Increased Mileage

The current average price for gas is close to $3.00 per gallon here in the United States. Arguments aside about whether this is really that bad compared to the global market, it’s still more than I want to pay. Along that line, I’ve written some tips to help you increase the miles per gallon of your car. These actually work—I increased my average gas mileage from 19 miles per gallon to 25 miles per gallon just by following the tips below.

I should note that these aren’t just random guesses at what might help. I have a 2000 Chrysler Town & Country mini-van that has a digital display showing you in real-time your miles per gallon. As I’m driving, I can see second by second how my miles per gallon are changing. It keeps a running log of these numbers and has a second display to show you your average miles per gallon. I have tested each of these tips independently to see if they help or not. (Yes, I’m a big nerd and actually do this kind of statistical analysis for fun. Then again, I’m now getting 25 miles per gallon in a six-year-old mini-van. Who’s laughing now?)

Okay, here you go…

• Don’t accelerate quickly. – I used to be a relatively aggressive driver. I would speed up quickly from stops, accelerate into the fast line quickly on the freeway, and so forth. If you accelerate gradually, though, it can really help your miles per gallon. Your car won’t be working as hard. You’ll be a safer driver to boot.
• Let your car brake itself. – I wasn’t so bad with this one, but I used to often wait until I was somewhat near a stop before braking down to a halt. Anticipate stops ahead of you and just let off the accelerator, letting the car slow itself down.
• Drive at the speed limit on highways and freeways. – This was the hardest one for me to do. I would consistently drive 5, maybe 10, miles per hour over the speed limit. Last year I wouldn’t have cared about this one. Now, my choice is between driving 5 miles per hour slower on highways and freeways, or paying for gas more often. At $3.00 a gallon, I’m now more willing to drive 5 miles per hour slower. And you know what? I find that I don’t really get where I’m going any later than I did before. Funny, that.
• Use cruise control. – This really helps your miles per gallon a lot on long stretches of road. Where I live there is a drive I often have to take that’s about a half-hour drive. I tested this out on that drive and was surprised at the difference cruise control made. I tried driving the exact same speed with and without cruise control and using cruise control consistently gave me a 4-5 miles per gallon advantage. If I worked the accelerator myself, even being very consistent and alert to how I was driving, I would get about 24-25 miles per gallon on this highway stretch. (This is using the real-time miles per gallon display, mind you.) With cruise control on, it would increase to 29, and then vary between 27 and 30 depending on the road conditions. Not bad.
• Don’t use the air conditioner. – This can be a hard one in the summer, but with fall settling in, it’s not that tough anymore. Every time I turned the air conditioner off, I saw an immediate increase in my miles per gallon.
• Accelerate before hills. – (If you live in the Midwest, ignore this. What you call a “hill” is what we in Oregon call a “speed bump”.) Accelerate before you get to a hill, and then let off the accelerator once you hit the hill. Let your momentum carry you up the foot of the hill. Accelerating before the hill is easier on your car than accelerating on the hill. If it’s a big enough hill, you’ll still need to accelerate while you’re on it, but then you won’t have to use the accelerator on the entire hill.

And now here are some things I haven’t tested, but are supposed to help.

• Clean out your car. – A lighter car will get more miles per gallon.
• Check your tire pressure. – Low tire pressure makes your car work harder. Don’t over-inflate your tires.
• Change your air filter. – A dirty filter will decrease your miles per gallon.
• Get a hybrid car. – Well, duh. However, hybrids aren’t for everyone. If you have long stretches of highway or freeway driving, a hybrid won’t give you much of an advantage. They are also less powerful when it comes to hills.
• Do more in one trip. – Less trips equals less gas.

Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned
Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done.

Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.
Fuel Economy Benefit:
4%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:
$0.13/gallon

Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly

Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car’s gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Your car’s air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine.
Fuel Economy Benefit:
up to 10%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:
up to $0.32/gallon

Keep Tires Properly Inflated
You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.

Fuel Economy Benefit:
up to 3%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:
up to $0.10/gallon

Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil
API energy conservation labelYou can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says “Energy Conserving” on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.
Fuel Economy Benefit:
1-2%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:
$0.03-$0.06/gallon

Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $3.23/gallon.

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.
Fuel Economy Benefit:
5-33%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:
$0.16-$1.07/gallon

Observe the Speed Limit

MPG VS speed MPG decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph

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.

As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas.

Observing the speed limit is also safer.
Fuel Economy Benefit:
7-23%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings:
$0.23-$0.74/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%. 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-$0.06/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.

Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $3.23/gallon.