Going the Distance
Going the Distance
June 21, 2013 by Taylor Studios
There’s nothing like gas over $4 a gallon to focus the mind on how to drive efficiently. While the ideal is to drive as little as possible, the reality for many Americans outside of major metropolitan areas is that the places we need to go are many miles apart. While newer car models often have better mileage, your driving habits can have a massive impact on your mileage. While keeping your tires properly inflated can improve your mileage, it can be hard to see the difference. Rolling stops and steady acceleration will have a bigger impact. Any time you use the brakes, you are wasting gas, since you are turning the momentum your engine built up into heat in your brakes instead of yards moved. Coasting to a stop, while not always possible, lets you use more of the momentum your engine created. Steady acceleration lets your engine move up through gears at its most efficient rate, reaching the most efficient higher gears without wasting gas.
Most American cars have engines designed to run most efficiently at 55mph. While I would prefer that to be 65mph, at least I have a clear guideline. Off of the highway, staying close to 55 where it is legal to do so will save a surprising amount of gas. While it is a no-brainer, planning your errands ahead of time makes a lot of sense. Called trip-chaining by some, combining multiple destinations in one trip can save hundreds of miles of driving per year, not to mention the fuel savings and reduction in emissions. If you can avoid rush hour during your errands, you will save gas from the decrease in braking and idling. When driving on the highway through mostly flat areas (for example, most of Nebraska, North Dakota, and Illinois), cruise control and overdrive will bump up your mileage.
If your car has decent ventilation, reduce the use of air conditioning at higher speeds by using the vehicle’s flow-through ventilation. At in-town speeds, open the windows. Turn off your engine when idling more than a minute when parked; your engine uses about as much gasoline during 10 seconds of idling as it takes to restart the engine. Remove any add-on luggage or equipment racks from your vehicle when you aren’t using them to reduce fuel-eating drag.
For these and more useful info, try these articles by and the . What’s your favorite technique to save gas?