As gas prices are approaching $3.50/gallon for regular gas in many parts of the country, car owners are finally starting to feel that pinch at the pumps if they didn't already. I just filled up my SUV (Chevrolet Tahoe) and saw the price go over $70 for the first time. I don't drive the SUV that much anyways, but with gas prices escalating at a pretty rapid pace, I'm sure the Tahoe will spend more time in the garage and less on the road. In the past few years we have seen gas steadily climb to higher prices during the peak summer months and then slowly decline as winter sets in. This is not the case this year as gas prices have swollen to record highs and drivers are scrambling to find ways to save on gas prices. For years the federal government and concerned citizens have told drivers to slow down and conserve fuel by doing groups of errands all at once instead of heading out your door 3 times a day. By combining errands you can save not only time but fuel. Which gas saving tips really work the best? Keep reading to find out.
About.com has an informative driving section with guide Aaron Gold giving tips on fuel economy and driving habits. Some of his "Top 10 Fuel Saving Tips" include checking your air filter, check tire pressure, slow down, no fast accelerating, turn off the AC, clean your car, carpool, stick with stock wheels and tires, and drive cars that get better gas mileage. We have all heard many of these gas saving tips before, but as the price of gasoline as risen, it seems more of us are finally listening. Recently, Edmunds.com did a test to determine if these "gas savings tips" are really useful or if they are just myths. You'd be surprised to find out the results which they have listed online for everyone to see. The tests were performed out in the real world, not in a lab somewhere. The most glaring results were for the gas savings you will see if you drive less aggressively. Not everyone drives like a maniac, but if you tend to accelerate fast off the line stop doing it. You can save up to 37% on gas mileage by driving more moderately. Driving the speed limit on highways and freeways could save you almost 14% on your fuel economy. Many people consistently drive over 75 MPH, but if you lower your speed back down to 65 MPH or dare we say 60 MPH, you could save a lot on gasoline consumption. Another feature most cars have is cruise control, although many of us never use it. The test results from the Edmunds.com road test proved that using your cruise control in most constant speed environments (freeways and highways) could save on average 7% on fuel. By accelerating and trying to keep your speed at 65 MPH without the assistance of cruise control, you lose valuable fuel. Use cruise control, especially on longer trips where you are driving along freeways or highways at the speed limit. Another gas saving tip I've heard for years from my father is to turn off the air conditioning and roll down a window. It does seem like this theory should play out solidly, but turns out it pretty much a myth. Having your window down will create enough wind drag on the car to offset any benefit of fuel economy produced by turning off the A/C. The only answer is to close up the windows and leave the A/C off, but if the weather is hot this is not a good idea. Another common misconception (at least per the Edmunds.com study) is that checking your tire pressure will save on your gas mileage. They saw "no measurable effect" in their tests, although we did read on several car sites that buying non-stock tires and wheels can effect your gas mileage. That is to say, stay away from exotic rims or tires that don't belong on your car if you want the best gas mileage. Lastly, should you turn off your car or leave it idling if you will only be a minute? I've heard that turning a motor on and off causes unnecessary wear and tear on an engine, but also that idling wastes gas. Both are true, but excessive idling will definitely waste gas (up to 19%) while turning your car on and off will probably not lessen the engines lifespan. Ultimately, if we are to save this planet Earth that we live on, we will need to conserve gas and fossil fuels. The easiest way to do this is to limit your overall driving and buy a hybrid car with the latest technology at saving gas.
Which Vehicles Get Best Gas Mileage?:
Hybrid cars are all the rage and SUV's are no longer as popular as they used to be. Gas prices definitely has a big effect on which types of cars people buy. As gas prices has hovered around $3/gallon for some time now, hybrid vehicles continue to sell better than almost all other types of cars. With gasoline prices only expected to go up gradually over the next 5 to 10 years, gas mileage and fuel economy is becoming a big part of car advertising and marketing campaigns. Who wants to drive around in a SUV that gets 14 miles per gallon when you could save $1000's driving a Toyota Prius. More and more hybrid vehicles are being produced each year to keep up with the demand and they are considered "green vehicles" since they are friendly to the Earth. We have listed the top 10 selling hybrid cars down below with make, model, price, estimated mileage (as of Summer 2007).
Toyota Prius - starts at $22175, the Touring model is offered at $23070, combined city/highway fuel mileage is 55 MPG.
Honda Insight - No longer produced by Honda, retailed for $17,762 - $19,198, available on the used market. 60 MPG.
Honda Civic Hybrid - starts at $22,600 and gets a little over 50 MPG.
Honda Accord Hybrid - starts at $31090, EPA mileage estimates are 28 city/35 highway.
Toyota Camry Hybrid - starts at $26,200, EPA rating of 40 MPG (city).
Toyota Highlander Hybrid - MSRP starts at $32490, Hybrid Limited $34610, SUV with 32/37 MPG.
Ford Escape Hybrid - up to 34 MPG city and 30 highwya. This SUV starts at $27260.
Lexus RX 400h - AWD and FWD options. 31/27 city/highway MPG. Base MSRP: $42,580.
Mercury Mariner Hybrid - starts at $25,765. FWD MPG is 34/30. 4WD MPG 29/27.
Lexus GS 450h - Base MSRP: $54,900. 28/28 MPG estimated for city/highway.
Cheap Gas:
We are all looking for the cheapest gas we can find with prices hovering around $3.50 a gallon. Some experts in the oil field say that those prices will be cheap come 5 years from now. It certainly doesn't look like gasoline prices will go below $3/gallon again, but how high will they get. Only time will tell, but for the time being, how can you find the cheapest gas in your area. There are websites setup to follow local gas prices and give you the best deals in your area. Remember, though, that driving an extra few miles to fill up may not be worth the money saved. I have heard people driving across town (10 miles or more) to fill up for a few cents extra. They don't realize the money they wasted just driving to the gas station. Perhaps the best site for finding cheap gas in your state is at Gasbuddy.com. The site lets you search anywhere in the United States or Canada for discount gas prices. Search by state and county to get to the cities in your neck of the woods. I live in Oregon where prices have always been near the highest in the country. Gasbuddy.com offers all the latest prices, trends, fuel savings tips of their own.
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