Thanks to today’s high gasoline prices, vehicle owners inevitably dread the realization that it’s time to fill up their vehicle. There isn’t a driver in the world who wouldn’t like to save some money at the gas pump, but many do not know some of the great ways to accomplish this. Some waste money on products that promise better gas mileage but do very little of anything, while others believe they must sell their current vehicle and purchase a smaller one to save on expensive fuel costs.
Many drivers are not aware that features that already exist on their current vehicle may allow them to save gas without buying expensive products. In fact, many of the most effective ways to conserve fuel have very little to no cost.
For many people, cruise control is a most beloved vehicle feature. However, in addition to making long trips more bearable, cruise control also offers several fuel consumption benefits as well.
Using cruise control allows you to drive at a more consistent speed, reducing the amount of accelerations and decelerations while driving. In addition to offering a smoother ride, this consistency also helps reduce the amount of gas your car is using. Not to mention, it also helps prevent those very costly speeding tickets!
A less-known feature that’s actually very common on vehicles is “overdrive.” It is most often simply enabled by default, but most vehicles with overdrive also have a switch allowing the driver to turn it on and off. Essentially, overdrive allows a car engine to use less gas while operating at high speeds. So, the next time you hop in your car, be sure to check that overdrive is enabled.
Many drivers know to monitor their speed while they’re driving by frequently looking at the gauge on the dashboard.
However, less drivers are aware that it’s also a good idea to monitor the RPM gauge as well – especially if your car has a manual transmission. As a general rule, the higher RPM a vehicle’s engine is running at, the harder your engine is working, and the more gasoline it is using. Be sure you are not accelerating too fast, causing your engine to run excessively fast and in turn consume more gas. And, if you drive a vehicle with a manual transmission, be certain to change gears before the engine RPM gets too high and use higher gears whenever possible.
Of course, there are also some features that consume a lot of fuel. For example, using your vehicle’s air conditioning puts an extra strain on your engine and takes up extra gas. Only use the air conditioning if you absolutely need it!
Remember, rather than going out and buying any products or a different vehicle, it’s the free methods that often save you the most gasoline. These tips might not take away all the frustration of needing to fill up on gas, but they may make it less painful.