By Ron Marr for The Workbench Life
The only certainties in life used to be death and taxes. The latest addition to the list is the ever-increasing price of gas. Unless your mode of transport is a horse and buggy, you probably spend thousands of dollars per year to feed your wheels.
So that’s the bad news. The good news is that cutting gas consumption is largely within your control. Adhering to the following tips will lessen your desire to curse like a lunatic whenever you pull up to the pump.
1: Buy Wisely. According to the US Department of Energy, the difference between a vehicle that gets 20 miles per gallon and one that gets 30 mpg is $903 per year. Over five years that’s $4515.
2: Lighten Your Lead Foot. The single most effective way to use less gas is to drive slower. Every expert agrees that you’ll spend an extra .24¢ a gallon for every five mph you drive over 60. Use your cruise control to save even more gas. Consistency is a cash cow.
3: Clean Junk from the Trunk. Every 100 pounds in the trunk reduces mpg by two percent. This is a great excuse to nag your carpool pals to hit the treadmill. This same principle applies to roof-mounted bikes and luggage racks (the mpg, not the treadmill).
4: Rise Early on Hump Day. Gas prices are statistically lowest on Wednesdays. Even better, fill your tank in the morning. Gasoline is most dense when cool, but gas pumps measure volume rather than density. Fill up in the morning and you’ll get more fuel for the same money.
5: Don’t Idle. An idling vehicle uses up to half a tank of fuel per hour.
6: To Air Is Human. Inflating tires to the proper pressure reduces gas consumption by a tiny amount, but savings varies for every vehicle and tire. Inflate slightly above the number stated in your owner’s manual. You won’t realize substantial savings, but you will save on tire replacement.
7: Busting Myths. Good advice of the past isn’t applicable to modern vehicles. Edmunds.com performed rigorous, real-world experiments and uncovered a few myth-shattering epiphanies. Take heed of the following.
- Replacing your air filter only saves gas if your car was built before the mid-80s and had a carburetor. Modern vehicles are fuel-injected; onboard computers adjust fuel-to-air ratio.
- Vehicles don’t require warm up before driving
- High-octane gas and premium fuels: avoid them. Unless your car requires specialty fuel, high-octanes provide zero savings.
- Feel free to use your air conditioner — the compressor barely increases fuel consumption. The drag caused by lowering your windows requires higher fuel usage than the AC — and you’ll sweat more, too.
Before your next DIY auto project, make sure you have these 11 essential tools on hand.
Ron
Marr is a long-time woodworker and luthier whose
work can be seen at marrsguitars.com. He is also a frequent
contributor to The Workbench Life.
