What A Gas Man!

The following is brought to you by those who lived through the energy crisis of the glorious 70’s

Wanna save money on gas? First, sell your SUV, buy a hybrid and enjoy 60MPG. Of course many folks will reject this notion ‘cause they have a large family or they simply love their SUV. If you want to save gas regardless, here are some alternative money saving tips you can use with your existing vehicle:

*At speeds less than 40mph, opening the window slightly won't really affect fuel use (I did not know this), but air conditioning increases fuel use at all speeds.

*The most efficient speed you can travel in a car in terms of achieving the best fuel economy is 55-65mph. Any faster, though, and the fuel efficiency decreases rapidly. For example, driving at 85mph uses 40% more fuel than at 70mph. And there are a LOT of people driving 80 these days, including truckers. But hey, it’s your money.

*If you are motionless for any longer than 10 seconds, say in stop and go traffic, it is more fuel efficient to switch the engine off than to idle.

*Under-inflated tires can increase fuel consumption by up to 3%, so check their pressure regularly. We should all know this one by now.

*Adaptive cruise control controls the vehicle more smoothly than human beings can & adds to fuel efficiency by fine tuning by small tweaks of the target speed. Of course many cars don’t have this so.

*Plan to coast to a stop rather than braking, when possible (look ahead in the distance and anticipate any traffic). As a bonus this one saves brake pad wear.

Oh, and be courteous to other drivers. Usually you’re both going in the same direction anyway.

Jim