Driving More Efficiently
Drive Sensibly
Aggressive
driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can
lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent
around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you
may save more than gas money.
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Fuel Economy Benefit: | 5-33% |
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Equivalent Gasoline Savings: | $0.13-$0.85/gallon |
Observe the Speed Limit
While
each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or
range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above
60 mph.
You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas.
Observing the speed limit is also safer.
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Fuel Economy Benefit: | 7-23% |
| |
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: | $0.18-$0.59/gallon |
Remove Excess Weight
Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially
heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG
by up to 2 percent. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight
relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than
larger ones.
| |
Fuel Economy Benefit: | 1-2%/100
lbs |
| |
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: | $0.03-$0.05/gallon |
Avoid Excessive Idling
Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.
Use Cruise Control
Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.
Use Overdrive Gears
When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.
