What Gas Saving Tips Really Work?
Although I’m still not worked up about gas prices personally, I still hear all kinds of tips to save gas left and right. But do they really work? Edmunds.com tests them out and gives us some hard(ish) numbers. Briefly:
What worked
Driving less aggressively
Using cruise control
Avoiding long idles
What didn’t
Turning off the A/C
Ensuring proper tire pressure (ignoring safety issues)
Find more in Frugal Living | 5/15/06, 12:59am | Trackback
May 15th, 2006 at 6:39 am
I heard about this study in the news. Interesting results. They are definitely relevant. Thanks for the link.
May 15th, 2006 at 8:45 am
The TV show Mythbusters had a show that went through the age old question of two identical cars, one with ac running and the other with the windows down. If I remember right, there might have been 1-2 lap difference.
Good luck with stop/starts in rush hour traffic. I think your just about doomed to idle.
May 15th, 2006 at 9:13 am
I’m glad about running the A/C since it’s about to get ugly humid soon in DC. However, when I have my windows open, I ike having the sunroof open too (so I can get my vitamin D synthesized). I wonder how much that changes things…
May 15th, 2006 at 4:45 pm
think of me guys..i am in phoenix. we are just over 104 these days and we’ll soon reach 120 :(. this is definitely a good news for me
May 15th, 2006 at 6:28 pm
have you ever thought about dollar cost averaging your gas purchases as you would your mutual fund investments? I’m sure that you would save at least a few bucks, but it would require more frequent fill-ups.
May 16th, 2006 at 5:18 am
Actually on MythBusters the difference was nearly 30 laps. It was significantly different. I rememeber that episode. They were surprised that it was so different because having the windows all the way down and the A/C cranked up gave their fuel economy computer nearly identical readings. However it computed it value based on air intake I believe, which was different because of the engine load for the A/C.
However, I didn’t think their test was too good for evaluating “real world” use. Since they set the A/C to the highest setting and who really does that? They balanced the weight out for both cars, including passengers and carryons. The car with the A/C grabbed jackets so the other car had to add additional weight.
They did their tests on 2005 Ford Explorers too.
May 16th, 2006 at 6:41 am
How about buying stocks of ExxonMobil?
May 17th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
how about buying stocks of ExxonMobil?
I like how this man thinks.
Just purchased a fancy motor scooter.
That’s the way a married/bachelor should do it.
A car for the sake of burden type errands.
June 4th, 2006 at 11:24 am
So, does driving with the a/c on really lower mileage like we’ve learned all our lives, or not?
As for the motor scooter, I bought an Honda Elite 250 5 years ago. I call it my 65/65 machine–about 65 mpg, goes about 65 mph.
Great for picking up the ladies
(Ok, not really so great for that)