Fuel Saving Tips
Changing elevations on commute route
Hybrid tip: Try to find the flattest, least hilly commute to work, or if not possible take a route without long inclines to reduce the amount of work done by the ICE on long steady climbs.
posted by Shasari on October 31, 2016
this tip works for 84% of voting Fuelly members.
Cars behind you? Let them pass!
If you're driving down a small, curvy country road, take note if there's any cars behind you. If they're there for a while, pull over briefly and let them pass. People driving on a challenging road every day might be able to drive it faster than you.
posted by Vidoy on October 30, 2016
this tip works for 93% of voting Fuelly members.
Your cars computer is probably not accurate
In owning three vehicles (2 cars, 1 motorcycle), I have found that the instantaneous fuel economy is not accurate. While you can use this reading to determine driving styles that help maximize fuel economy, the absolute reading itself is probably not accurate. The computer in my 2009 Honda Fit overestimates fuel economy by 10-15%. The computer on my Subaru Forrester overestimates by about 10%. The computer on my Honda CB500 motorcycle underestimates fuel economy by a whopping 20-25%.
posted by JonGrant on October 25, 2016
this tip works for 90% of voting Fuelly members.
Plan your route
Review your commute or directions manually and tweak it to fit your needs! You may be able to simplify, shorten and optimize your route in ways a 3rd party is not aware of simply by seeing the big picture and adapting it to your specific car and driving style. This is especially worthwhile to do for frequently driven routes, you may be able to improve the smoothness, efficiency and safety of your commute with very minor tradeoffs.
posted by lice on October 18, 2016
this tip works for 94% of voting Fuelly members.
Beat he hill, pump first
On driving up any hill, especially rolling hills that have a 30 to 60' elevation rise, pump the accelerator 'before' reaching the base of the hill. This slight speed increase of a few mph increases the momentum of your vehicle during the initial climb of the hill. You'll use less gas overall, regardless of the hill's rise or run. Unfortunately, speed controls are dumb to this tip and pump 'more' gas when the vehicle is rising on the actual hill slope. You'll be surprised at the savings when you look at your instantaneous fuel gauge...
posted by Kaweckijj on October 14, 2016
this tip works for 75% of voting Fuelly members.
Don't brake
Ok... wait, not exactly, but, the most you apply brakes means wasted energy which used fuel to be produced. So, apply gas only the amount you need to get in traffic, release soon when you prevent you need to slow/stop, and, let the brake to be used when it's completely necessary for safety reasons. Same for older/newer vehicles, automatic/manual transmissions, and neutral/engage coasting.
posted by PadreBejarano on October 14, 2016
this tip works for 96% of voting Fuelly members.
Drive on concrete roads
Studies show that, assuming optimal road quality and condition, concrete road surfaces are stiffer and have less "play" compared to asphalt when your tires roll over them. As such, the rolling resistance will be lower, yielding a slight improvement in fuel consumption.
posted by cuts_off_prius on October 11, 2016
this tip works for 26% of voting Fuelly members.
Accurate fill-ups (continued)
It also helps if, in addition to Navi's advice, you fill up at the same pump at the same filling station whenever possible. In my experience, every pump's automatic shutoff is at least a little different.
posted by BenjaminWagner on October 8, 2016
this tip works for 47% of voting Fuelly members.
Do not hold on to high gears up inclines/merging roads
It might seem logical to keep it in a higher gear when you accelerate or go up a hill if you want to save fuel, but it lugs your engine and results in you using 100% throttle for a lot longer. In many occasions, it's slightly more efficient to use a short burst of high RPM, full throttle driving, so you can achieve a cruise a lot earlier.
posted by fingu on October 7, 2016
this tip works for 86% of voting Fuelly members.
Lighter engine oil for better mileage? or more power?
Not from my experience (as a master tech for over 40 years), and from extensive testing on dynamometer and road testing specific vehicles while testing results of 10w40 compared to 5w20 engine oils. No difference in HP or fuel economy whatsoever.
posted by billtech66 on October 5, 2016
this tip works for 59% of voting Fuelly members.
Don't use your Automatic Climate Control!
On many higher end vehicles the climate control system will have an "auto" setting much like a home would however the vehicle will almost always automatically engage the A/C system even if cooling is not required, the system also typically runs in defrost/floor vent position which runs the vehicles A/C even though the A/C button is turned off. To prevent unnecessary use of A/C when you don't required cooling or defogging of windows manually switch the climate control to face or face/foot vent position and make sure the A/C button is off. This will ensure the compressor doesn't kick in unless you activate it manually.
posted by PTOWNcommuter on October 1, 2016
this tip works for 71% of voting Fuelly members.
Lead-foots save by car pooling
If you and your mates are lead-foots, and still want to be lead-foots whilst saving lots of fuel. Car pool. You can all enjoy the lead-foot experience in the same car at a fraction of the cost!
posted by Charles1989 on September 29, 2016
this tip works for 73% of voting Fuelly members.
Drive a diesel
If you drive a petrol car sell it and buy the equivalent diesel. They do on average around 50% more mpg than the petrol equivalent in power and performance.
posted by Charles1989 on September 29, 2016
this tip works for 23% of voting Fuelly members.
Run the Air-con instead of applying brakes
Air conditioning puts a big load on the engine and can be several kilowatts. So when you want to slow down in a vehicle with non-regenerative braking, keep a cool or warm cabin WITHOUT hurting mpg, switch leave the engine in gear and turn the air-con on full hot or cold. No fuel is supplied to the engine when the pedal isn't depressed and the air-con provides the braking that would otherwise be lost as heat. It's great for going down an incline to maintain a constant speed too!
posted by Charles1989 on September 29, 2016
this tip works for 25% of voting Fuelly members.
Ensure your tyres are at the correct pressure
A tyre should wear evenly across the entire tread from shoulder to shoulder. Over pressure is indicated by the centre of the tyre wearing faster than the shoulders & under pressure is indicated by the reverse. Over-pressure reduces your cornering grip, increases stopping distances and makes the car more susceptible to sliding on surface contaminates (gravel, oil, etc). Under pressure will cause the tyre overheat, aquaplane more readily & tramline more readily. Either state will cause your tyres to wear out more quickly.
posted by techathy on September 20, 2016
this tip works for 98% of voting Fuelly members.
Drive in higher gears
On my old car I would always shift the automatic transmission into 3rd around town and when going up steep highways so the engine wouldn't rev as much when the transmission hunted for the right gear. On that particular car it didn't seem to hurt the mileage at all. However, I now have a newer car with an instantaneous mpg readout that shows that shifting from drive ("D") to 3rd when going up long inclines immediately caused a 25-30% drop in mpg. Fortunately, my new car has more torque, so it doesn't rev and hunt when going uphill, so I can leave it in D always and get better gas mileage.
posted by Barquito on September 11, 2016
this tip works for 48% of voting Fuelly members.
Never Coast or Idle in Neutral in a Hybrid!
While some people may suggest coasting or idling in neutral to save some gas (although it is illegal in most states), you never ever want to do this while driving a hybrid. Why? While in neutral, the car's generator is not engaged, meaning it cannot charge the high-voltage battery. This also means no regenerative braking while in neutral!
posted by Araiza on August 30, 2016
this tip works for 76% of voting Fuelly members.
Know Your Vehicle’s Optional Equipment, Configure Appropriately
Learn and understand your vehicle’s optional equipment as it pertains to fuel economy, and configure it appropriately. For example, my Audi Q5 has a factory electric auxiliary heater. It also has a gauge to show you the real-time fuel economy impact of defeatable devices, such as A/C, seat heaters, window defrosters, and the aux. heater. The aux heater has only 2 settings: OFF or AUTO. In auto mode, it comes on when I could do without it, and stays on well after the engine has heated up. It costs as much fuel as running your A/C! I leave if OFF to save fuel, turning it to AUTO only as needed. But don’t sacrifice safety for better MPG.
posted by SteveMak on August 25, 2016
this tip works for 67% of voting Fuelly members.
Safely Increase Tire Pressure
Car manufacturers have a recommended tire pressure based on a number of factors, making number of assumptions and compromises. For example, they might favor a more comfortable ride. You might have different priorities, such as sacrificing a slightly smoother, quieter ride in favor of higher fuel economy (higher tire pressure). Do your due diligence to determine how much higher to go. Never exceed the tire manufacturer's recommended rating.
posted by SteveMak on August 22, 2016
this tip works for 85% of voting Fuelly members.
CA Fuel vs 49 State Fuel
California fuel is specially blended to reduce emissions and is only produced by California refineries, it also has significantly less power and yields reduced miles per gallon. If going on a road trip to CA, top off your tank before entering California territories and after leaving. If you live in California, fill up when you are out of state.
posted by Avidice on August 15, 2016
this tip works for 52% of voting Fuelly members.
Use a lighter weight oik
Switching from a heavier oil (like 10w-30) to a lighter oil (such as 5w-30) can have a huge impact on how your engine runs. It costs a lot of parasitic drag to pump that heavier oil through the engine. I've noticed a 4 mpg improvement in two of my cars going to a synthetic 5w-30 motor oil.
posted by flyzizzerz on August 15, 2016
this tip works for 21% of voting Fuelly members.
Look at your tires
Watch for over inflated tires because over inflation although it improves gas mileage, can cause wear in the middle of the tire, reducing tire life, and reducing traction, and will add longer distance travel in panic stops or not being able to move in snow. If you see flat spots you probably need to get the tire balanced. An out of balanced tire will bounce at highway speeds. This causes flat spots on your tire and the bouncing reduces your gas mileage.
posted by TNflash on August 14, 2016
this tip works for 91% of voting Fuelly members.
Tire pressure and gas mileage
It is important to watch how your tires are wearing. If the edge is wearing faster than the middle of the tire put in a few more pounds of air. Your tires will last longer and you will get better gas mileage and improve your cars handling. Heavier loaded vehicles need more air than lighter vehicles. More air in the tires equal harder tires which have 1, less rolling resistance 2, give better gas mileage and 3, better tire life do to cooler temperatures inside the tire.
posted by TNflash on August 14, 2016
this tip works for 95% of voting Fuelly members.
Beware fuel deals
I gassed up twice at different gas stations at the Georgia, Florida line on I-75 because of advertised cheap fuel prices. Each time after I checked my mileage I found a 30 % reduction in my mpg. Some gas bargains! I now fill up 75 miles before or after the state line on my trips to Florida and avoid those bargain stations entirely.
posted by TNflash on August 14, 2016
this tip works for 50% of voting Fuelly members.
Select The Right Drive Mode
Many of today's modern vehicles have multiple driving "modes", which are driver-selectable. Usually, there is an "Economy" or "Comfort" mode, which "tunes" the vehicle to better fuel economy -- such as shifts at lower RPMs and gradual throttle response -- while foregoing brisk acceleration and a "sporty," high-revving drive. Use it! These systems are typically smart enough to automatically supply brisk acceleration on-demand (via a firm accelerator push), if required in an emergency.
posted by SteveMak on August 13, 2016
this tip works for 94% of voting Fuelly members.
Cruse Control
Use cruse control where safe, the car will drive itself more economically than you can.
posted by David404 on August 12, 2016
this tip works for 50% of voting Fuelly members.
Coast on hills!
If you're travelling down a steep enough hill that you won't lose any speed by letting of the gas, or will only lose a little speed - coast! (Though so NOT shift out of gear!) Modern cars cut fuel to the engine in coasting situations as it is not needed, so rolling 200 or 300 metres down a hill here and there can add up! No harm in letting gravity do the work! ;)
posted by darkstrike on August 7, 2016
this tip works for 93% of voting Fuelly members.
accurate fuel pumping
Pay attention to how quickly your tank fills up and stop the pump at the same time to get consistent fill ups. This will make your calculations more accurate over time.
posted by on2wheels on August 5, 2016
this tip works for 52% of voting Fuelly members.
Clean car
Keep your car clean and tidy will slightly increase your fuel economy. Specially if your AC condenser is clean.
posted by Alikhaneng on August 4, 2016
this tip works for 33% of voting Fuelly members.
Roll with the hills
In hilly terrain, allow at least a few seconds between your car and the one ahead to enable "hitting the hill" at a slightly higher speed and *backing off* the gas gradually as you approach the crest under the speed limit. Gain speed to hit the next hill at speed. Yields dramatic fuel savings, even in moderate traffic.
posted by saabinista on August 2, 2016
this tip works for 95% of voting Fuelly members.
