3 Ways to Really Save Money on Gas

How does it Does 50, 60, or even 70 miles per gallon sound familiar to you?

I know, you’re saying, “I can’t afford to buy a new car.” I’m not talking about buying a new car to achieve these mpg ratings. I’ll give you 3 ways to start getting your mpg up to these numbers simply by changing your driving habits.

You may have already heard of hypermiling. It was in the news a few years ago as an emerging technique. Well, Wayne Gerdes recently set a world record, driving 1,445 miles on one tank of gas. I’m also not talking about a giant gas tank attached to a special car. It was a 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid that gets a 39 mpg rating. He got 81 miles per gallon! That’s more than double what you’re supposed to get.

Wouldn’t you like to get 1,000 miles per tank?

Now that I have your attention, let’s get down to business.

Number 1. Slow down. It’s pretty basic and common knowledge that if you throttle, you’ll lower your mpg. It also increases wind resistance, which is another factor in speeding.

Number 2. Less braking. Avoid situations where you may need to brake, such as tailgating. Anticipate the traffic around you and back up so you have time to enter.

Number 3. Checkups. Car maintenance is vital to saving money. It may sound like catch 22. On the one hand you need to save money by increasing fuel economy, but on the other hand we tell you to spend money to increase your fuel economy. Although it is true. Changing the air filter and making sure the spark plugs are properly tightened will make the car run more efficiently.

And finally, don’t do anything dangerous. These techniques take time to learn and master. Take it easy at first. Try one at a time until you feel like adding another to your goodie bag. Saving a dollar on gas is never worth anyone’s life or yours.

You can start with these basic techniques and build on them until someday, who knows? — You will beat the world record and get a 1,500 mp gas tank! No matter how many or few you use, you’ll notice a difference in fuel economy. I realized within two weeks that I had gained an additional 50 miles per tank, and I know I wasn’t very proficient or persistent with these techniques at the time. And, as he sees the changes, he will notice that he is much more aware of his driving conditions and may also notice that he becomes a safer driver.