oil that will reduce friction and gain another MPG or two but the cost of the oil offsets the savings especialy if you have an oil leak.

If the front suspension is out of alignment will rob fuel mileage as well as wear out tires much faster.

I take my foot off the gas and shift my automatic tranmission into neutral; I can coast almost a 1/4 mile to stop signs or red lights while slowing (on level grades) less than ten MPH.
Stopping with the transmission in neutral requires much less brake pressure which saves on brake pads and in the winter provides more stopping ability for two wheel drive vehicles.

Believe it or not, according to AAA, the best way to stay cool and get the best gas mileage is to use the air conditioner. AAA says rolling down your windows hurts a car's aerodynamics. It's like driving into a head wind.

Below 40mph it is better to open windows than use AC, above 40 it is better to use the AC than open windows. If it is cool enough outside leave the AC off and windows up and turn your temp all the way down and you will get the cold air from the outside coming in.

I do all of the above but I use my A/C due to the aerodynamics being mess up with the windows down. I make sure both my O2 sensors are replace every 60,000 miles as they are wear and tear item. Also I replace my PCV valve every time the oil is change and have the system check every 60,000 miles. I drive 70/65 MPH on the freeway doing 60 is a bit unsafe with the way people drive on the freeways. I also put E-85 in my 1998 Plymouth Grand Voyager since it is a flex-fuel automobile. So as of now the high gas price have not hit as hard due to E-85 being $3.56 to $3.65 a gallon but the van does get a little bit worst gas mileage and runs like crap in till it get warm in the winter.

Do we really need to see a rehash of an article that's been printed previously in numerous other media sources? If people don't know to keep their vehicle in tune, inflate tires, not taking off fast, etc, etc, than they shouldn't be driving. Articles like this are a waste of space. Find some other meaningfull news to report on, I'm sure there's some out there!!

I'm not going to bother doing any of the stuff listed in this article... I know everything will be fixed as soon as my man Barack gets the nod in November! Gasoline will rain down from the heavens!!

JMK wrote:

I'm not going to bother doing any of the stuff listed in this article... I know everything will be fixed as soon as my man Barack gets the nod in November! Gasoline will rain down from the heavens!!

I also believe in fairy tales.

I already do most of these things and with my SUV I am now getting 19.3 average MPH. I will work on the remainder items and see if I can improve even more. For an SUV I think 19.3 is pretty good.

Dodie Denman wrote:

I already do most of these things and with my SUV I am now getting 19.3 average MPH. I will work on the remainder items and see if I can improve even more. For an SUV I think 19.3 is pretty good.

Keep up the good work. It will leave me more fuel to cruise my one ton.

I disagree on #4.......I do not believe that every 5 miles per hour over 60 decreases fuel efficiency by 7 percent. I have tested this math on my own car and the numbers do not add up. At 58 mph my car gets 29.4 mpg.....at 68 mph it gets 29.3 mpg....at 74 mph it gets 29.2 mpg.

Cars are much more areo-dynamic today and fuel combustion is controlled by a computer for maximum efficiency at whatever rpm your engine turns.

I think #4 is old math based on V8's from the muscle car era because it comes nowhere close to reality.

JMK wrote:

I'm not going to bother doing any of the stuff listed in this article... I know everything will be fixed as soon as my man Barack gets the nod in November! Gasoline will rain down from the heavens!!

Somebody wake this guy.....his dream bubble is going to break.

RAB wrote:

Do we really need to see a rehash of an article that's been printed previously in numerous other media sources? If people don't know to keep their vehicle in tune, inflate tires, not taking off fast, etc, etc, than they shouldn't be driving. Articles like this are a waste of space. Find some other meaningfull news to report on, I'm sure there's some out there!!

My response to that is......If a person buys an automobile, and has to look at the owners manual to figure out how to open the door, that person does not need to be driving. But, on the other hand, that person had to open the door to get into the glovebox to read the owners manual to learn how to open the door. Hmmm...auto-maker logic is hurting my brain.

TDJensen wrote:

<quoted text>
Somebody wake this guy.....his dream bubble is going to break.

Umm... if you couldn't see the sarcasm, I'm a little bit worried about you ;-)

JMK wrote:

<quoted text>
Umm... if you couldn't see the sarcasm, I'm a little bit worried about you ;-)

I caught your drift right off.

great tips, I guess I need to put my lead foot away and get used to the idea.

my car runs on koolaid yall,

TDJensen wrote:

I disagree on #4.......I do not believe that every 5 miles per hour over 60 decreases fuel efficiency by 7 percent. I have tested this math on my own car and the numbers do not add up. At 58 mph my car gets 29.4 mpg.....at 68 mph it gets 29.3 mpg....at 74 mph it gets 29.2 mpg.
Cars are much more areo-dynamic today and fuel combustion is controlled by a computer for maximum efficiency at whatever rpm your engine turns.
I think #4 is old math based on V8's from the muscle car era because it comes nowhere close to reality.

True, it is the speed at which the aero package was designed to be most efficient, gearing and engine torque curves that determine the "best" speed for mileage with any given vehicle. I find that with my truck fuel economy drops off sharply at 70, you can feel and hear the aero drag increase as I pass through 65.