As per cheapstingybargains.com this is the best way to save gas at least for now.
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101 Ways to Save Money on Gas
Never has the saying “every little bit helps” rung more true than in the quest to save cash when filling up your vehicle.
What follows are 101 ways you can save money on gas, including tips on gas buying, driving and car maintenance, as well as advice on how to stay out of the car altogether. While you probably won’t be able to use all of the suggestions, trying a few of them together could make a big difference in your gas bill.
Gas Buying Tips
1. Compare gas prices; do this in your head as you drive by service stations and other gas sellers or from home using online resources like GasBuddy.com, GasPriceWatch.com or MapQuest Gas Prices.
2. Use widgets such as Gas for Macs and GasWatch for PCs to check current gas prices.
3. Sign up for text messages from gas price tracking companies like GasBuddy.com and MobGas.com.
4. Use self-service instead of full-service.
5. Remember that higher traffic areas usually mean higher gas prices.
6. Buy fuel with a credit card that offers gas savings or even cash back.
7. Sign up for a credit card from a gas company that offers discounts for filling up at its stations.
8. Join a loyalty club of a warehouse or store that gives membership rebates on gas purchases.
9. Find out if any local gas stations offer discounts for paying in cash.
10. Don’t top off your gas tank as that extra fuel will probably only spill out anyway; once you hear that first click, stop filling.
11. Buy gas during the early morning or late evening; gas is densest at those times, ensuring more fuel and less vapor for your money.
12. Don’t use high octane if your car doesn’t need it.
13. In order to be sure that your car still gets the octane level it needs without spending too much for the high level, or causing damage to your vehicle with a level too low, consider mixing octanes you find at good prices.
14. Wait until your tank is a quarter empty to fill up; no need to carry extra weight around in your car (more weight makes your car work harder, using more gas) and waiting until the tank is empty isn’t good for your fuel injection system.
15. Buy gas in the middle of the week as it is usually cheaper than on the weekends.
16. Fill up well before holidays as prices tend to rise.
17. Compare gas brands to determine which gives you the best quality for your money.
Driving Tips
18. Go the speed limit. Aside from being a safe choice, you’ll also get up to 21% better gas mileage at 55 mph than at 70 mph. As traffic lights are time-controlled, you’re also more likely to hit green lights and avoid wasting gas on frequent stops and restarts.
19. Don’t travel at fast rates in low gears as it can use up to 45% more fuel than necessary; shift into high gear as soon as possible.
20. Stay at a steady speed as speeding up and slowing down uses more fuel.
21. On that note, if you have cruise control and you’re in light traffic, use it.
22. Avoid weaving in and out of traffic as you’ll use more gas.
23. When starting out, accelerate slowly; you’ll use less gas and also be kinder to your carburetor.
24. Don’t tailgate. Not only is it dangerous, it also can waste fuel if you need to make a sudden slowdown or stop.
25. When approaching a hill, speed up before you get to it, keep steady on the incline and coast down the other side.
26. Travel well-known, well-paved roads as much as possible; not only do you lessen your chances of getting lost and wasting gas, you’ll also save gas by avoiding dirt or gravel roads, which can drop gas mileage up to 30%.
27. Travel in a straight line whenever possible.
28. Don’t idle. If you’re going to sit still for more than 30 seconds, it is probably better for gas mileage to turn off and then restart the car.
29. If you don’t stop and restart, at least put your automatic car in neutral to allow the transmission to cool down.
30. Avoid driving during peak traffic periods like holiday weekends and rush hour.
31. When possible, coast to stops rather than braking hard.
32. Don’t rev your engine.
33. Roll up the windows when traveling at high speeds; the extra resistance can cost you about 10% of your gas mileage.
34. When passing another car, commit and do it quickly and safely.
35. Use overdrive gears, which keep RPM down.
36. Don’t rest your foot on the brake. Any extra pressure can cause drag that reduces your gas mileage.
37. If you have four-wheel drive and can turn it off, do so until you actually need it.
38. Keep your eyes open for what other drivers are doing as well as for upcoming traffic jams, etc.
Car Maintenance Tips
39. Have your car serviced at regular intervals, preferably those recommended in your owner’s manual.
40. Use steel-belted radial tires, which can increase gas mileage up to 10%.
41. Fill tires to the maximum suggested limit in order to reduce contact area between your car and the road; this reduces friction, which increases gas mileage.
42. Be sure your brakes are in good working order; if they’re dragging, they’re creating more resistance for your car to handle, making it use more gas.
43. Be sure the suspension, tires and chassis parts are aligned properly as anything bent or broken will create engine drag.
44. Make sure your air and fuel filters are in good working order.
45. Change your oil every 5,000 miles or every 3,000 miles if you live in a warm climate.
46. Be sure you’re using the correct grade motor oil for your car; this information should be in your owner’s manual. The wrong grade can increase engine friction and use more gas.
47. Use a fuel injection cleaner when you change the oil to ensure your fuel injection system is working properly.
48. Take off vinyl tops and luggage or ski racks to reduce drag.
49. Clean out your car as carrying around extra, unnecessary items can adversely affect your gas mileage. Keep that spare tire though!
50. Make sure your gas cap fits properly. Every year in the United States, 147 million gallons of fuel are lost to evaporation.
Warm Weather Tips
51. Consider tinting your windows, particularly if you live in a warm climate.
52. To reduce air-conditioning usage, install solar-powered window fans that pull cooler air into the car.
53. If you use snow tires and chains in the winter, be sure to remove them for warmer weather; snow tires have deeper treads that increase friction with the road and cause your car to use more gas.
54. Use your air conditioning sparingly as it can reduce your fuel economy up to 20%; roll down your windows or use the ventilation system instead. Remember tip #33, though, and be sure those windows are up at higher speeds.
55. Choose a car with light colored exterior and interior to reflect rather than absorb light and heat, especially in warm climates.
56. Park in the shade.
57. When parked, have the windows rolled down a bit for air circulation (assuming that is safe to do in the area).
58. If you’re using air conditioning, turn it off five minutes before your estimated arrival.
Cold Weather Tips
59. No need for a long warm-up of the engine in the morning; thirty to 45 seconds will do the trick.
60. Don’t let icicles accumulate on the frame of your car as they can cause drag.
61. Pay special attention to tire pressure in cold weather.
62. Use snow tires and chains as little as possible as they make your car use more gas.
Other Tips
63. Ask yourself whether the trip is truly necessary before hopping in the car and driving off without thinking.
64. Put down those car keys and use your legs instead; walking or biking helps save on gas and keeps you in shape.
65. Or, rollerblade!
66. Get a motorcycle or scooter instead of a car, even just to travel shorter distances when you won’t need storage space.
67. Use public transportation (buses, subways, etc.) whenever possible.
68. If public transportation doesn’t serve your entire route, use “park and ride” services where offered.
69. Carpool with coworkers or others going in the same direction and split the cost of gas.
70. If you don’t have anyone to carpool with, try ridesharing.
71. Instead of owning a vehicle, car share through a group that rents cars for as little as an hour at a time.
72. If you have a job you can do from home, see if your employer will agree to let you telecommute.
73. Another option to explore with your employer is flex-time that may let you avoid traveling during peak traffic times.
74. Four ten-hour day work weeks are also something you might propose to your employer to help you drive less and avoid rush hours.
75. Move closer to your job (assuming you’re looking for a new place to live anyway, of course).
76. Make a list of errands and combine them into as few trips as possible.
77. Try to do only one big grocery shopping trip a week; if you need to do more runs per week and are close enough to walk or bike, leave the car at home.
78. If errand stops are relatively close together, walk between them instead of parking and re-parking your car.
79. Speaking of parking, pull into the first spot you find and get on with your errands; you’re wasting gas going around and around the parking lot only to save yourself a few steps.
80. Park forward-facing when possible; reversing takes more gas.
81. If your children are old enough, send them on the errands—on foot or bicycle.
82. Don’t have children? Pay a local kid and encourage her entrepreneurial spirit as well.
83. If your neighborhood allows for it, have your children walk or bike to school.
84. Consider a train for your next trip instead of taking your car.
85. Get GPS if you make frequent trips to new places.
86. If you can’t afford GPS or don’t want to invest in it, use online or old-fashioned maps to plan out routes before leaving the house.
87. If a merchant offers delivery, it just may save you money to have them bring merchandise to you than for you to pick it up.
88. Plan trips in advance and leave plenty of time to get to your destination; this can help avoid wrong turns (and wasted gas) as well as speeding, which we’ve already said uses more gas than going the speed limit.
89. If you have more than one car in your household, use the one that gets better gas mileage whenever possible.
90. Keep a track of gas purchases and mileage; this can help you track ebbs and flows in gas prices at certain stations, alert you to possible fuel-related problems in your car and come in useful during tax time if you can deduct any travel expenses.
91. Listen to radio traffic reports so you can steer clear of traffic jams and other problems on the road.
92. Look for shopping bargains from home by using flyers, newspaper advertisements, online resources and your telephone.
93. Get a hybrid car or have yours converted to one; while it costs money up front, you’ll soon see the savings.
94. Get an electric car.
95. Get a diesel car, which can actually get better gas mileage than a hybrid.
96. Explore other fuel sources like ethanol, flex-fuel or biodiesel.
97. If you don’t truly need an SUV or truck, go for a smaller vehicle, which weighs less than a large vehicle and, in turn, gets better gas mileage.
98. Following the same principle, if you’re renting a car, go for the smallest for your needs.
99. If your car is old and gets horrible gas mileage, consider buying a new one. Again, this will cost you up front but save in the long run.
100. Skip the drive-thru and just park and go inside the restaurant instead; remember what we said about idling in #27?
Now, last but certainly not least . . .
101. Share this list with fellow gas-buying friends and see what ideas they can add to it. You can never have too many weapons in your arsenal of money-saving gas tips, so why not have a brainstorming session with others also looking to save money on gas?
Just remember to carpool to get to the meeting!
By Michelle Fabio
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