So you've noticed that gas prices have jumped up a lot, and you weren't prescient enough to put yourself on the waiting list for a Prius six months ago. What can you do? From cheapest to most expensive:
1. Slow down. It's simple physics, folks-- energy = mass x velocity x velocity. Slow down, you don't burn as much gas. In addition, jackrabbit starts and sudden braking also use up gas more quickly.
Plus, if you slow down, the person behind you goes slower too. Think of it as helping enforce your will on others, in a subtle way-- so subtly they barely notice it. If a few people get together and do it, you can save mileage not only for yourself, but also for that SUV behind you that really needs to conserve gas even more.
2. Empty your trunk. Remember the mass part of that equation? Same deal. Every 200 pounds of unnecessary weight reduces mileage by one mile per gallon. (Oddly enough, this is yet another reason for you to lose weight. Drop 20 pounds, and you save 3 gallons of gas a year.)
3. Inflate your tires. You might even consider over-inflating them by a pound or two.
4. Use cruise control. That helps you maintain a constant speed, so you don't have to change velocity (see #1 again).
5. Stop wasting gas to drive to the cheap place to get gas. I've seen people drive 20 miles out of their way to get to "the cheap gas"-- the savings are wiped out because they had to drive to get there.
6. Stop using the drive through window. Park the car and go inside. And stop driving around for a nearby parking space, just take one and walk a bit.
7. Avoid traffic jams. If you live in a major urban area, you burn a lot of extra gas just staring at the license plate in front of you-- the average in this part of the country was 25 gallons or so a year. If you're in a bad traffic jam, turn off your car.
8. Get directions. If you don't get lost, you don't waste gas driving around.
9. Get an oil change. Let a few months go between oil changes, have you? Get one. It'll help.
10. Get a tune up. Your car might be using more gas because it needs new spark plugs, or your tires aren't aligned.
And in the future, if you feel you must vote for oil executives to high public office, could you at least vote for ones that don't run their companies into the ground?
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Bill Mulligan (9:37 PM on Tue May 10, 2005)
Good advise but a few questions: 1. Slow down. It's simple physics, folks-- energy = mass x velocity x velocity. Slow down, you don't burn as much gas. In addition, jackrabbit starts and sudden braking also use up gas more quickly. But isn't there some point where this stops being true? If a car is idling it is using up gas even though its velocity is zero. Has anyone ever calculated at what speed you get the optimum mpg? 6. Stop using the drive through window. Park the car and go inside. And stop driving around for a nearby parking space, just take one and walk a bit. But does starting the car use more gas than having it idle? I don't know, just asking. (this would also apply to the advise on turning off the car in traffic jams). And in the future, if you feel you must vote for oil executives to high public office, could you at least vote for ones that don't run their companies into the ground? Because a successful oil exec is SO much more likely to help get us weaned off of his product and onto alternative sources...:)Glenn Hauman (11:18 PM on Tue May 10, 2005)
But isn't there some point where this stops being true? If a car is idling it is using up gas even though its velocity is zero. Has anyone ever calculated at what speed you get the optimum mpg? There is, but it varies from car to car and model to model, and even from gear to gear. Check your owner's manual. Optimum speeds can be as low as 35 MPH. But does starting the car use more gas than having it idle? I don't know, just asking. Again, varies from car to car. Some cars get savings as soon as 30 seconds. A good rule of thumb is three minutes, which is certainly the amount of time many people wait at a drive through window.Bill Mulligan (7:39 AM on Wed May 11, 2005)
Cool, thanks.Dave (12:12 PM on Tue May 31, 2005)
The obesity angle adds a little irony to the situation. I know people who recycle aluminum cans with a passion, but carry the added weight that so many other Americans do. I'm not sure if people would change their eating habits to save gas, but it definitely gives you something to think about. I don't think a lot of people have ever thought about this.egn (5:08 PM on Wed Jun 15, 2005)
1. Slow down. It's simple physics, folks-- energy = mass x velocity x velocity. Slow down, you don't burn as much gas. In addition, jackrabbit starts and sudden braking also use up gas more quickly. Not quite. 1. E=MV^2/2, so reduce first 2-fold your result 2. Absolutely non-applicable for highways. This formula only shows how much energy you need to get a speed taken, but nothing about maintaining this speed. Actually, no energy required for keeping a mass moving in vacuum. You want to show a formula E(speed maintaining)=friction + friction*speed + speed^2*air-resistance (air-resistance is a constant) So, final formula for energy required for a trip will be E = MV^2/2 + friction*speed + air-resistance*speed^2egn (5:18 PM on Wed Jun 15, 2005)
Actually, here is a very comprehensive explanation: http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question497.htm http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question477.htmdan (1:12 PM on Wed Jun 29, 2005)
it fidures out for the average family sedan that you get optimum gas mileage at roughly 45 mph. the engine is trying the least to go the fastest. Find the gear that the engine isnt trying hard to maintain a speed, and run about 500 rpm above the point where it shifts down a gear. in my grandam, its about 48 mph. i get 33 mpg. the stated highway mileage for this year of car was 29 mpg i believe.Paul Osborne (6:52 PM on Sat Sep 3, 2005)
Saving gas is not that hard to do. I see drivers strutting about all over Dallas as if there was no tomorrow. The driver who gets to the red light first wins a prize - which isn't any more valuable than a car's length. People get mad at me all the time because I coast to red lights. It honestly seems like such a waste to have to roar around me before hitting the brakes. You'd think they could pass me later down the road rather than blast their engines with gasoline. Anyone who reads Take Your Foot Off The Gas will know exactly what I'm talking about. It's a great book, besides, I wrote it. Thank goodness I had a good editor. Paul OsborneRick Hart (1:12 PM on Mon Sep 19, 2005)
After I read this book I started saving money right away. I have a good 25 minute commute to work. This book has really cut down on my stress. It work for me.Paul Osborne (11:24 PM on Tue Sep 20, 2005)
Rick, I'm very glad to hear that you connected with the messages found in the book. When you let go of the bumper ahead, your life will forever change, and you will have greater peace. Have a great day! Paul OsborneCourtney Gidts (1:47 PM on Mon Nov 14, 2005)
I've managed to save up roughly $88445 in my bank account, but I'm not sure if I should buy a house or not. Do you think the market is stable or do you think that home prices will decrease by a lot?Rob MacKnight (7:26 PM on Fri Apr 21, 2006)
Enjoyed your tips on saving gas and thought that your loyal readers would like to know of an option that saves them gas, increases engine life, and cleans the air (as it is a non-petroleum-based ester), by simply putting in one ounce per ten gallons of gas. Call anytime, Best, Rob MacKnight, 619-518-1809 (Please link to the posted URL for details)Ed (8:39 AM on Mon Jul 17, 2006)
I'm also one of those idiots that coasts to a red light. People just don't get it, saving energy is really easy if you think about it. Why race to a light only to stop and start again. People complain about gas prices, apparently it's not that bad based on the people I see driving every day at 75 to 80 miles per hour on the expressway. Can you imagine how much energy we could save, not to mention lives, if we all tried to drive rationally.