Fuel Saving Tips
Anticipation
Read the road and traffic conditions not just right in front of you but also further down the road. Being able to anticipate changes in speed lets you lift off and coast rather than waste energy braking.
posted by pilotmass on March 23, 2017
this tip works for 99% of voting Fuelly members.
partial fill-up's
when gas prices change often, I only buy $20.00 each time until prices are stable.
posted by wizzonit on March 22, 2017
this tip works for 5% of voting Fuelly members.
Drive naked
Take everything out of the car and put it on the driveway. Only put back in what you absolutely need to have for emergencies and this week's chores. Really, you really didn't think I meant take off your clothes, because that would be embarrassing when you got out of the car.
posted by andy92129 on March 17, 2017
this tip works for 74% of voting Fuelly members.
Cruise control keeps same RPM on small inclines
07 Highlander 3.3L, on small inclines/grades, highway cruise control will maintain speed at the same RPM (65mph @ ~2050rpm). This will vary base on engine size eg. smaller engines would more quickly increase rpm in response to small inclines.
posted by chiubacca on March 16, 2017
this tip works for 5% of voting Fuelly members.
Fuel economy misconceptions- Optimal speed for MPG
Ideal MPG speed is definitely 70-80 mph: Nope The only reason you are getting reasonable mileage at 80 mph is because you are ONE car length behind the guy in front of you, that’s it. I see it all the time, don’t try to deny it. Speed vs mpg charts for cars generally show best mpg between 30-45 mph. A semi or RV may achieve best mpg at 55 mph, but don’t expect cars to do the same. Below the ideal speed range you are losing mpg due to reduced engine efficiency, above the ideal speed range, you are losing mpg due to rapidly increasing air drag.
posted by Daschicken on March 15, 2017
this tip works for 62% of voting Fuelly members.
Fuel economy misconceptions- WHEN to use DFCO
You are approaching a stop sign at the bottom of a hill. In this case it would be better to keep it in gear, cut fuel use to zero, and benefit from engine braking. Shifting to neutral in this situation would only increase fuel use. Approaching stop sign quickly. Keep it in gear, utilize the fuel cut. In this situation, putting it in neutral would not slow you down quickly enough to be the efficient choice, and you will also burn fuel idling the engine. Approaching stop sign slowly. Put it into neutral. By using neutral, you can coast longer, which translates to less acceleration needed to travel the same distance, thus saving fuel.
posted by Daschicken on March 15, 2017
this tip works for 43% of voting Fuelly members.
Fuel economy misconceptions- Air filters
Air filters affect fuel economy: Only with carburetors For carbureted engines, yes, fuel injected, no. A clogged air filter will affect acceleration, but not fuel economy on fuel injected engines. https://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/pdfs/Air_Filter_Effects_02_26_2009.pdf
posted by Daschicken on March 15, 2017
this tip works for 37% of voting Fuelly members.
Fuel economy misconceptions- Engine efficiency
Larger engine not working hard is more efficient than small engine working hard: Wrong If this were true, then things such as cylinder deactivation never would have been conceived, as they would REDUCE efficiency by that “logic”. Engines are efficient at converting FUEL to POWER when they are loaded down. As an example, an idling engine doesn’t use much fuel. Sure, but it also produces VERY LITTLE power. The result is a terrible FUEL to POWER ratio. When you load the engine down by asking it to produce power, it consumes more fuel, sure, but it also produces more power. This time, the FUEL to POWER ratio is much better. Look up bsfc maps.
posted by Daschicken on March 15, 2017
this tip works for 56% of voting Fuelly members.
Take your time
If you're on a trip, take your time. Travelling at a slower speed will save you fuel AND get you out of many frustrating traffic situations. Rather than getting stuck behind slow traffic, you will be the "slow" traffic :) If you can skip one stop, you'll more than make up the time you've lost from travelling slower. NOTE: If passing, get it over with and clear the lane. You might burn another tablespoon of fuel, but your improved mood will make the remainder of the trip much easier for you as well as others.
posted by schneidly on March 6, 2017
this tip works for 91% of voting Fuelly members.
To the guy who suggested taking the bus
Maybe it would be an option if the entire GTA didn't have such godawful public transit. You're better off riding a donkey through mud than using the TTC.
posted by CaptainMazda on March 2, 2017
this tip works for 54% of voting Fuelly members.
Fill it and then fill it again
When you're filling diesel or gasoline into the tank the fuel will foam up and the pump may think you're full way before but actually are! When you hear the click just raise the dispenser and slowly feed the tank; my car can take another 2-3 liters of diesel after the dispenser clicks and before the tank is completely full!
posted by EnryFan90 on February 25, 2017
this tip works for 18% of voting Fuelly members.
Finding the right gear in a manual
I drive a 6 speed manual Subaru Outback. I have noticed that at certain speeds it is better to stay down 1 gear then shift to the highest possible. At 40 MPH the car will easily drive in 5th gear but at 25-27 MPG, while in 4th gear I can get around 28-32 mpg. I will then shift into 5th around 45 MPH-ish. This means overall better MPG but you have to be a little more gentle with the gas as pressing it too hard will just significantly drop the mpg. This will not be true for any CVT (and most automatics) based transmission.
posted by only1battman on February 16, 2017
this tip works for 66% of voting Fuelly members.
Dont Floor it.
when a traffic light turns green, dont automatically push your foot all the way down to the floor, but do it smoothly. flooring it only does 2 things. 1) makes your engine work harder than it has to 2). it wastes more gas.
posted by cweagle7712 on February 14, 2017
this tip works for 84% of voting Fuelly members.
Use Ethanol free fuel
Gas mixed with ethanol has less fuel efficiency. Energy-rich pure gasoline has a higher energy content so it delivers more power when burned. And because your engine is able to convert the fuel into more kinetic energy, you get to use less fuel but achieve more mileage.
posted by asme on February 13, 2017
this tip works for 91% of voting Fuelly members.
Fill to your tanks capacity +/- 1-2 Gallons
I say this becuase sometimes the auto stop on the pump is wrong and auto stops every five seconds if you know your tank size and know your empty you know a 20 Gallon Tank shouldn't be auto stopping at less than 18 or 19 gallons if you consider you might still have 1-2 gallons in the tank when the guage reads E.
posted by rjewkes on February 5, 2017
this tip works for 8% of voting Fuelly members.
Take the inside
If your on a two lane road with low or zero traffic take the inside lane on curves. This saves time and distance. Every little bit adds up.
posted by Sunrisefox on February 1, 2017
this tip works for 37% of voting Fuelly members.
Honda Fit/Jazz
When driving on the highway, the sweet spot of the Honda jazz that will give you almost 100km/4l is 85 km/h (53mi/h). Engage cruise control, and let the car go on. It has adaptive cruise control, which means it will accelerate only when necessary, and it is doing so on a linear pattern, which means no hard acceleration.
posted by Jalishkov on January 24, 2017
this tip works for 21% of voting Fuelly members.
Vary acceleration by traffic level
Most engines produce maximum efficiency somewhere around 75% power, so when the coast is clear, feel free to get to cruise speed with your pedal most of the way down. However when there is traffic or other potential obstructions ahead, its better to accelerate slowly as even though the engine will be operating less efficiently, braking losses are minimized if there is a slow down.
posted by lice on January 23, 2017
this tip works for 43% of voting Fuelly members.
GPS vs Speedo
Contrary to what has been said here before, differences between GPS and Speedo/Odometer are NOT because of any laws. Since elevation estimates from the GPS are generally 3 times more prone to errors, this also means that GPS speed calculations are affected. You GPS unit has logic that takes its data and "plots" you effectively onto the closest road The bottom line is that GPS indicated speed will always be variable, and subject to small amounts of variable error. Your speedo, OTOH, may be slightly off- however it will be off by a constant ratio. Trust the speedo - NOT the GPS.
posted by wmhjr on January 20, 2017
this tip works for 33% of voting Fuelly members.
Ford Hybrid mileage helper
The first time your engine starts up shift the transmission to low gear for 1 second. This reprograms the computer and uses much less gas while the engine warms up. This makes a big difference on short trips. my mileage went up 15 mpg on the 2 mile trip to the grocery store. I'm averaging 52.5 on my 2013 focus that is not a plug in.
posted by 58DeSoto on January 14, 2017
this tip works for 18% of voting Fuelly members.
Rolling in Neutral
There are many newer (2000 and up) cars that are run by computer don't actually use fuel when rolling, even in manual cars. Let the car roll while in gear so the computer cuts off the fuel. It'll help you save money and your brakes, since the resistance from your engine and transmission help to slow down your car. Putting the car in neutral forces the engine to keep burning fuel to keep it running. Let off the gas early, let the car roll to slow itself and save your brakes a little bit and save some gas too. Happy driving!
posted by chrismendoza on January 3, 2017
this tip works for 77% of voting Fuelly members.
Manual transmission
I have a 5 speed manual Toyota Corolla. Start off in 1st gear, shift into 3rd gear and then shift into 5th gear. Skip 2nd and 4th. My highway and city mileage average is 43 mpg. Shift into neutral and coast on the flats as far as possible.
posted by JimmyS on January 1, 2017
this tip works for 17% of voting Fuelly members.
Be mindful while driving
Think of the accelerator pedal as the speed control for a paper shredder. Except it ain't paper that's going through the shredder, it's your hard-earned dollars. Every time you increase RPM's the shredder speed increases and those dollar bills get eaten faster by the machine. One dollar after another and on and on. I try, within, reasonable and safe bounds to keep my dollar bill shredder running as slowly as possible.
posted by campisi on December 19, 2016
this tip works for 45% of voting Fuelly members.
Duff O2 Sensor no Fault light
Don't assume your ecu will latch a fault. My GSF650K9 has a fault code for a faulty O2 sensor. I have had no fault light but some time in the last year the sensor has gone bad. even with the engine dead I got 4.7 volts out of the sensor, with the engine running 4.7 volts. ecu reads that as lean and adds fuel. How long has it been duff?Looking at my drooping economy figures I'm guessing the last 3 months. Did I check the other sensors? You bet.
posted by Mr-Victorian on December 13, 2016
this tip works for 53% of voting Fuelly members.
Coasting alternatives
While most will say to always coast in gear, in most cases this is true. There are times when you will save more fuel if you put in neutral(manual cars). I have a couple stretches of roads where I can coast at the 30 mph mark due to neighborhood roads and if I keep it in gear it slows the car down. I do the surge and coast method of put it in 4th and get it to 30 then take it out of gear and coast. Engine load does go up but due to how long I can coast, it is more cost effective to let the engine hit load and coast for much longer.
posted by Valdarious on December 13, 2016
this tip works for 34% of voting Fuelly members.
Skip shifting
I come at this technique from heavy trucking (where transmissions don't have synchronizers) and it is an "acquired" skill. When on relatively flat ground, it is not necessary to shift all six-gears to drive down the road. In fact,the sooner you get into your highest gear, the better your fuel mileage will be...BUT...you can't lug the engine. So, on my six speed, I shift 1, 3, 5, 6 which allows me to get into overdrive (and every higher gear earlier), yielding higher fuel mileage. Keep RPM's low in every gear and watch your fuel mileage increase...but don't lug the engine!
posted by NealinNevada on December 1, 2016
this tip works for 64% of voting Fuelly members.
Downhill alternative
If hill isn't steep enough to downshift to keep speed from climbing, turn on air conditioning - it's worth about 1/2 a gear or downshift 1 gear instead of 2 and activate air. Goal is steady speed downhill without using brakes.
posted by edm3rd on November 29, 2016
this tip works for 17% of voting Fuelly members.
Diesel vs gasoline
When looking for a car, don't be fooled by the higher original sticker price and higher (in some places) price of fuel. almost every single diesel car made for the U.S. market has much higher fuel mileage ratings. We've driven many diesels through the years, and it has surely paid off in fuel savings, as well as they are tougher than gasoline engines.
posted by SethL on November 20, 2016
this tip works for 72% of voting Fuelly members.
How to Drive Road Inclines for the Best MPG
Without modern electronics to give you real time MPG feedback, such as my 26y/o Civic, use this MPG driving technique...... When approaching ANY road incline, ascend the grade 5mph slower. Resume your normal speed after the road flattens out or begins to decline. Before doing this you may wish to see if there are no other cars closely behind that might be inconvenienced.
posted by ChewChewTrain on November 8, 2016
this tip works for 50% of voting Fuelly members.
Thinner socks
Wear thinner socks, the weight saving combined with the more sensitive use of your throttle could potentially save 15% of your fuel consumption.
posted by pequin on November 1, 2016
this tip works for 25% of voting Fuelly members.
