Fuel Saving Tips
GONE WITH THE WIND (cute, eh?)
On a Oakland to Los Angeles trip, my return north was 10mpg LESS! My driving style was the same in both directions. WTF - I recently repeated the "bad leg" of my LA trip and got the same 54-ish MPG in BOTH directions. So why? - If you sail, you know the wind normally comes up around noon and dies after sunset. - This time I traveled north at night INSTEAD of day. - During the day there must be a southerly wind blowing along California's Highway 5. - With "local knowledge", as sailors call it, drive accordingly. Drive with a tail wind and return when conditions are favorable. - As sailors say, "May you always have the wind at your back!"
posted by ChewChewTrain on July 12, 2015
this tip works for 93% of voting Fuelly members.
Turn off the A/C when accelerating
Accelerating uses a lot of energy and fuel. If stopped at lights, or a junction, try turning off the air conditioning for a few moments until you have accelerated back up to cruising speed. The air con will only put the engine under extra load whilst accelerating back up to speed. You can also try switching the air con off when going up hills.
posted by Draigflag on July 12, 2015
this tip works for 63% of voting Fuelly members.
Good mileage
Drive as if the highway patrol was following you, or as if you were taking your driving test. It will improve your mileage.
posted by PierreM on June 30, 2015
this tip works for 78% of voting Fuelly members.
Freeway / Help Truckers Pass Easier
On the freeway when trucks pull out to pass on my left, if there's no traffic behind them, I will key off my car. This does two good things. It gives me a chance to spike my MPG with a Pulse and Glide moment and, because I slow down, it helps the trucker pass easier, as they will normally pull back into my lane ahead of me. Doug Oakland, California USA
posted by ChewChewTrain on June 30, 2015
this tip works for 6% of voting Fuelly members.
Lower your Aero Drag by going a Tiny Bit Slower
I figure 53mph is close enough to 55mph that other drivers will simply believe I'm trying to go 55mph but that my odometer is slightly off. Doug Oakland, California USA
posted by ChewChewTrain on June 30, 2015
this tip works for 26% of voting Fuelly members.
Think of high MPG as a Game
Saving $$$ at the pump is nice, but that's NOT my primary motivation. Are you a competitive person, like me? If so, treat each tankful of gas like the "start of another game" as another chance to beat your all-time MPG record. Doug Oakland, California USA
posted by ChewChewTrain on June 30, 2015
this tip works for 86% of voting Fuelly members.
How I got 54.65mpg on the Freeway
I recently got 54.59mpg on my trip from Oakland to Los Angeles, a 373 mile trip, with my 1989 Civic hatchback. Here's how I did it. Have you noticed freeway cars travel like packs of animals? There's often a huge blank space between these groups. When my car is in that void, to lower my car's aero drag, I use that time to slow down from 53mph to as slow as 45mph. When I see traffic approaching behind me, I'll speed back up to 53mph. This keeps me from getting shot. :) After the pack of cars passes, I'll go back to 45-48mph. Doug Oakland, California USA
posted by ChewChewTrain on June 30, 2015
this tip works for 21% of voting Fuelly members.
New air filters don't change MPG
Contrary to popular belief, especially what you'll hear from the companies and stores trying to sell filters (hint hint), changing your air filter will NOT improve your mpg, nor will it extend the life of your engine (BTW, dirty filters filter better). It will remove a slight restriction to peak horsepower but not save gas, so feel free to put that money elsewhere.
posted by Hexadecimus on June 29, 2015
this tip works for 29% of voting Fuelly members.
Switch your engine off at traffic lights
If you know the timing of the traffic lights and/or you know you're going to be stopped longer then 10 seconds switch your engine off. (this works best if you have a modern fuel injected car, carbs tend to be very wasteful when starting). If you have a manual transmission put it into first gear so you can just press the clutch start and go
posted by Mikes1992 on June 27, 2015
this tip works for 37% of voting Fuelly members.
Hot tire pressure vs. cold tire pressure
Be aware that recommended tire air pressures are for a cold tire. If you have driven the car for a few miles or more, you need to add 4 PSI to each tire when checking pressure. The tire pressure will go down by itself as the tire cools and go back up by itself as the tire heats up again. Filling a warm or hot tire to the recommended cold tire pressure will be an under-inflated tire and reduce gas mileage.
posted by battruck on June 26, 2015
this tip works for 98% of voting Fuelly members.
Drive at real speed limit not optimistic speedo indication
Speedo optimism is usually around 10%. Because of this you may be travelling at 27mph in a 30 in 3rd or 36mph in a 40 in 4th. If you speed up to account for the 10% speedo exaggeration you could in fact be easily in 4th and 5th gear respectively and use 15-20% less fuel. Use your average speed readout, which you reset at cruise control at 30mph (indicated). The average speed gives the real speed. For my car, cruise at 30 is actually a real speed of 27.2mph. For cruise at 40, the actual speed is 37mph. By speeding up and shifting up to compensate for this, about 20% better fuel economy can be achieved.
posted by Charles1989 on June 22, 2015
this tip works for 13% of voting Fuelly members.
Date your filters
Use a permanent marker and write a date on all your filters when you replace them. It also prevents unscrupulous service people from showing you a dirty filter which is not yours.
posted by pgm944 on June 21, 2015
this tip works for 93% of voting Fuelly members.
Air Conditioning vs windows down
Studies have shown that driving with the windows down instead of using the air conditioning saves fuel. But, only when driving below 30mph. Above 30mph, the open windows cause much more drag and using your a/c then becomes more efficient.
posted by wearelove on June 20, 2015
this tip works for 86% of voting Fuelly members.
Cheapest Pump Price may not be the Best Fuel to Buy
Using the fuel which is cheapest at the pump may not be the cheapest fuel to use. I did an experiment filling up several times and logging the MPG at all the different outlets close to home. The outlet with the cheapest pump price was actually the most expensive returning a much lower MPG figure resulting in a significant increase in cost per mile.
posted by storeman on June 20, 2015
this tip works for 71% of voting Fuelly members.
Be nice to your clutch
On the occasions you are stopped at a traffic light, put the car into neutral. The engine will have no extra load so is using the least amount of fuel but by not tiding the clutch you are not wearing it out so increasing the life of the clutch so the clutch will last a lot longer saving even more money. Of course this is irrelevant for cars with Stop-Start technology.
posted by storeman on June 20, 2015
this tip works for 63% of voting Fuelly members.
Hidden Savings
I've read lots of tips suggesting that when approaching a red light or junction coasting in gear is better than shifting into neutral to increase MPG. This is quite correct on modern cars as the vehicles momentum keeps the engine turning and uses the engine as a brake. What they all fail to mention is that you are also increasing the life of your brake pads / shoes and discs / drums (Yes some new cars still have drum brakes on the rear). The end result is savings in fuel costs and an additional saving by reducing the frequency for replacing brake components.
posted by storeman on June 20, 2015
this tip works for 92% of voting Fuelly members.
Shifting to Neutral
... during traffic light stops or when standing for long time in traffic, saves on the wear of the automatic transmission clutches, and on level ground on having to hold the foot on the brake pedal against idle creeping forward.
posted by ZoltanGZ on June 17, 2015
this tip works for 52% of voting Fuelly members.
Fuel additives for diesels
Diesel injectors are very delicate parts. They run at very high pressure and have tiny fuel passages that can get clogged decreasing efficiency. Using a cleaning additive occasionally can clean the injectors and prevent costly repairs (if they get clogged so much that they stop working). Warning: only use cleaning additives if you always used them since the car was new and you changed the diesel filter regularly. Otherwise you may free some gunk from the filter or fuel tank and clog your injectors.
posted by Cinon on June 14, 2015
this tip works for 77% of voting Fuelly members.
Use a mixture of neutral coasting and in gear coasting
I've seen allot of tips saying never to coast in neutral. I find it's best to use a mixture of neutral coasting and coasting in gear If you're going down hill and you're having to use your brakes then shift into gear, if you're not stay in neutral. If you're going to stop or you have to slow down for a corner and you'd have to brake stay in gear and use fuel cut off mode Coasting is more efficient so if you can it's best plan ahead so you can coast down to your desired speed. Different situations benifit from different methods and cut off mode is much more efficient in high gears then in low gears so plan, use it early in high gears
posted by Mikes1992 on June 12, 2015
this tip works for 54% of voting Fuelly members.
Tyre pressure
Some tips have suggested inflating tyres to the maximum pressure indicated on the side of the tyre. This is not a good idea for the following reasons: - A very uncomfortable ride on rough roads. - Cornering and braking grip is reduced - Wear is concentrated on the centre of the tyre tread and tyres will need to be replaced early negating any fuel savings. Use the manufacturers weight/pressure placard as a guide and add a few psi (say 4 psi) to the recommendation and you should achieve a good balance between economy and safety.
posted by Gerrycan on June 10, 2015
this tip works for 83% of voting Fuelly members.
Better gas mileage when going downhill.
You get better gas mileage when going downhill, so I put big tires on the back and little tires on the front so that it is ALWAYS going downhill.
posted by battruck on June 10, 2015
this tip works for 17% of voting Fuelly members.
Don't shift down with the shift indicator - go by bsfp and instant mpg
Shift indicators usually go on how much the go pedal is depressed, rather than any instant fuel consumption analysis. Consequently, you could be driving in the 'sweet spot' of a cars BSFC up a hill with 75% loading, using the minimum amount of fuel possible, but it will tell you to shift down to a gear that required less throttle, but uses more fuel. Thus, unless you have the BSFC graph, you are best to use the instant mpg readout. You can find that ignoring the indicator and checking the instant mpg you will know if you're using your engine the most efficiently.
posted by Charles1989 on June 9, 2015
this tip works for 81% of voting Fuelly members.
Monitor using L/100km rather than MPG
MPG is not a good indication of efficiency. Going from 10 MPG to 20 MPG is a bigger improvement than going from 50 MPG to 1000 (thousand) MPG. Can't believe it? Let's convert it to L/100km. 10 MPG is 23.5 L/100km, 20 MPG is 11.7 L/100km. The difference is -11.8 L/100km. That's huge. 50 MPG is 4.7 L/100km, 1000 MPG is 0.24 L/100km, the difference is only -4.46 L/100km.
posted by Cinon on June 9, 2015
this tip works for 21% of voting Fuelly members.
Bucket of water
Drive like you've got an open bucket of water next to you. You will accelerate slowly, change gear at lower revs and coast, much further back, rather than brake hard at stops.
posted by tweefo on June 7, 2015
this tip works for 85% of voting Fuelly members.
Move to the shorter line at lights
If you're pulling up to a red light, and you won't have to turn for a while, go to the lane with less cars in it if you can safely do so. The reasons for this are twofold, both relying on the fact that your mileage is zero when stopped, but higher while moving. First, it will take you longer to have to stop, which means it will be more time before you start idling and second, you'll start moving faster as there are less cars in front of you.
posted by zyr87 on June 1, 2015
this tip works for 79% of voting Fuelly members.
Turbocharged engines w/ manual transmission
It has been said that the lower your engine speed, the higher your efficiency will be, however, with the computers that are in cars now, the consumption depends on engine load. So, if your car is a turbo and and standard, don't be afraid to run slightly higher rpms. This will allow the turbo to stay spoiled up so that it will put less load on the engine. It will also reduce turbo lag.
posted by Notsew96 on May 30, 2015
this tip works for 46% of voting Fuelly members.
fill 100% fuel
people that say use 50% fuel is more efficient because your vehicle will weigh less. they dont understand that means more trips to the gas station, more time wasted.... so any fuel saved is wasted going back to the gas station....
posted by camrydash on May 30, 2015
this tip works for 90% of voting Fuelly members.
Ideal Revs
Re: "Ideal Revs", If the engine isn't lugging it should be fine, but staying under 2000 RPM up hills doesn't work the engine less, it causes more strain especially on cams and bearings. Same work / half RPM = twice the load per RPM. Don't load the engine too much, and the most efficient RPM for hard acceleration (when unavoidable) is where it produces peak torque (not horsepower).
posted by Hexadecimus on May 30, 2015
this tip works for 83% of voting Fuelly members.
Response to: shift to neutral when stopped or decelerating
Shifting to neutral while stopped will put the smallest load on the engine and result in less fuel use. However, modern cars(some as far back as the 80's) use more fuel when decelerating in neutral. When there is 0% throttle and rpm is above a set threshold (usually somewhere around 11-1200 RPM) the injectors do not fire. This means ZERO fuel is being consumed, vs the small amount that is required when in neutral.
posted by 180shabah on May 25, 2015
this tip works for 76% of voting Fuelly members.
Drive barefoot
When it's safe and legal to do so, driving barefoot will increase sensitivity to the clutch, brake and accelerator allowing much more gentle controls, and avoiding unnecessary over use of the brakes and accelerator.
posted by Draigflag on May 22, 2015
this tip works for 23% of voting Fuelly members.
