I would say get a bicycle, but I hate cyclists, in NYC anyway...
What is the single most effective fuel saving tip?
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Originally Posted By: sciphi
Some kind of instant feedback is great.
This is why my BMW M3 averaged 25-28mpgs It had the little analog "real time" MPG gauge. Since it was analog, I could see it sweep one way or another much better than a digital read out -just like the analog tachometer. (much more telling IMO than a digital)
Some kind of instant feedback is great.
This is why my BMW M3 averaged 25-28mpgs It had the little analog "real time" MPG gauge. Since it was analog, I could see it sweep one way or another much better than a digital read out -just like the analog tachometer. (much more telling IMO than a digital)
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Drive slower. Anticipate light changes like the truckers do.
adjust your attitude a little when it comes to driving. when we are anxious, stressed etc, we drive differently.....why do we need to be everywhere in a hurry??!! I see so many people here driving aggressively...
Here in south florida, many people will race to the next obviously red stop light to have to loose all of that momentum and then burn a ton of gas to get back up to the same speed....they gotta be brain dead to not see what they are doing.
personally, having grown up in england, i want to say that stop lights SUCK. i hate them, they are a very basic yet very illogical way of control traffic compared to the good old roundabout. with a roundabout a far greater majority of the traffic gets to keep moving, like a flow of water....it works much better for a greater number of people. a little momentum is far more useable than none...so that said, like some have already said, drive a little slower. That way if you do have to stop for a light, you dont have to be on the brakes as hard.
i have lost count of the number of times that i have seen anywhere between 5 and 20 cars come to a grinding halt because of one car wanting to cross our path?!...its nuts!
Apart from that, buy a bike and a backpack....ride to the grocery store to get supplies, get the exercise, [censored] it we need it! I even walk to Publix to get stuff...im lucky thats its close I guess.
Sell the gas hog and buy a 4 cyl car, again coming from England, I see a very strong conditioning in people here that there is a "need" to have a 6 or 8 cyl vehicle that is big and heavy...guys buying a truck to only put a fancy tonneau cover on it and "feel" like a man when they could easily function with a honda civic!?
I have had conversations with guys that say 4 cyl cars are lame, flat, powerless etc...yes they are, compared to the 14 mile per gallon 2 ton monster they are driving now....again, its another case where we (me included) have to wake up a little, ask ourselves what is the difference between want and need.
I looked up an intersting article here about UPS and how they save gas...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/24/earlyshow/main4204831.shtml
by the way, im not "anti-american", if i was, i wouldnt live here!...and believe me, there is PLENTY that sucks about England!
Here in south florida, many people will race to the next obviously red stop light to have to loose all of that momentum and then burn a ton of gas to get back up to the same speed....they gotta be brain dead to not see what they are doing.
personally, having grown up in england, i want to say that stop lights SUCK. i hate them, they are a very basic yet very illogical way of control traffic compared to the good old roundabout. with a roundabout a far greater majority of the traffic gets to keep moving, like a flow of water....it works much better for a greater number of people. a little momentum is far more useable than none...so that said, like some have already said, drive a little slower. That way if you do have to stop for a light, you dont have to be on the brakes as hard.
i have lost count of the number of times that i have seen anywhere between 5 and 20 cars come to a grinding halt because of one car wanting to cross our path?!...its nuts!
Apart from that, buy a bike and a backpack....ride to the grocery store to get supplies, get the exercise, [censored] it we need it! I even walk to Publix to get stuff...im lucky thats its close I guess.
Sell the gas hog and buy a 4 cyl car, again coming from England, I see a very strong conditioning in people here that there is a "need" to have a 6 or 8 cyl vehicle that is big and heavy...guys buying a truck to only put a fancy tonneau cover on it and "feel" like a man when they could easily function with a honda civic!?
I have had conversations with guys that say 4 cyl cars are lame, flat, powerless etc...yes they are, compared to the 14 mile per gallon 2 ton monster they are driving now....again, its another case where we (me included) have to wake up a little, ask ourselves what is the difference between want and need.
I looked up an intersting article here about UPS and how they save gas...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/06/24/earlyshow/main4204831.shtml
by the way, im not "anti-american", if i was, i wouldnt live here!...and believe me, there is PLENTY that sucks about England!
Minimize braking;
Minimize A/C
These are the two biggest ones. As for acceleration, you should accelerate as appropriate. I don't like people who merge onto the freeway at 40 mph because they're trying to save gas. You save 1/2 teaspoon of gas but endanger countless cars behind you. That's selfish
Minimize A/C
These are the two biggest ones. As for acceleration, you should accelerate as appropriate. I don't like people who merge onto the freeway at 40 mph because they're trying to save gas. You save 1/2 teaspoon of gas but endanger countless cars behind you. That's selfish
Definitely acceleration helps. For example, my style of acceleration has vastly slowed (I rarely go over 3k rpm for acceleration these days) and my average mpg shows it. instead of averaging 24 a tank, I'm averaging closer to 27, 28 a tank (mostly city these days)
Walk to the shops/bank etc. Get some sun, and take the kids with you.
Walked to the petrol station with my daughter on Saturday to buy mower fuel. Chatted all the way there, stopped at a garage sale on the way back.
Other things, shop on your way home from work rather than making another trip.
Walked to the petrol station with my daughter on Saturday to buy mower fuel. Chatted all the way there, stopped at a garage sale on the way back.
Other things, shop on your way home from work rather than making another trip.
I would. Driving as smoothly as possible is probably the most useful fuel saving tip.
It's more about the nut behind the wheel than the rest of the hardware.
That includes keeping up with your maintenance, especially tire pressures. It also includes watching your speed. Since aerodynamic drag is one of the largest components at play and it increases as a square of the speed. I.E go 2x as fast, 4x as much aero drag.
Originally Posted By: mareakin
My prevailing belief, at this moment, is that driving in such a way so as to minimize the using the brakes, is the single most effective fuel-efficiency boosting strategy.
I try to anticipate lights ahead and to plan my course ahead of time and to always be aware of what's ahead.
Of course, the hyper-miler does plenty of other things to maximize mpg but this technique is probably the big one, right? I mean if you brake to a stop, all that energy to get you moving converts into useless heat.
Would you agree this is so?
Or would you argue that accelerating gently is more mpg-friendly?
It helps to make both your car and your fuel last longer. Helping the car last longer may not save gas, but it saves you money on the car meaning you can buy more gas or other things.
It's more about the nut behind the wheel than the rest of the hardware.
That includes keeping up with your maintenance, especially tire pressures. It also includes watching your speed. Since aerodynamic drag is one of the largest components at play and it increases as a square of the speed. I.E go 2x as fast, 4x as much aero drag.
Originally Posted By: mareakin
My prevailing belief, at this moment, is that driving in such a way so as to minimize the using the brakes, is the single most effective fuel-efficiency boosting strategy.
I try to anticipate lights ahead and to plan my course ahead of time and to always be aware of what's ahead.
Of course, the hyper-miler does plenty of other things to maximize mpg but this technique is probably the big one, right? I mean if you brake to a stop, all that energy to get you moving converts into useless heat.
Would you agree this is so?
Or would you argue that accelerating gently is more mpg-friendly?
It helps to make both your car and your fuel last longer. Helping the car last longer may not save gas, but it saves you money on the car meaning you can buy more gas or other things.
Originally Posted By: mareakin
My prevailing belief, at this moment, is that driving in such a way so as to minimize the using the brakes, is the single most effective fuel-efficiency boosting strategy.
I try to anticipate lights ahead and to plan my course ahead of time and to always be aware of what's ahead.
Of course, the hyper-miler does plenty of other things to maximize mpg but this technique is probably the big one, right? I mean if you brake to a stop, all that energy to get you moving converts into useless heat.
Would you agree this is so?
Or would you argue that accelerating gently is more mpg-friendly?
Without a doubt, brakes. Every time you apply the brakes you are wasting the kinetic energy you already used gas for.
My prevailing belief, at this moment, is that driving in such a way so as to minimize the using the brakes, is the single most effective fuel-efficiency boosting strategy.
I try to anticipate lights ahead and to plan my course ahead of time and to always be aware of what's ahead.
Of course, the hyper-miler does plenty of other things to maximize mpg but this technique is probably the big one, right? I mean if you brake to a stop, all that energy to get you moving converts into useless heat.
Would you agree this is so?
Or would you argue that accelerating gently is more mpg-friendly?
Without a doubt, brakes. Every time you apply the brakes you are wasting the kinetic energy you already used gas for.
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Right foot is #1.
This assumes the car is in good running order.
This assumes the car is in good running order.
Originally Posted By: mechtech2
Right foot is #1.
This assumes the car is in good running order.
Yeah Im' pretty sure if you have a fuel injector (or more) stuck open you are going to get pretty bad gas mileage no matter how you drive, lol
Right foot is #1.
This assumes the car is in good running order.
Yeah Im' pretty sure if you have a fuel injector (or more) stuck open you are going to get pretty bad gas mileage no matter how you drive, lol
I see a lot of people saying to accelerate slooooooow and that's not really the way to do it.
The important thing is to accelerate smoothly and to keep the pedal pressure nice and even without any sudden and powerful movements.
When you get off the gas, ease back into it instead of hammer it.
When my sister drives our Auto Civic and she would get back on the gas after coasting for a second, the car would literally downshift from the sudden pressure on the gas pedal (she's not trying to accelerate, just moving her foot back to the gas pedal)
I've been on her case about it and she has improved and so has the Civic average MPGs as per the installed Scan Gauge II.
I accelerate quickly from stop lights but i'm very light on the gas pedal and keep a VERY steady foot once i reach my desired speed. I also bury the gas pedal in the carpet CONSTANTLY while WOT and driving VERY spirited and still ave 25-27mpg mixed driving... the car is rated 29mpg Highway BTW. I hypermill whenever possible and coast in gear A LOT avoiding the brakes by changing lanes when cars in front are braking, etc etc.
I keep my Tire pressure in a very comfortable, soft range, even during highway trips. A clean and waxed car cuts through the air better then a dirty one and i average 31-33mpg while speeding @ 80mph with cruise control on with the same car that's rated @ 29mpg highway.
Of course having an efficient automobile in the first place is the #1 factor!
The important thing is to accelerate smoothly and to keep the pedal pressure nice and even without any sudden and powerful movements.
When you get off the gas, ease back into it instead of hammer it.
When my sister drives our Auto Civic and she would get back on the gas after coasting for a second, the car would literally downshift from the sudden pressure on the gas pedal (she's not trying to accelerate, just moving her foot back to the gas pedal)
I've been on her case about it and she has improved and so has the Civic average MPGs as per the installed Scan Gauge II.
I accelerate quickly from stop lights but i'm very light on the gas pedal and keep a VERY steady foot once i reach my desired speed. I also bury the gas pedal in the carpet CONSTANTLY while WOT and driving VERY spirited and still ave 25-27mpg mixed driving... the car is rated 29mpg Highway BTW. I hypermill whenever possible and coast in gear A LOT avoiding the brakes by changing lanes when cars in front are braking, etc etc.
I keep my Tire pressure in a very comfortable, soft range, even during highway trips. A clean and waxed car cuts through the air better then a dirty one and i average 31-33mpg while speeding @ 80mph with cruise control on with the same car that's rated @ 29mpg highway.
Of course having an efficient automobile in the first place is the #1 factor!
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