Money Saving Tips for Hitting the Road

By Lynn Celmer posted 5/21/2008

In addition to small business owners that may have a small fleet of company vehicles, vacationers will soon feel the crunch at the gas pump this Memorial Day weekend. Nationwide, 37.8 million people are expected to travel, according to AAA Auto Club. Here are some tips to help improve your gas mileage and put some money back in your wallet:

  •  Don’t let your car idle. Each year Americans burn 2.9 million gallons of gas a year overall while idling.
  •  Change your air filter and fuel filter. You can increase gas mileage by up to 10 percent just by having a clean air filter, according to the EPA’s FuelEconomy.com.
  •  Make sure you keep your car properly maintained and tuned. You could be using 25 percent more gas if you don’t.
  •  Keep your tires properly inflated. You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent just by making sure your tires are inflated to the proper pressure, according to DOE
  • Keep excess weight to a minimum. You can reduce your fuel economy by 1 to 2 percent in most vehicles by emptying out your trunk or backseat of unnecessary items.
  • Don’t top off your gas tank. As the weather gets warmer, gasoline expands and can seep out and overflow.
  •  Use the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent.
  • Now that winter is officially over, remove those snow tires. Bigger tires and deep treads use more fuel.
  • Think about the most efficient route and combine multiple stops into one trip.
  •  Be conscious when using the air conditioning. On the highway you can run the air conditioner, but consider rolling down the windows when in stop-and-go traffic. Air conditioning can lower your fuel economy by as much as 10 to 20 percent.
  • Be mindful of how you accelerate. The faster you drive the more gas you’ll use. Every 5 mph you drive over 65 mph represents a 7 percent decrease in fuel economy, according to the DOE.
  • Getting your car washed and waxed improves aerodynamics and that in turn will improve your fuel economy.
  • After refueling be sure that your gas cap is securely tightened. Gas can easily evaporate from the tank if the cap doesn’t fit.
  •  Visit websites like GasBuddy.com or GasPriceWatch.com to find the cheapest gas prices in your city.
  • Become a hypermiler. Basically do everything that you can to ensure you car get the best gas mileage, including use cruise control, anticipate changes in traffic and reduce the use of defrosters and loud stereo systems whenever possible.
 
Not only will these tips save you some green, they also provide a way for you to do your part to go green! Bon Voyage!
 
 
 
 



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12 comments to "Money Saving Tips for Hitting the Road"


Wednesday, May 21, 2008 at 11:21 PM
Cindy Thomas says:


Found your blog from DreamTeamMoney forum.
What a great site you have!

Great tips on saving fuel. The gas prices are just going up and up!

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 9:25 AM
Forget the seals save the gas says:

I have gone from a speed demon to a very gas efficient driver I never go above 2k rpm and use cruise control every were and I save about 5-10 bucks a week.

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 10:24 AM
George Glasgow III says:

Gas at $4 a gallon is crazy. Yesterday while at a stop light i witnessed a gas station worker trot out and change the price on the sign from $4.04 to $4.18. I would like to inform you that i wasn't the only person to honk the horn in absolute disgust. True story. I try to follow some of these tips in my everyday driving and will use a few more that i read. Thanks again for the tips and it's nice to see another blogger on the site.

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 10:57 AM
anonymous says:

Want to hear a funny story? A friend of mine had the gas stolen out of her car the other day. Siphoned right out of the tank over night! I hate to laugh, but that is what it is coming to. Still makes me laugh though.

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 11:35 AM
c-mo says:

lol

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 12:48 PM
Very Efficient says:

Why not drive all the legislators crazy with going back to one car to a family using our legs and screaming for public transportation. Why are we the ones to take the brunt of corporate bad decision making. Our voices are very powerful when we want to be heard. Right in the pocketbook of big business. Or are we too cool to do?

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 1:48 PM
Charlie B says:

If I could take a train to work everyday, I would!

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 1:54 PM
anonymous says:

Yea, seriously. Every other country in the world is developing state of the art bullet trains that go 300 mile per hour, and we are stuck with the L that takes me an hour to go 30 miles.

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 2:53 PM
anonymous says:

we need a more energy alternatives man.

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 3:02 PM
Ca Di says:

Bullet Trains ftw.

Thursday, May 22, 2008 at 3:22 PM
Lisa Doyle says:

For energy-efficient cars, check out "Deals on Wheels" in the Hot List article! http://www.americasbestcompanies.com/magazine/articles/hot-list-2008.aspx

Sunday, June 29, 2008 at 5:20 PM
anonymous says:

We need bullet trains, for the love of god, we need bullet trains


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