Gas prices are on the rise and will continue to do so as
they do every summer when people are out and about more. There is plenty of
ways that you can stretch your dollars at the pump, and make them last! I drive
an SUV unfortunately for me, it’s a small one but it was a slap in the face the
other day when I filled it up only to see the meter climb to $78.00, and it was
gone three short days later. The easiest way to save some money at the pump is
to drive a fuel efficient vehicle, duh right? Well if you’re like me you can’t
afford to go out and buy a new Hybrid and have to stick with what you have you
can STILL follow some simple tips and make some pretty minor adjustments to
help save you some money. The best thing about these changes is they require
little effort on your part and will allow you to stretch your cars MPG (Miles
Per Gallon). Just to be clear these are my own personal knowledge tips that are
REALLY easy to do. Doing just one or two won’t do much for you, it’s combining
several of them that will help you get more out of every gallon. Jot down a
list of a few of the techniques and tape them to your steering wheel or dash
board (not a window or something) because constant awareness is the key to
successfully saving on gas.
Here are
some of my own techniques and simple tips that are easy to remember, and below them
will be some more dedicated methods that take improving gas mileage to a new
level…. But let’s start with the easy ones first. For starters try not to drive
like a maniac; anticipating when you will need to accelerate and decelerate or
brake is very important because doing those steadily and gradually consumes far
less gas. For those that aren’t aware a simple “Tune-Up” can really help not
only your gas mileage, but the overall performance of the car.
A huge killer that people seem to forget is tire pressure, the higher the
pressure in your tire(stay within reason of the owners manual), this reduces
rolling resistance from too much rubber contacting the road. CLICK! CLICK!
CLICK! I don’t know if it’s common knowledge, but I was taught the three click
rule when filling up when I was a kid, so turn the cap until it clicks three
times or more. Not properly tightening your cap is just going to allow gas to
evaporate. I have been practicing most of these & recently became a
customer of Price Chopper(Like Stop & Shop) they have a gas saving program
& for every $50 you spend you get $10 off per gallon, which accumulates and
you could be like me because I got 50cents off a gallon the other day! And I
always try and find gas stations in groups, the competition usually means lower
prices, and if you don’t know where to go for the cheapest gas get your phone
out(not while driving) and download one of several FREE Apps. For your android
or i-phone, I personally use “GasBuddy.”
For any of
you looking to take your gas saving to the extreme, making it a way of life
here is a great resource about a technique called “Hypermiling”
in which drivers use some questionable techniques such as “Drafting on the Highway”.
But it’s still worth a look. Good luck and have a safe and happy summer people!
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