Talking to the manager of a local gas station, I was surprised to learn how much gas they sold every single day. Even more surprising was learning that they were selling just as much gas at $4.25 per gallon as they were when gas was just $2.00 per gallon. That was surprising because since gas hit about $2.50 per gallon, I've been doing all I can to squeeze every fraction of a mile out of every gallon I use. These tips will help you save gas by changing how you drive and maintain your car.
Lighten the load. Every unnecessary pound in your vehicle translates into more gas used. Open the trunk or look in your pickup bed. What do you need and what don't you need? Take out that case of water and carry just what you plan to use. It's summer time? Take out those bags of sand you carry in the winter for traction. Big toolboxes using up space? Take them out if you don't need them.
Keep the tank full. Don't let your tank go below half if you can help it. The closer to empty your tank is, the more fuel evaporates and escapes when you take the gas cap off to fill it. Modern gas pumps recover that evaporated fuel, and why should you be giving it to them just to resell after it re-condenses in the storage tank.
Tire inflation. Keep your tires inflated to at least the recommended tire pressure. You can find this inside the drivers side door near the latch on the post. If you are carrying a heavy load, increase the pressure in your tires up to, but not exceeding ten pounds below the maximum pressure listed on the tire side-wall. Your goal will be to provide the same tire to road contact under a heavy load as under a normal load. Under a heavy load and normal pressure, the tires will look more squashed than usual. Fill them up to make them look normal, but use caution and don't exceed the maximum pressure, less ten pounds. Proper tire inflation can save you two to three miles per gallon of gas on the highway.
Speed and gear optimization. Pay attention to the gears as you accelerate. Don't let the car cruise two or three miles per hour under a shift point. Move past the shift point, let the car shift to the higher gear, and allow the speed to drop a little, but not much. This technique will save you considerably.
Route optimization. Plan your trips, even the short ones. Use short routes that have the fewest stop signs and stop lights. Try to make your errand trips one trip. Go from errand to errand and plan for the trip to be in a circle of sorts. Make stops for errands along the route until you reach your furthest destination. If possible, without going out of your way, make all the errand stops on your way to the furthest one. Then drive straight back.
Don't idle. If you are going to be stopped for more than a minute, shut the engine off. Idling uses gas you could be using for going forward. Idling for five minutes can use as much gas as driving five miles at thirty miles per hour.
Plan your stops and starts. Why accelerate right up to the last second and then brake hard? Not only does it use more gas, it's hard on your brakes. You know the area you drive most in. Is that light going to be green when you get to it? If not, coast up to it. Try to see how little you can use your brakes. Is that red light going to change before you get to it if you coast a little? Try to time your arrival at the light so you don't come to a complete stop. This technique is a favorite among those who practice getting maximum gas mileage. When you accelerate, accelerate at a medium rate, not a fast one.
Cruise control. Where practical, use your cruise control. Accelerate at a medium rate to the speed limit and set the cruise control. Hilly country driving however, is unsuitable for using the cruise control. Cruise control tries to maintain a constant speed and uses more gas going uphill because it increases engine speed to maintain speed at the set rate.
Drive the speed limit. Driving the speed limit uses less gas than driving faster. Unless you're a real speed demon or on a cross country trip, driving five or ten miles per hour less won't cost you much time and it will save you gas. Driving the speed limit also helps you save gas on hills.
Driving a hilly road. Gravity will work against you going uphill and for you going downhill. When you are going downhill and have an uphill climb immediately afterwards, let your speed creep up a little, about five to seven miles per hour. Since you are already driving the speed limit (right?) you won't be exceeding the limit much, almost certainly not enough to get a ticket. By the time you reach the top of the next hill, your speed will have leveled off, back at the speed limit and you won't need to accelerate up the hill. Avoid using more accelerator on hills whenever possible.
Shut off unnecessary accessories. Fans, stereos, your cell phone charger, whatever. Unplug or turn the switch to off. Using electricity requires more energy from your alternator which puts a higher load on the engine.
Maintain that two second gap. Besides being a safer way to drive, you'll save gas because you won't be constantly compensating for another drivers uneven pressure on the gas pedal.
Live without air conditioning. If you can be comfortable without it, turn it off. This is another big saver, as much as three miles per gallon in some vehicles.
Close your windows. The opposite of using gas with air conditioning, having your windows open can cost you up to two miles per gallon.
Close the tailgate. Not long ago, myth had it that leaving the tailgate open on a pickup truck would save gas. Not so my friend and proved untrue as well. Close that tailgate and save gas.
Pickup caps. If you don't need that cap, take it off. Pickup caps can cost you up to two miles per gallon.
Maintenance. Dirty oil, old spark plugs and spark plug wires, dirty air filters. All these things can cost you gas mileage. Change your oil according to your owners manual and use the oil weight specified too. New plug wires and plugs will provide a stronger spark and ignite more gas, which translates into less gas used. That dirty air filter is easy to change and a new one is cheap. Change it. Follow your manufacturers maintenance schedule and save up to two miles per gallon just by doing something you should be doing anyway.
Things you should not do. Don't drive so slowly or accelerate so slowly you become a road hazard, blocking traffic. Coasting with the engine off can cause a loss of control because your power steering and power brakes suddenly require ten times the effort to operate manually. Don't drive faster or slower than the traffic flow. Go with the flow and arrive safe.