Fuel Saving Tips
Go on a diet.
The less you weigh the easier your car goes up hills!
posted by djc5581 on August 2, 2016
this tip works for 88% of voting Fuelly members.
Don't Run Your Car to "E"!
Do not run your car until the low fuel light comes on! You may want to get the most out of your tank but this habit could clog your fuel filter by allowing debris to settle. You should never run your car much lower than 1/4 tank of gas. Here's a Consumer Reports article about this: http://bit.ly/1giLMEA
posted by Araiza on August 1, 2016
this tip works for 46% of voting Fuelly members.
Use EV Mode More Often! (Hybrids)
If getting up to speed requires you to drive on the gasoline engine, you'll notice that it stays on for a good while after reaching speed and leveling out before switching off. Instead of waiting, once you hit speed, let off the accelerator then re-engage to essentially force the car to switch to EV mode!
posted by Araiza on August 1, 2016
this tip works for 73% of voting Fuelly members.
Regenerative Braking AND Coasting!
All hybrid and electric vehicles have this feature but you may not realize that you don't only recover energy when braking but also when coasting! When coming off the freeway, let off the gas as soon as you enter the exit lane & coast to lower speeds instead of braking- this charges my high-voltage battery from 20% to 90%, a higher gain than braking. Now you're ready to run off the EV motor for a good while!
posted by Araiza on August 1, 2016
this tip works for 91% of voting Fuelly members.
Avoid left turns when possible
UPS found that by avoiding left turns on all the routes its trucks take, it was able to save 98 million minutes of idle time per year. Of course, you're not driving thousands of trucks all over, but the principle is the same; sitting in the left turn lane just waiting for an opening takes more time (and thus, more gas) than turning right.
posted by cuts_off_prius on July 29, 2016
this tip works for 57% of voting Fuelly members.
Buy a manual transmission vehicle
Ignore the "lower" gas mileage ratings they are giving to manual transmissions these day, they are still more fuel efficient if you drive them for efficiency. I consistently get better mpg than the highway rating with mixed highway/suburb driving. And the added bonuses that it's WAY more fun to drive than any automatic, costs less, and I have control over my car. Coasting in neutral eliminates all engine drag in a manual, I gain speed coasting where automatics slow down.
posted by Diznavis on July 27, 2016
this tip works for 66% of voting Fuelly members.
Read the lights
“Read” the traffic at lights, look for (1) are there cars queued up at a red on my street and (2) are there cars queued up on the cross street at a red. Should I stay on the gas and have a good chance of making it green? Or should I get off the gas if the light will turn red before I get there. There are about 4 scenarios that you have to think about (red/stale, red/fresh, green/stale, green/fresh). The goal is to use the brakes as little as possible.
posted by Compostman on July 26, 2016
this tip works for 99% of voting Fuelly members.
Always get what's yours!
When fueling up at the pump and you have finished adding fuel lift the pump handle up so you get the remaining fuel out the tip even though it's a small ammmount it all adds up.
posted by Drive2Fast on July 22, 2016
this tip works for 82% of voting Fuelly members.
Best way to save fuel, ever!
I ride a bicycle to and from work everyday. This allows me to fill my 94 chevy truck up less than once a month which saves money and wear on my vehicle. If i am only going to get dinner or to the store for something small, i also take my bike. I drive the truck if i have to get lumber or something larger and than i drive smoth and steadily at about 60mph. This allows me to put less than 2k miles a year on my vehicle and also be much healthier.
posted by busemans on July 18, 2016
this tip works for 53% of voting Fuelly members.
Look ahead
Look ahead when driving in urban environments to anticipate the next stop light. Coast to the upcoming red light and it will likely turn green before you get there eliminating extra wear and tear to your brakes and, more importantly, saving you gas from not having to accelerate from a complete stand-still. Watch your MPGs climb as you perfect the technique.
posted by DanSellsHondas on July 16, 2016
this tip works for 99% of voting Fuelly members.
Choose a song before you start your car
If you're anything like me, you can be pretty indecisive about choosing a song to play. I've sometimes found myself sitting in my car for up to 3 minutes trying to choose a song to play before starting my journey. Don't have your car running while doing this! It took me a while to realize that I was wasting lots of gas.
posted by nickpon on July 15, 2016
this tip works for 52% of voting Fuelly members.
Free chilled toes
Many of us drive with the windows down while it's hot out in order to gain a few mpgs. However, I like to keep the cabin fan blowing low on my feet. Every time I slow for a stop sign or red light, I flip on the A/C until about 10 mph when I let the engine auto-stop. Free chilled air on my legs. In between stops, the air coming out of the vents is still well below ambient. Very pleasant. If you don't have auto-stop, make sure to turn A/C back off if you come to a complete halt and the engine idles. Makes a toasty day more bearable if you like the wind in your hair.
posted by Ozark221 on July 14, 2016
this tip works for 8% of voting Fuelly members.
Have a light breakfast
The difference between a big breakfast and a small breakfast can easily be a couple of pounds - more weight contributes to worse mileage, so wait until you're at work before eating and drinking too much.
posted by christherider on July 13, 2016
this tip works for 5% of voting Fuelly members.
Fuel Additives
Add 5 ml benzene based additive to every liter of fuel, mpg savings and cost of additive balance out but you get smoother ride and better savings in the long run. It improves the octane rating making the engine run like premium on regular.
posted by Jetman_007 on July 9, 2016
this tip works for 2% of voting Fuelly members.
Weight loss does not give you better mpg
Taking a spare out your car is reckless and risky..I have a spare and 2 12's and I myself weight 250 and I still average between 30 and 35 on a 97 jetta Just don't race run your pace abd flip people off you get in your face
posted by imicheal on July 8, 2016
this tip works for 21% of voting Fuelly members.
Move to Florida
Coasting is the most important ingredient to significantly increasing your Mpg. And what State provides the ideal coasting conditions? Florida! It's Flat, close to sea-level and humid as a closed bathroom during a long hot shower. I live in central Florida, where the coasting is good; real good. My daily goal for costing is to coast 1/4 mile for ever 1 mile driven(I drive for uber). When coasting I imagine my car is the stone in a curling match effortlessly gliding across the ice(smooth street) towards the house(stop lights). Just so you know Kansas ranked number 7 in flatness
posted by MyFirstFusion on July 7, 2016
this tip works for 23% of voting Fuelly members.
Re: coasting - know how your own car works
When deciding to coast or not to coast, the answer will be very different depending what you drive. In my car, the fuel cut-out only happens in gears 3-5 above 1900 RPM. This means that in town, going from stop sign to stop sign at 35 km/h, I might as well roll the second I stop accelerating. On ramps, I've also found that the drag caused by coasting in gear completely wipes out any savings from the fuel cut. But that's MY car. Driving a new automatic, I handle it very differently and stay in gear all the time. The owner's manual should say under which conditions the fuel cut-out kicks in.
posted by sea_king18 on July 5, 2016
this tip works for 55% of voting Fuelly members.
Gas-powered turbos
Gas, turbo, DI powered cars or Ford EB pickups can provide either sport or economy, they won't d both at the same time. For economy, baby the accelerator and try to let the superior torque these engines offer do their job keeping RPM low. When at speed, use cruise, and the great torque will prevent unnecessary downshifts and minimum turbo spooling, long turbo life and good mpg. Occasionally show off the power it's got, but too often and you'll wish you had opted for the NA engine. The advantage is refinement. They behave like larger displacement or diesel engines when driven easy. Or speed if that's your thing.
posted by gregsfc on July 3, 2016
this tip works for 77% of voting Fuelly members.
Cold climate?
If you live in a cold climate a few things you should buy are: engine heater, it'll keep your engine warm over night, so you don't harm your engine doing a cold start, or waiting forever on your diesel to warm up. A battery plug in, it'll keep your batter charged, so you don't have to worry about it dying. A window blanket, or a gray sun reflector, it'll keep the snow and ice off your windshield so you don't have to scrape the ice and snow off. Redneckrich in Colorado
posted by Redneckrich on July 3, 2016
this tip works for 82% of voting Fuelly members.
Organization
With a truck you have room between the back of cab and the bench or seat, store your tire changing equipment and a flashlight back there, and there are places that sell organizational equipment for the back seats, so you can keep certain items in easy reach. Or invest in a bed tool box, and use J bolts to secure it to the bed and rap the loop portion of the J bolt in rubber and insulation so it doesn't damage the lip of the bed.
posted by Redneckrich on July 3, 2016
this tip works for 9% of voting Fuelly members.
Check your vehicle accuracy.
I've had a vehicle with a particular brand and style of tires that resulted in 10% overestimation of miles driven from fill up to fill up. Currently, I've got a pickup that under accounts for miles consistently versus GPSs 1.8%, while my other two vehicles over account by 2.2 and .5 percent, respectively. I just check maybe once per year and when I buy new tires, so that I publish as accurately as possible, my mpg.
posted by gregsfc on July 2, 2016
this tip works for 42% of voting Fuelly members.
Driving slow and steady, stay safely in a lane with the posted speed limit
Driving slowly and steady is probably good advice, with the speed limit and to stay safely in a lane with the flow of traffic. Think about using your cruise control where practical. If there are no stops and starts, such as a very long highway trip and want to know what speed will give you the best mileage. The bottom line is, the slowest. Faster will increase the power required by much more than double.
posted by andy92129 on June 29, 2016
this tip works for 56% of voting Fuelly members.
Dont coast in Neutral
In an automatic don't coast in neutral leave it in gear and let the car manage how much fuel it dumps into the engine. When not in gear the car has to now push more fuel into the engine vs. it getting "sucked" in.
posted by only1battman on June 27, 2016
this tip works for 47% of voting Fuelly members.
WORTH EMPHASIZING: BEST Tip Given to Me on Fuelly
Just pulled 54.9 mpg (mostly city, too) out of my stock 27 y/o Honda Civic hatchback with about 100k on this originally, low miles Japanese import engine. Another Fuelly member, I forget who, was killing it on the MPG stats. I sent him a message asking to share his secret. He told me, paraphrasing, "If my foot is NOT pressing the gas pedal, my engine is off." In short, he aggressively applies EOC (engine off coasting) driving techniques. Give it a try. It'll become 2nd nature and you won't even notice you're doing it. Doug - Silicon Valley
posted by ChewChewTrain on June 26, 2016
this tip works for 14% of voting Fuelly members.
Steptronic transmissions - upshift to highest gear possible
At 35 mph, my automatic transmission is at 5th gear and 1800 rpm and the live consumption gauge reads 30 MPG. If there is a long stretch of road ahead, sometimes I switch to manual mode and upshift to 6th gear, making it sit at 1200 rpm and the gauge reads 35 MPG. You can do something similar, just have to play around with it.
posted by cuts_off_prius on June 18, 2016
this tip works for 75% of voting Fuelly members.
Stick to arterial roads; avoid alleys and side streets
Main arterial roads are specifically designed for the heavy traffic flow and the signal lights are often timed to give priority to traffic on the arterial road. If you are lucky, you may get multiple green lights in a row. Alleys and side streets may result in increased fuel consumption due to the more frequent accelerating and braking involved for stop signs, yielding to pedestrians, gear-hunting, etc. Of course, if the traffic level is high enough on the arterial, it may be prudent to take alternate routes.
posted by cuts_off_prius on June 18, 2016
this tip works for 83% of voting Fuelly members.
Use roundabouts; demand roundabouts for your area
Depending on traffic levels, roundabouts in general are much more fuel efficient than conventional signaled intersections because one does not need to stop if it's clear, thereby conserving momentum and fuel.
posted by cuts_off_prius on June 18, 2016
this tip works for 87% of voting Fuelly members.
ethanol treatment
i use sta-bil marine formula ethanol treatment. 1oz. per 10 U.S. gals.. for slight increase in mpg..
posted by JBW on June 14, 2016
this tip works for 2% of voting Fuelly members.
Are you hurting your engine by seeking high MPG?
Engines that aren't exercised regularly will develop carbon and sludge. No amount of snake-oil from a can, bottle or dealer will get rid of it. The way to prevent it is start your car, drive around 10 minutes to get it up to temp, and then give it a few hard goes. A few runs of 30 to 50 at wide open throttle. Be sensible, do it on the open road. Or are you willing to sacrifice your engine's longevity to save a dime a mile? Think on it. Sludge and carbon are *not* natural, they come from pussyfooting the engine.
posted by MissinMahSeven on June 14, 2016
this tip works for 67% of voting Fuelly members.
Avoid Accelerating Uphill
If possible, avoid accelerating uphill. Choose instead to climb the hill at a steady pace, and then accelerate downhill, after you’ve crested. Acceleration costs fuel. Accelerating uphill exacerbates that.
posted by SteveMak on June 13, 2016
this tip works for 92% of voting Fuelly members.
