by Tom Brend

Created on: October 17, 2009

The following tips are listed in descending order according to their ease of implication.

1) Driving style

The driving style is the most important point for increasing gas mileage. The first point to make is that there is no point in going very fast. Travel speed and gas consumption are not in a linear relation. The relation between the two is in a square function. In other words: If you double your speed, you will quadruple your gas consumption, and so on. Especially for long travel legs, you will need to find a traveling speed that is acceptable to you and your finances. Modern cars are economic around 80-95mph

The second point is to drive fluently. This simply means having less acceleration/decceleration phases. Phases of driving which are not in constant speed waste energy. Therefore, you should also avoid rush hour, chronically congested highways and very generally, aggresive driving with low separation to other drivers.

The third point is to avoid idling. Turn the motor off, or use start/stop automatics. Modern cars waste less energy turning on their motors again than idling over longer periods.

2) Electrical appliances

Every electrical consumer in your car uses up gas through the alternator system. Therefore you should turn off every electrical appliance that is not compromising your safety - never turn off your lights in adverse weather just to save money. The biggest gas consumers are abused Air Conditioning systems on full power (2l/100km) and seat heating (0.25l/100km).

3) Aerodynamics

Open windows disturb the aerodynamic flow around you car and increase gas consumption up to 20%. Any modifications such as spoilers and horns will also increase gas consumption directly. And if you want to buy a new car, go for a car with low cw aerodynamic value. Some SUV's have cw's above 0.38, which is pretty bad - some small cars (especially Asian) have cw's around 0.22-0.26, which is desirable for saving gas.

4) Weight

Decreasing the weight of your directly increases gas mileage. Now, don't throw out your passengers! Think about the unused seats and possible cargo you carry around with you every time you drive. If you want to buy a new car, go for the light weight one. Once again, SUV's and European luxury cars are very heavy.

5) Tire pressure

Safety-wise, it is best to follow tire pressure instructions by the manufacturer for best grip, but adding about 4-5psi of tire pressure decreases friction while still ensuring your safety. The decreased tire friction will result in better gas mileage.

6) Maintenance

A well maintained car will have at least the gas mileage within the limits of the manufacturer, in laboratory settings. In real life, it is not possible to have your car in perfect state and the driving style differs, too. Often one sees a rather large difference between consumption as stated in the manual and the actual, experienced gas mileage.

Maintenance on modern cars cost a lot these days and is often impossible in DIY shops. Therefore, maintenance must be a rational choice for your safety and your finances. If you drive a lot, and especially long legs, quality maintenance and parts will pay off soon, and vice versa. A relatively unknown tip is to use light oils, which are pricy but increase motor efficiency significantly.

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