Contents of RauwLetter May 2010
- "Drill Baby Drill" - A Disaster Waiting to Happen ...
- Cash for Clunkers - A Success Story?
- Cozy Up to Your Neighbors
- Quick Tips for Motor Vehicle Fuel Economy
- Burning Less for Better Air Quality
- Subscribe to Our Newsletter
Quick Tips for Motor Vehicle Fuel Economy
According to the USA Environmental Protection Agency web site, “During hot weather, don’t top off your gas tank. Refuel your car or truck in the early morning or the evening when it’s cooler. A small fuel spill may not seem like much, but every spill evaporates and adds to air pollution, and fuel pumps with vapor recovery systems can feed a spill back into their tanks – after you paid for it. So, in hot weather – don’t top off!”
The people at Amsoil Products, www.ultimatesyntheticoil.com, suggest the following to increase your motor vehicle fuel economy:
- “Anticipate, coast, and use your brakes less. Look far down the road ahead, even if “far” means half a city block. Get into position for turn-lanes smoothly and early so that you don’t have to accelerate to get in front of traffic. Anticipate stops or slow-downs ahead and take your foot off the gas: try to coast much more than you brake. Keeping more distance to the car in front of you will help.
- Don’t accelerate quickly. Remember that the guy who leaves the stoplight the quickest also pays more at the pump. Accelerating at about ¼ throttle will be slower than you’re used to, but it saves a lot of fuel. Whether you’re driving an automatic or manual, this will tend to shift up to higher gears at slower speeds, turning fewer engine revolutions.
- Minimize idling, and idle smart. Engines only need 10 to 30 seconds for warm-up, and idling your engine for more than a minute typically costs more fuel than re-starting it. So avoid the drive-thru lines at the bank and the fast-food shop: instead of sitting in line, part and go inside. But, when you must idle with an automatic transmission, put the transmission in neutral or park while you’re waiting: this will cut your fuel usage at idle by 15-35% depending on the vehicle. If you have a manual transmission, don’t use the clutch to keep from rolling back – use the brake. This will save fuel and extend your clutch life.
- Use Cruise Control. It’s proven to save fuel. But here’s a secret … It’s not just for cruising. Using the “Resume” button on your cruise control can be a handy compromise to provide reasonable acceleration times that don’t irritate drivers behind you, without wasting fuel.
- Smart vacation thinking. If your vehicle is a gas guzzler, consider renting an economical vehicle to drive on vacation. With a discounted week-long rate at better fuel economy, the rental might pay for itself. If you lease your vehicle, using a rental vehicle will also lower your total lease miles.
- Slow down. As you increase speed above 60 mph, wind resistance starts increasing dramatically as a percentage of total fuel consumption. Estimates are that every mile over 60 mph costs you 1% in fuel economy. In other words, when you speed, you’re paying more at the gas pump.
- Drive first to your furthest destination of the day. When running errands, driving to your farthest point first will warm up your vehicle’s engine and transmission most quickly, which allows it to operate with more efficiency during the rest of your stops.
- Clear off the snow and ice. Snow and ice buildup costs you fuel in two important ways: it increases your vehicle’s wind resistance and it adds a lot of weight.
- Park in the Shade. Your savings will come from the air conditioner not having to work as long to cool off your car’s interior. If you crack your windows a bit and use a sunshade in the front windshield, you’ll not only sweat less, but you’ll save money from your A/C not having to work as hard.
- Lose some weight! Reduce your vehicle’s weight: clean out the trunk (and maybe the back seat). Summer snow-chains and tools from that weekend project two months ago are costing you fuel! For every 200 pounds in your trunk, it costs you roughly 1 mpg.”
Driving mindfully will save you money, reduce pollutants and reduce U.S. reliance on foreign oil.
