My gas mileage was really sucking. It seemed to start after I got my oil changed and my car inspected. When I got my car inspected, they had mentioned that I had corrosion on my fuel lines. I began to suspect that possibly my few lines were leaking gasoline even though they said it wasn’t an issue yet. The corrosion was just starting, and it was something to keep track of. But my gas mileage significantly decreased, down from 35 miles per gallon to about 27 miles per gallon. Even though it was wintertime in the cold and the different fuel mixture the gas stations are selling, I still thought that possibly the gas mileage was worse than it should have been. I looked at my tires to see if one of them was significantly low, but none of them seem to be. I decided to hook up my compressor and go around to doublecheck the inflation on all the tires. I started up the compressor, and let it fill up the the tank while I got ready for work. Then when I was ready to leave, I went to check the first tire and found it filled to about 30 psi. I’ve been maintaining them about 40 psi. I pumped the tire to 4o psi. I went to the next tire and found it also around 30psi. Then I figured out that when they had done the oil change they had deflated all my tires down to the recommended levels at and my gas mileage had decreased. So I inflated all the tires up to 40 psi and almost instantly noticed an increase in gas mileage. I need be aware that every time I take my car in for an oil change the doublecheck my tire pressures to see if they have deflated them down to their recommended levels.
Besides the cost of getting brakes replaced, there is another cost that many don’t even think about. Using them costs you gas. Every time you step on the gas pedal to accelerate your car, you are spending gas money to buy forward motion. You are spending gas money to keep that forward motion. Since internal combustion engines are relatively inefficient, a large chunk of your gas money is already wasted in the heat that the engine puts off, and in friction. But there is not a lot you can do about that.
But every time you use your brakes, you are converting the forward motion that you paid for, into heat put off by the brake pads rubbing against the discs, or the drums. This is energy that will never be regained. That is gas money down the toilet. But you need to use your brakes, right? Well yes, but experts say that people overuse their brakes. Some more than others. Many people will race from stopping at one red light, to stop at the next red light. Or they will drive close to the car in front of them, and are forced to hit the brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of them. I have seen some idiots who drive on the freeway who seem the drive gas, brake, gas, brake, gas brake. I have no idea what their problem is. All they have to do, is take their foot off the gas when they want to slow down.
If you want to save gas, and radically lengthen the life of your brakes, try driving as if you have no brakes, or very poor brakes. How would you drive if you had no brakes? Would you be speeding from one light to the next? No, you would be watching ahead, and if you saw a red light, you would remove your foot from the gas, and coast to slowdown, hoping the light will change before you get there. Or you can slow down using the brake incrementally, hoping to retain some forward motion when the light turns green. You surely wouldn’t be tailgating anyone, if you didn’t have good brakes. You would try to leave a buffer between you and the car in front of you. If they slow down, you can simply remove your foot from the gas, and coast for a bit to slow down.
Many people speed to turns, when they could coast to slow down as they approach the turn, and minimize the use of the brakes. Some nutty hypermilers don’t even brake here, just taking the corners at higher speeds. I am not sure if I recommend this though.
Use your brakes less, and your gas mileage will go up significantly, and your brakes will last a lot longer!
Everyone knows that Hummers get really crappy gas mileage. But can a brand new, gas sipping economy car in perfect running condition get worse gas mileage? You bet!
What’s the worst gas mileage you can get in a car? 0 mpg! (thats a zero mpg) People always complain about the price of gas. But then I see people wasting it, getting 0 mpg!
Last week, I was in the parking lot at my work. I saw a guy sitting in his big parked SUV talking on his cell phone. Just sitting yacking away, while the engine was running. It was warm out. Maybe he had the AC running too. So he was moving a 0 MPH and burning gas. So he was getting 0 MPG!
Yesterday I was at a gas station. I went to pull into a pump. There was a truck parked in such a way as not to be at the pump, but to block anyone else to getting to it. I ended up having to go around and come in from the other side to a different gas pump. As I was filling up, I saw the truck was running. They left the truck running while one guy went into the store, and the other guy was cleaning the windshield. So for the time that took, they were getting 0 mpg!
There are lots of places where I see people getting 0 mpg! In line at the gas station waiting for an open pump. Sitting in line at restaurant drive through. Long stop lights. Waiting a train crossings. In all these places, the drivers could save gas, by simply shutting off their engine. I have read that if the engine is off for more than 10 seconds, then you have offset the cost of restarting the engine again.
But then there are the little things too. How about when you start the car, then put on your seat belt, adjust the radio etc. How about putting on your seat belt, adjusting the radio, then starting the car when you are actually ready to go. Just one time doesn’t use a lot of gas. But when you are in the habit of doing it day after day, probably multiple times, it adds up.
Even a gas sipping economy car can get 0 mpg! So next time you are sitting in your car, not moving, but with the engine running, think about how you are getting 0 mpg. Consider shutting off the engine until you are ready to go.
According to my ScanGauge 2, I averaged 44.6 mpg on my drive to work today. I think this is the best I have ever done on the route. I did leave home a little late, so maybe traffic patterns were a little different than usual. I know there were a few places where I was able to drive a little slower, because I didn’t have someone riding my butt. I just took it very easy. I accelerated a little slower than usual, and coasted longer to stops. I think I also managed to catch a couple lights nicely so that I didn’t have to stop completely. Maybe the small aero modifications to the front of my car have helped a little too. The warmer temperatures have been helping my gas mileage. It was kind of discouraging over the winter to see my gas mileage fall from 40 mpg to about 32 mpg. 32 mpg is still great gas mileage for a 2000 Honda Civic. Way better than the EPA estimates. But 32mpg kind of sucks when you have gotten used to getting 40 mpg. But the 44.6 mpg this morning was great. I don’t expect to get that on the way home. I can be getting great mileage all the way home. But then the hill up to my house which has a 300 foot climb, usually causes my gas mileage to drop by 2 mpg or so.
Just got home from work. I was averaging 41 mpg when I got to the bottom of our hill. By the time I got into my garage, my gas mileage had dropped to 38.9 mpg. As I said, that 300 foot climb drops my gas mileage by about 2 mpg. It’s funny. The drive is 13.5 miles, and that .5 mile climb is killer!
Hypermiling has gotten a bad rap from some places. The media at one point was doing reports on how great it was, and then shortly after, they started trashing it. A bunch of that has to do with some jerks at AAA saying that hypermiling was dangerous, and then spouting about a bunch of techniques that most hypermilers don’t do.
Anyway, one of my favorite techniques is to shut off my engine while waiting at red lights. If I sit there idling, I am getting zero mpg! I have read that if I have my engine off for more than 10 seconds, then I have saved gas. Many of the new hybrids do this automatically. I have had friends tell me I would fry my starter, but I have had no problems with this.
My next favorite technique is by slowing down. I drive mellower than I used to. I don’t do jack rabbit starts, and I don’t speed to the next red light, just to slam on my brakes. I accelerate easy, and then I try to coast to a stop as much as possible. And I don’t tailgate people. I leave a buffer between me and the person in front of me so that I avoid hitting brakes if they slow down. I basically try to drive as if I have no brakes.
As part of driving easier, I try to keep a steady throttle. My Scan Guage II shows me my throttle position (TPS). I find that I get better gas mileage the steadier I keep the throttle. So if I want to go 35mph, I try to keep the throttle position (TPS) at 13. If I want to go about 40mph, I hold it at 14. If I want to go 55, I need to the TPS at about 15-17. By keeping it a fixed TPS (which takes a steady foot), I will slow down a little on the up hills, and speed up a little on the down hills. If I want to slow down on the down hills, I just take my foot off the gas. When I am coasting, the fuel injectors shut off, and I and getting mileage while burning NO GAS!!!
I don’t do any of these things AAA labels as dangerous, such as drafting trucks, or coasting through red lights. That stuff is just stupid! And somehow I manage to get well above the EPA estimates for my car.