Take the upcoming increase at the pumps with the 2.4 cent/liter carbon tax, and the always constant rise in crude oil prices, and combine this with the seasonal increase caused by summers increase in demand, and you get an all time high for filling your gas tank this season.
With this drain on our wallets, I decided to go out and gather some tips on saving fuel. It literally pays to follow these tips as you’ll conserver your gas and your money – not to mention a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
- Avoid warming up your engine. 30 seconds is plenty of time for most cars.
- Don’t Idol. One minute of idling is approximately how much fuel it takes to start your car.
- Avoid the drive through. Park and walk in to order your burger and fries.
- Unless your vehicle manufacturer requires you use high octane gas, don’t. Use the lowest octane rated fuel recommended by the manufacturer. You should be able to find this information in your owners manual, or in many cases on a sticker inside your gas door.
- Ensure your gas cap is good and tight. Its estimated that 147 million gallons of gas escape into the atmosphere each year as a result of loose or missing gas caps
- Gas up your car in the early morning or late evening. The colder it is outside the better. As gas cools it becomes denser and gas pumps measure based on volume, so while the difference may be quite small, you will get more gas for your dollar on those cool days.
- Roll up your windows! At higher speeds the drag caused from open windows can reduce your fuel efficiency by 10 percent, potentially burning less fuel and making it cheaper to run your air conditioning than opening your windows.
- Keep your tires inflated to the appropriate level. Under inflated tires not only wear down more quickly, but they also lower your gas mileage. Lower inflated tires increase the friction and give more resistance to the engine. Driving on under inflated tires may reduce your mileage by as much as 15%
- Keep your engine tuned. Repairing an out of tune engine can save you between 4 and 30% depending on the problem. A misfiring spark plug is one of the biggest offenders.
- Plan your trip so that you will either take the shortest route possible, or the quickest. Plan your route so that you will avoid long idling periods in busy traffic. Sometimes the shortest distance is not always the best.
- Accelerate and brake smoothly. Fast stops and starts burn more fuel.
- If you have cruise control, use it. Maintaining a steady speed burns less fuel.
- Take your time. The difference in fuel consumption between traveling 110 km/h and 120 km/h will mail a noticeable difference in your tank. Driving from Courtenay to Nanaimo at 110 will take only about 5 minutes longer than driving 120, and could save you a couple dollars.
- Drive in the highest gear possible. Lower RPM’s mean better fuel economy – of course you also don’t want to lug your engine, keep the revs at the optimal level for your vehicle.
- Remove excess weight from your car. The heavier the car, the worse your mileage. Have a mini-van? Remove the third row of seats if you don’t use them. Get rid of any unnecessary junk.
- Walk or take your bike. If your just heading down the street, why drive? Walking is not only free, its good for you too!