Fuel Saving Tips
Accelerate moderately
Contrary to popular opinion, the slowest acceleration is not the most efficient. Engines are more efficient at higher torque but less efficient at higher RPMs. You want to accelerate as much as possible without letting the RPMs go too high (over 2500-3000 for many engines).
posted by Morgan on January 24, 2010
this tip works for 93% of voting Fuelly members.
Cut out extra weight
Now I know it goes against this actual website, but I tend to not fill the cars fuel tank if it's not necessary. Having a 70L tank means that, when full, you're lugging around 70kg's of weight... why not just fill 40L's in there?
posted by mErCuTi0 on January 24, 2010
this tip works for 18% of voting Fuelly members.
Winter changes in tire pressure.
Most people know the importance of maintaing proper tire pressure for safty and good mileage. Most people don't know cold, winter temperatures causes air to contact, lowering the pressure and increasing rolling resistance in your tires. Some sources claim a 1 pound decrease for every 10 degree(F) drop in air temp. Maintain extra vigilance in winter in monitoring tire pressures.
posted by yewboup1 on January 22, 2010
this tip works for 94% of voting Fuelly members.
Fill your tyres with Nitrogen
Have your tyres filled with Nitrogen at service centres in the UK and you could reclaim upto a few MPG, cause your tyres to last upto 1/4 longer due to the reduced water content in the gas and prevent corrosion of the inside of your wheels. One such centre is offering this service for 99p per tyre... according to fuelly's MPG saving calculation this will result in it paying for itself quickly.
posted by 99052761 on January 7, 2010
this tip works for 11% of voting Fuelly members.
Replace your tyres with ECO tyres
When your tyres are life expired, have them replaced with ECO 'low rolling resistance' tyres such as Goodyears GT2/3 ECO range. You pay a few pounds more but the saving in fuel consumption is considerably worth it.
posted by 99052761 on January 7, 2010
this tip works for 33% of voting Fuelly members.
Stop 'N' Go Traffic: Stay In Lower Gear
For normal driving, it's best to allow an automatic transmission to do its job and shift when it wants to, but for stop and go traffic I've had better luck staying in a lower gear. Driving at 15 MPH with the gear selector locked in 2nd shows higher mpg using a scangauge due to increased timing at higher RPM, lower load than if I let it shift into 3rd (lower RPM, higher load.) More fuel is saved while decelerating, since the injectors will shut off until less than 1000 RPM (YMMV.)
posted by gathermewool on January 4, 2010
this tip works for 29% of voting Fuelly members.
Speed dosn't kill, its the sudden stop...
OK now that I got your attention... Its popular belief, that to save fuel, the slower you drive the better. And doing this, saves fuel. Not so fast. I've noticed that I tend to drive within 5 MPH, above the speed limit. But 80% traffic is still trying to get around me. The only time I go significantly over the speed limit, is when I encounter, an a sleep 55 MPH (or slower) driver, in the fast lane, in a 65 MPH zone. He/she thinks, 55 is fast enough, and that everyone should slow down to save fuel. However, the end result is, I sped up, to over take them, and use more fuel. With everyone else doing this, this results in ultimately, more fuel being used (By the driving public). Beside the more likely accidents, from all the chaos, that the traffic impeders causes. If slow pokes, used the slow lane, I suspect that the overall speeds, would slow down, AND LESS FUEL WOULD BE USED. So please, if you want to drive slower than the posted speed limit, use the slow lane, or pull over into the, pull-out lane, to allow faster traffic by...
posted by ICantDriveFiftyFive on December 27, 2009
this tip works for 41% of voting Fuelly members.
Check speedo against GPS
If you are tracking your mileage using the trip meter in your car, you may find you are being short changed, on average by about 5%. If you have a GPS, do a quick check yourself, work out the difference by driving at 60mph on your GPS and compare against the speedometer in your car. Typically when doing 60mph on the GPS you will only be doing about 57mph on your speedo. So, if using the speedo to track your fuel usage, you will actually be travelling 5% more than you are tracking, making your fuel economy appear worse than it actually is.
posted by bearmeister on December 24, 2009
this tip works for 48% of voting Fuelly members.
Air Bag Safety
While not so much a fuel saving tip, this one may save your life or that of a loved one. When driving or riding in a car equipped with air bags sit as far back from the air bag as possible. Sitting too close to the dash board or steering wheel may not give enough space for the airbag to properly deploy in an accident. The air bag will still come out, but if you're too close it may break ribs and or damage your internal organs as it crushes you between the air bag and the seat back. Please be careful.
posted by bates on December 24, 2009
this tip works for 68% of voting Fuelly members.
Ride a bike!
I got a Bob Trailer and do my grocery shopping by bike. Its great and you dont need to burn a gallon of gas for a gallon of milk. Mike
posted by cameraperson on December 8, 2009
this tip works for 56% of voting Fuelly members.
MORE MPG???
BUY A SCOOTER!!!
posted by XMANHOE on December 7, 2009
this tip works for 39% of voting Fuelly members.
Be Patience
Drive 55 on the Highway, Use the Cruise Control. Don't speed up to a RED LIGHT, coast to it. Try not to go over 2000 RPM's when starting from a stop. I HAVE BEEN INCREASED MY MILES BETWEEN FILL UPS BY ALMOST 25% FROM 300 MILES TO 400 MILES per fill up.
posted by Tblazer on December 4, 2009
this tip works for 72% of voting Fuelly members.
Get an MPG Gauge!
Many cars have an MPG Gauge, and many do not. If you have a modern car (OBD2 System), there are some really good Gauges to measure your mileage. If you are conscious of your fuel economy, you will naturally try to improve your driving for more fuel economy.
posted by Dragon64Leo on December 2, 2009
this tip works for 64% of voting Fuelly members.
Decrease Rolling Resitance and Increase MPG
For those who have the money, consider getting lighter wheels than what you currently have on. Also consider getting thinner tires to decrease rolling resistance. This is a great way to increase gas economy. It, however, is not so great when driving a performance car and you need the added traction. For most vehicles, thinner tires help.
posted by Sinnary on December 2, 2009
this tip works for 57% of voting Fuelly members.
Use Manpower
If you have a manual car and need to reverse only a small bit open your door and push yourself back. If your vehicle is properly maintained moving the car back with your leg is easy, and it gives you a nice little workout as well.
posted by PaulR on November 24, 2009
this tip works for 45% of voting Fuelly members.
Draft
Not only do NASCAR drivers go faster while drafting, they also get a few more laps eeked outa that fuel tank. I've found at highway speeds it helps to follow someone at a SAFE DISTANCE so they break the worst of the wind... With my dad's conversion van on long vacations, we could get +2 mpg by following other vans/semi-trucks. Of course leave a few car lengths ahead of you, and do not follow semi's too closely since you can't see around them at all, but they do make great wind-breakers!
posted by BLACURA on November 23, 2009
this tip works for 67% of voting Fuelly members.
Cooler Fuel
I have found that filling up later in the evening or early in the morning increases mileage. I have seen a considerable decrease in MPGs when filling at midday to early evening. My theory it that has to do with the temperature of the fuel in the storage tank. The Sun beats down on the ground above the fuel storage tanks and that heat is transferred to the fuel causing it to expand. Cooler fuel will be more dense than warm fuel, giving you more energy per volume. Thus, waiting and filling on the way to work in the morning tomorrow is better than filling on the way home today.
posted by silentECHO on November 21, 2009
this tip works for 30% of voting Fuelly members.
Bleed off!
If you are not on the pedal and the Diesel engine is bleeding off, say going down hill with the engine holding back, you are not using fuel. Don't push in the clutch and coast. Just let the engine slow you down to your are nearly stopped.
posted by 05Bettleguy on November 21, 2009
this tip works for 60% of voting Fuelly members.
Walk Thru Don't Drive Thru.
Instead of getting into that long line to get your lunch and idle all the way around the restaurant, park and go inside to place your order. There have even been times I have gotten in and back out before the car at the end of the line made it through!
posted by DTMAce on November 16, 2009
this tip works for 95% of voting Fuelly members.
Turn off engine at long lights
You are driving up to an intersection that you know takes some time from one green to the next for you. When you stop, turn off your engine while you pay attention to the traffic in the intersection. When you anticipate that your lane will soon be moving, then start the engine again and remember to move the shift lever back to Drive. On a long light you can save upwards of a minute of idling time this way. Hybrids do this all the time.A manual transmission is easier to do this with.
posted by dafinn on November 15, 2009
this tip works for 32% of voting Fuelly members.
Don't go halfway on the AC
Most cars' AC uses as much power when it's on low as when it's on full. The compressor is still running all the time, it's just being mixed with uncooled air from outside. Instead, if you need AC, crank it as cold as it goes and cycle it on and off by hand to moderate the temperature.
posted by spyforthemoon on November 6, 2009
this tip works for 54% of voting Fuelly members.
Remember the speed limit
Is just that, a limit, it is not a target. If the sign says 70 then that's the most you can do, not the speed you should be doing, back off a bit and see your mpg thank you :-)
posted by udtrev on October 31, 2009
this tip works for 46% of voting Fuelly members.
Put your car in neutral at stop lights
If you have an automatic transmission on your car put it in neutral when stopped at red lights. When in gear your car wants to move forward this keeps the car from wanting to move forward. Which is a load on your car and uses gas. This is an advantage manual transmission vehicles have and help with MPG. Just remember to put it back in drive or you'll have some mad people behind you.
posted by GTZryda on October 26, 2009
this tip works for 20% of voting Fuelly members.
fuel efficiency
Driving at constant speed better mileage.
posted by vijay on October 21, 2009
this tip works for 75% of voting Fuelly members.
Use real-time fuel consumption monitors
Some higher-end cars have displays on their console that can provide real time fuel economy. This is great for getting immediate feedback on how your driving style affects your fuel economy. If your car didn't come with one with a built-in monitor, invest in an after-mark device which can hook up to the OBD-II data port of your car (all cars 1995 and beyond have this port). An example is the ScanGaugeII ( http://www.scangauge.com/ ). It's easy to plug in, and use. I have mine set up to display my current speed, instantaneous fuel economy, the fuel economy of the current trip, and RPMs. When I drive, I strive to keep the instantaneous mpg reading higher than the current trip mpg number in order to force it up. Not only is this particular device useful for providing real-time information, but it can also scan your computers ECU for OBD error codes. This provides you with great amplifying information in case you ever get a check engine light (CEL). Recently, our van's fuel economy started to dramatically decrease, and it finally started throwing an intermittent CEL when starting. I was able to quickly diagnose the cause (cylinder #3 ignition misfire) using this OBD-II monitor.
posted by jaimev on October 20, 2009
this tip works for 85% of voting Fuelly members.
Ditch the spare
While this may be a questionable thing to do for most people, really how many of you would change the tire? Grab you a slime kit (big bottle of slime) that comes with an air pump (grab one at any autoparts store), remove the spare tire, jack and all the extra heavy metal items related to it and replace it with your slime kit and air pump. For normal things like a nail, screw in the tire this will get you home. And then keep your AAA membership up to speed! Good way to save around 70LBS from the car!
posted by neosin on October 19, 2009
this tip works for 26% of voting Fuelly members.
gas it before the hill
give it a little more gas before going up hill if you press the gas going up the hill you'll have higher RPM which leads to lower mpg
posted by rakapur on October 18, 2009
this tip works for 85% of voting Fuelly members.
Gota Pass?
When driving and you come up behind a slower vehicle. Do you realy need to pass? Passing another vehicle not only uses alota power (Gas) to get bye but when trailing that vehicle gives you a drafting coeficent that increases your gas milage also. Safe driving.
posted by brytrkr1 on October 13, 2009
this tip works for 51% of voting Fuelly members.
Don't Use the Brakes
Plan your driving so you have to use the brakes as little as possible. Braking turns energy into heat, the more you brake the more energy you waste.
posted by learnwithmike on October 11, 2009
this tip works for 100% of voting Fuelly members.
shift points
when driving, typically, try to shift under or at 2000 rpms. in certain automatics, the car or trucks computer will " learn" your shift patterns and adapt to save you gasoline. if your in a manual car, try to shift at or under 2000 rpms to save yourself some gas
posted by beastlytaco on September 27, 2009
this tip works for 35% of voting Fuelly members.
