1/23/08
Oh yeah, the reason they continue to rip us off is because we keep buying the damned stuff, no matter what the cost!
Drive less! Combine several trips into one. Park the Army Tank.
Accelerate SLOWLY! An automatic transmission can waste half of that expensive power during heavy acceleration, due to torque converter losses! Of course a manual transmission does not have a torque converter, so it's considerably more efficient.
Pay attention to what's happening ahead! Getting your car up to speed uses a lot of energy. Slamming on the brakes wastes all that hard work. If you see a red light coming up, let off on the gas and coast. Chances are it will turn green by the time you get there, and you won't use the brakes at all. REMEMBER, anytime you use the brakes, you are wasting all the energy it took to get your car up to speed!
Learn what a properly inflated tire looks like. Each time you use a tire gauge, you let out some of the air! Low air pressure makes the tires harder to roll, causing the engine to use more fuel. Forget the "nitrogen" BS. The air is already about 80% nitrogen, increasing your tires to 95% nitrogen does nothing more than cause money that was in your pocket, to now be in someone else's pocket!
I'm not convinced that using your "cruise control" will give better mileage. Many cruise controls attempt to keep the car at a too exact speed. When going up a hill, even a slight one, the cruise often will "put the pedal to the metal", causing the transmission to shift out of it's fuel-efficient overdrive gear. I personally don't use it, and instead allow the car to slow slightly while climbing, to keep the tranny from downshifting.
I've observed a noticeable improvement in mileage while using "Slick 50" oil additive, that seems to diminish when you change the oil and remove it. But I'm not afraid to go 10,000 miles between oil changes! (And use the Slick 50 everytime.) I'm convinced the product extends engine life, too!
I don't believe replacing the fuel filter will improve mileage, as the auto parts stores suggest. After all, a dirty fuel filter would actually REDUCE the amount of fuel getting to the engine! But the reason stores "suggest" things, is because they want some of that money that is in your pocket!
Keep in mind that anything electrical in the car that is turned on, makes the alternator work harder, using slightly more fuel. Electricity in a car is not "free"!
Don't use the air conditioner unless it's really needed. Try using the "vent" position on the heater, with the temp set all the way to "cool". This brings in fresh air without causing the wind drag that opening a window could.
Being "first" at every red light does not make you better than other people! Neither does risking lives by passing on a two-lane road, so you can get home to play your video game 2 minutes earlier! And you really don't have to zoom past me, then cut in front of me and slam on the brakes to take that exit. I have a word for people like that!
OK, it just dawned on me. I figured out how putting nitrogen in your tires, and changing the fuel filter, really can improve your gas mileage. Both of these things take money out of your pocket, and put it in someone else's pocket. Taking money out of your pocket will make you weigh less, and carrying around less weight will improve your mileage. An easier way to do it would be to simply give all your money to me, and you can avoid the hassles of making appointments and waiting around in those repair shops!
Save even more gas. Stay home, click on this <home> link and check out the whole site!