Driving More Efficiently

Posted by: Guest in MyBlog on Aug 01, 2009

Much can be said for the efforts that car manufacturers are making in the direction of creating green vehicles.  However, with 250 million vehicles currently on the road and 2008 sales of 11 million it will require a transition of nearly 20 years to update the on-road fleet. In the mean-time, there are many things that each of us can do to increase fuel economy, reduce green house gasses, and eliminate our dependency on foreign oil.  The Department of Energy's Fuel Economy Guide recommends some of the following easier tips to improve your car's green foot print.

Drive Sensibly

Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Observe the Speed Limit

While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.

You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.24 per gallon for gas.

Observing the speed limit is also safer.

Remove Excess Weight

Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2 percent. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Avoid Excessive Idling

Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.

Use Cruise Control

Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Use Overdrive Gears

When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.