Tips for Saving Gas

With gas prices being so high, doing little things to save every single drop of gas can help your wallet. Most of these you will probably already know, but they serve as reminders to not be lazy and actually take steps to save money.

Don’t warm up the engine

Experts say there is no benefit to letting your engine warm up, even in extremely cold temperatures. As long as you don’t work the engine too hard when you start your morning drive, it won’t matter as far as wear and tear on your vehicle.

Close the windows and turn the air on

It might seem strange to turn the air conditioning to save money, but it does when you consider that having the windows down can produce enough drag on your vehicle to cause more gas consumption. This tip doesn’t apply for most city drivers that don’t exceed 30 mph too often.

Turn it off

Turn the engine off when you’re sitting and waiting for your friend to run into the store. With todays fuel injected engines, it doesn’t cost more fuel to turn the car off then back on like older vehicles used to.

Chuck the weight

Get the golf clubs and bowling ball out of the trunk. It’s makes a small difference, but a difference nonetheless.

Inflate the tires properly

If your tires are not inflated properly, you are losing mileage. Invest in a decent air pressure gauge, not just the cheap pencil ones and check your air pressure regularly.

Go synthetic

Using synthetic oil saves about 5% of gas.

Shop locally

Double benefit here. Support local small business instead of venturing all the way out to the Wal-Mart for the 1 or 2 items you need on any given day. Traveling 10 miles to save $4 on soda, it’s not worth the $4 you’re already spending for that gallon of gas there and back.

Get all shopping done at once

No more running out, back home, then back out again. Chart out your trips and make sure you get everything you need in one shot.

Do more at home

Invest more in entertainment at home instead of driving out to the theater. Read a book, watch a DVD or play with your Wii. You now have a reason to dust off all those things in the corner of your closet and play with them.

Ease up on the gas pedal

Try to coast as much as you can. No more speeding up to red lights or stop signs. Also keep it below 55 on the highways. As your speed gets faster and faster, it increases gas consumption exponentially.

Change the air filter

If your air filter is dirty, replacing this cheap part can save you hundreds per year.

All gas is not equal

With trial and error you can measure how good your gas mileage is with certain brands. Start a journal of the stations you visited and how much mileage you got out of the gas you purchased from each. This is really important lately as some stations have been mixing water in with their gas.

Use your resources

Find a local gas station that sells gas for the least at gasbuddy.com