You may not be able to do much about rising gas prices, but you can adjust your driving habits so that you use fuel more efficiently. Therefore you can get more bang out of every gas buck! Like the story of the turtle and the hare, where the smart and savvy turtle outwits the hard-charging hare to win the race, you can use savvy driving techniques and tips to get the advantage over high gas prices. This will ensure every tank of gas goes further. As a result, you arrive at your destination with money to spare and ready for another trip.
Driving Techniques
If you’re always flying along in the fast lane, you may want to ease up and slide over to the right. Maintenance experts, such as Goodwrench technicians, point out that driving 55 versus 70 mph saves up to 20 percent more fuel. Use your cruise control and you could save even more. Another tip is to drive consistently. Like the hare that goes all out, and then burns out, before the end of the race, hard starts and stops burn more gas than smooth accelerations, so you deplete your tank faster.
Load Tips
It makes sense that a heavier vehicle will burn more fuel than a lighter vehicle, so watch your load. Avoid hauling around items that you don’t need, such as that case of bottled water you picked up at Costco a week ago, or your golf clubs that you use once a month. Gas also adds weight, so if you pass your local gas station every day on your way to and from your house, consider buying less fuel at a time and fueling up more often. If you don’t have to, don’t lug around a full tank of gas.
Fueling Tips
Try to buy gas in the early morning when temperatures are the lowest. Gas pumps don’t compensate for the fuel temperature and will deliver slightly more if the gas is cool. Also, don’t top off your tank. Topping off usually results in spilled gas, which is a waste of your money and harmful to the environment.
Staying Cool
While the heat and humidity of some climates guarantee that you will arrive at your destination a soppy mess if you forgo the air conditioning, others are amenable to good old-fashioned roll-down-your-windows-and-enjoy-the-wind driving. If this describes your climate, or you’re simply headed out to the pool or another anything-goes destination, roll down your windows to cool off in city driving. However, if you’re hitting the highway choose your air conditioning. Open windows can be a literal drag on your car’s aerodynamics, slowing you down and forcing your engine to work harder.
These techniques and tips are essential for helping you save money during this time of sky-high gas prices and during any time. Saving money is always in style, so take a tip from the smart and savvy turtle and make these practices a regular part of your routine. You can watch every tank of gas go further, every time.
Photo courtesy of CarTango
