FUEL ECONOMY

Consumer Fuel Economy Tips

Consejos para el Consumidor para Ahorrar Gasolina (PDF)

Transit not going your way – no one to carpool with?

Do not let that stop you!! In fact how would you like to give yourself a $25 to $50 or more gift certificate to any place of your choosing or to buy anything you want every six months? You can do that by following most of the actions below – actions that you are completely in charge of and capable of doing!!

1. Avoid transporting excess weight:
Limit the number of times you carry heavy items – do not use your trunk as a storage container. Heavier loads force your engine to use more fuel to accelerate. An extra 100 lbs in the trunk reduces a typical car’s fuel economy by 1-2%. Every 200 pounds of unnecessary weight trims one mile off a vehicle’s fuel efficiency.

2. Use air conditioning wisely:
Air conditioning is one of the biggest drains on engine power and fuel economy. Using your air conditioning system increases the load on the engine, thereby decreasing your vehicle’s fuel economy. During city street driving use your windows and vents when possible and avoid the use of your air conditioning to increase your gas mileage.

However if you must use your air conditioning, it is more fuel efficient to operate the vehicle’s air conditioning when driving on the freeway than to roll down the window (having windows down at freeway speeds causes wind drag and lowers operating efficiency).

3. Drive Sensibly:
A vehicle rapidly accelerating consumes extra fuel – a light, steady pressure on the gas pedal minimizes fuel usage. Aggressive driving (rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town.

You can travel the same distance with less fuel if you accelerate gradually. Braking and accelerating repeatedly in traffic will consume more fuel economy and wear out your brake system.

If traffic is moving slowly, achieve a pace where you will be moving comfortably behind the car in front of you without having to stop and re-accelerate.

4. Avoid Speeding
Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas. The fuel economy benefit is about 7-23% depending on the vehicle you drive.

5. Avoid Idling over 30 seconds:
Idling gets 0 miles per gallon (mpg). One hour of engine idling is equal to 33 miles of road travel – restarting an engine only consumes the same fuel as 30 seconds of idle time. If possible, during long waits turn off your engine to save gas (do not turn engine off while on the road or in traffic).

Take the option of walking in to a restaurant rather than using the drive-thru when possible. Waiting in line at the drive through will consume an unnecessary amount of fuel. If you are short on time and must use the drive-thru, put your vehicle into “Park” (automatic trans.) or “Neutral” (standard trans.) to lower engine speed and consume less gas.

6. Inflate and Align your tires:
You can improve gas mileage by around 3.3% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. One under-inflated tire can cut fuel economy by 2% per pound of pressure below the proper inflation level. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for ever 1psi drop in pressure of all four tires.

If you inflate your tires with nitrogen (gas), your tires will last longer! Nitrogen is safer than air because it is inert, non combustible and non corrosive. On the other hand when tires are exposed to air, a long term and continuing deterioration begins. High purity nitrogen is dry, and will hold tire pressure 30-40% longer than air. Inflating your tires with nitrogen is better for your fuel mileage and handling on the road. Ask local auto stores if they could inflate your tires with nitrogen rather than air when possible.

7. Use recommended motor oil:
You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2% by using the manufacturer recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2%. (Also look for motor oil that says “Energy Conserving” on the API performance symbol).

8. Combine errands and trips:
Combining errands into one trip saves you time and money. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Planning trips will not only improve fuel efficiency but also increases time-efficiency.For more information on gas-saving ideas and actions, see the following websites:

www.fueleconomy.gov

At the Garage: Maintain Your Car

Refueling with Methanol

• The joint EPA and Department of Energy Fuel Economy Web site offers detailed information on vehicle fuel economy, including a complete downloadable version of the Fuel Economy Guide. The Web site is located at: https://www.fueleconomy.gov
  
• Comprehensive information about EPA's Fuel Economy program is available at: https://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy
  
• The Green Vehicle Guide Web site to give consumers a better picture of fuel economy and automobile emissions. Consumers can use this guide to locate the cleanest running and most fuel efficient vehicle that meets their needs. To access this guide, visit:
  https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles
  
• The 2006 fuel economy leaders within class as well as the lowest fuel economy models are available online at:
  https://www.epa.gov/fueleconomy/overall-high.htm
• If you own a Mercedes vehicle, enter your vin number at lastvin.com to check the specs of your vehicle, including the motor.

Highest and Lowest Overall Fuel Economy: 2006 Model Year

Popular Models