Gas Up for Less When Traveling

That annoying guy that weaves in and out of lanes and tailgates other drivers gets the worst mileage. According to Edmunds.com, drivers can save around a third of their gas money if they stop driving like crazy.

Car is running out of gas? Find the nearest gas station by searching the Shoppersguide Directory.

The engine operates at fewer revolutions per minute (RPM) when overdrive is used. The less work the engine does, the less gas it uses. Wear and tear on the engine is also cut when overdrive is utilized.

Drivers can do this when traffic is light for relatively long stretches. A constant speed means no burning of additional gas when decelerating and accelerating.

Leaving the engine idling is worse than turning it on and off. A recent study by General Motors in 2011 ^[1] shows that it’s better to dine in and order than course the drive through. In addition, the GM study states that a quarter gallon of gas, on average, is burned when idling for 15 minutes.

Putting the windows down instead of turning on the air conditioning actually costs you more. The engine compensates for the additional drag created by open windows, hence, giving you shorter mileage.

Any additional details or items tacked outside the car create more drag, which means extra fuel to burn. These include items such as roof racks, bicycles, spoilers, and flags.

Air conditioning is energy-intensive and can drain the gas tank. But it is still true, as previously mentioned, that keeping windows down consumes more fuel. Here’s the deal: in an ideal world, temperature in a car would be bearable, but we’re in a tropical country. With the warm climate of the Philippines, drivers may need to cool their car down. Then again, they can choose to turn off their A/C during cool mornings and evenings.

Car air con needs repair? Check our directory list of car air con repair shops in Metro Manila or refine your search the Shoppersguide Directory.

This is common sense, but is easier said than done. Stop-and-go traffic hits the wallet hard. Revising one’s work schedule to ditch the rush-hour traffic is a good thing to do. Flexible schedules at work could allow drivers the option to get on the road during off-peak hours, saving them money and time.

This is also common sense, but people usually take more familiar, albeit longer, routes. With the help of GPS technology and apps such as Google Navigate and Waze, drivers can now maneuver through shorter routes as well as aim for roads with lighter traffic.

Anything that uses the car battery can affect mileage. When you charge your mobile devices in the car, gfuel replenishes the battery power these gadgets utilize. Charge your phone and tablets at home or at the office before you head out.

Coming from work, people usually go home first to change clothes before going to the grocery or malls to do some shopping. It seems like a small thing but this ups gas spending. If you’re trying to save on gas, it is best to run several errands in multiple locations in one trip. You’ll have shorter trips from point A to B, and then to C, and fewer trips to the pump station.

Parking in the shade isn’t just comfortable; it is also a smart move that saves you gas. Higher evaporative emissions are caused by heat from direct sunlight. A car in the shade doesn’t only keep the unit cooler, it also helps drivers stretch the number of kilometers they get per liter.

Extra weight equals more work for the car’s engine, which means more gas is spent. If aesthetics does not convince drivers to tidy up their car, maybe their wallet will have the persuasive power to get them to clean up and take out the junk that has caused a few more trips than necessary to the pump station.

Premium gasoline is not a boon to fuel economy. Premium is pricey, and it doesn’t even help you save on gas. Using the lowest-grade octane gas allowable, according to your car specifications, is the way to go. Drivers can instead add more liters of lower-octane gas instead of buying the premium and more expensive types.

If gas prices are falling or steady, waiting for as long as possible before refueling will give higher mileage. As gas in the tank is burned, kilometers-per-liter increases as the car becomes lighter. Filling up more frequently equates to a higher average weight for the car and a lower fuel economy in the process. Nonetheless, the caveat is if prices are on the rise, it is more practical to gas up while oil is cheaper.