It's also good on the brakes too. Nothing is worse than grinding your car to a halt from 70+mph on a downhill offramp, then sitting at a dead stop standing on the brakes, or going somewhere and parking and putting your parking brake on.

This makes nasty pad material transfer and imprinting and can quickly give you the "warped" rotors feel.

 

i use to do 'arky overdrive' all the time. but someone told me that it takes more gas to start a vehicle than to let it run for ten or so minutes(?)

 

"It's"?

What is 'also good on the brakes too.'?

 

I'm glad I started this thread. Everyone seems to be giving out some good information and tips to help out with gas saving. I've picked up some new ones myself. Some may not agree with the original post but anything and everything helps with the way gas prices are now. Kudos to you modenaf1, your post has some great information in there. Lets keep the good tips and information coming guys!!!

 

I'm gonna have to go ahead and agree with the folks who called BS on the underground temperature changing. If the fuel tanks are more than a foot under ground, daily fluctuations in temperature will have practically zero affect on the fuel temp.

 

i'm not since i've read them 3 times elsewhere before you posted them

 

Thanks for your opinion but that doesn't help me save gas

 

1) My max is an auto, but every downhill oppritunity i get i throw it into neutral and brake as little as possible (you'd be surprised how fast you get going). I also throw it into neutral at all stop lights.

2) Try not to drive with windows down or sunroof open as this will only increase drag (rather extreme maneuver) also refrain from turning on the air conditioning or heat at all possible times.

3) Heated seats are a BIG no no, but as its nearing summer i doubt thats a problem.

4) Another tip is to fill up your tank in the morning. This is because gas is denser at cooler temperatures, giving you more bang for your buck.

5) Furthermore, on most gas stations, there are three speeds at which you can pump gas; high, medium, and low (trigger settings on nozzle). You should avoid using the high or medium "settings" because it creates more vapor that is then released back into the nozzle, so you're basically paying for "air". I will admit that pumping on slow is downright painful, and unless you have 10-15 minutes to pump 17 or so gallons of gas, go with the medium "setting

 

Also look for gas stations that only take cash. I know this is a major inconvience for some, but i always pay in cash. I saw on the news, that gas stations are charged a flat rate for allowing customers to use cards. However as the price of gas goes up, the stations end up paying more to the credit card companies, thus eating away at their profits. By me, Mobil gasoline is $3.82 a gallon, the station I go to only excepts cash, and gas is $0.20 cheaper!!! That may not seem like much, but over the course of a 17 gallon fill up that saves me $3.40, almost enough for another gallon of gas!

 

My bad, it was a couple posts before mine, someone said good tips and especially on the braking techniques, I was just adding onto the information I originally gave saying not only great for gas and brake pad wear, but also cutting back on what mainly causes the "rotors to warp."




Why are heated seats a big no-no?

That could be true, I don't know about idling for a full 10 minutes, but I did hear something like that. The thing with arky overdrive is if you have a stickshift you just release the clutch pedal in gear and you kickstart the engine, vs. cranking it on the starter which is what I assume uses up the extra gas.

 

thats the worst thing u can do to ur tranny.
but putting it in N at stop lights is good.

 

^^^ wrong and wrong!! leave it in gear and dont do jack rabbit starts cause that kills gas. tune-ups and regular maintenence help alot with mpg, our cars are gettin old and tend to burn up a little more gas than maybe a newer car, so when gas reaches $4.00 a gallon by end of may, think about doing the speed limit and let that crappy little honda zip by. he'll be at the pump more often and wearing out parts faster as well.

 

well i meant stop lights.
i never actually stop long enough at a stop sign to shift to N. but going down hill is hard on the tranny.

 

Also I think the only time it is more efficient to coast down a long hill in neutral is if you have a stick shift and actually turn the engine off and restart it by kick starting it.

If I remember correctly, leaving it in drive uses slightly less gas than in neutral because it has to put fuel in for it to idle vs. just the speed of the car keeping the engine going.

 

lately i've been driving 65-70 mph max on the fwy and was able to gain 2-3 more mpg it seems. i used to go 80 on the fwy since that's the flow of traffic. i also noticed more cars are going slower now i guess because gas is so expensive lol

 

#4 and 5 are genius! Where did you ever come up with that idea?

 

Can anyone explain why heated seats are such a big no-no?

 

My guess is this in relation to the Alternator needing to charge up the battery. I wonder how much the Heated Seats use in relation to the A/C or a loud stereo. Anyone?

 

I got them from Jeremy on Top Gear

And the heated seats cause the alternator to be kicked in

 

also, when you roll down your front window (whether it be passenger or driver), be sure to roll down the window behind it.

 

Before or after reading post #1 of this thread?

 

I think heated seats are one of the larger power hogs. More power demand = more gas to run it. Up there on the power-hog scale would be rear defroster, AC (compressor), heated seats.

 

going downhill in neutral is hard on the tranny?

 

It was before...in the episode where he drives the Audi A8 V8-Diesel 800 miles on a tank of gas

 

Well you guys have been coming up with some good tips!
I have a new question.
Do you guys know of an mods that can maybe help with gas saving?

 

AC compressor running directly effects your mileage because it's driven by your engine (obviously) but drawing more electric current from your alternator won't effect your mileage. The alternator isn't harder to turn because there is more load. Now if your alternator had a second gear, maybe if it shifted it would cause your engine to have to work harder to drive it.

 

And CLEAN YOUR MAF!!!! I got an additional 5 mpg after I cleaned it and my K&N air filter.

 

You are wrong. Running any electrical devise will lower your gas mileage. Heated seats and rear defroster are the two that have the highest demand but even turning on your radio will reduce your gas mileage by some amount.

 

After doing some Google research I cannot find any information one way or the other. But it does seem that the amount of electrical feedback from the turning armature against the housing of the alternator while under a higher than standard load versus a 200+ horsepower engine is arguable at best.

I think this is another question for the mythbusters, but the last gas mileage episode was painfully boring.

If you are really planning on turning off your stereo to save mileage go ahead but your probably better off loosing that last 10 pounds you were working at anyway.

 

Just an FYI for the genius that said gas temp in the am are better.

You do realize that 4' below the ground temperatures are stable right? This is regardless of the city you live. Considering most fuel tanks are kept well below 4' I call BS!

 

If you can keep steady on the gas it saves gas compared to cruise control.

 

Oh snap, I guess bumpin my subs with a 1000 watt amp is a REALLY big no no for gas mileage then lol.

 

since it will be getting hotter and hotter, and most people will be using the air conditioner more often, here is a little tip. If you are going 45 mph or slower, open your windows instead of using the a/c. It is more gas efficient to use the A/C at above 45mph because that is when drag really takes a big toll on gas. This is a MYTH BUSTERS tested and approved method to improve gas mileage on the hot days of summer.

 

Make that 15 pounds. I need to get down to 185.

 

I haven't been 185 since high school...

 

lots of helpfull info thx

 

Good tips. I'll have to give em a try!

 

I've seen these same comments many months ago and I provide thsis caveat.

This commentary originated from the state of California and I know in Canada there are more stringent regulations.

Regarding Tip 1, on all pumps in Canada there is a statement indicating that gas temperatures are adjusted to 15 degrees Celsius. So Tip 1 here is not really useful. Maybe in the State of California. Perhaps other states could have the same regualtion as in Canada.

 

Funny thing is around here, Most gas stations don't have the automatic click thing on the handle anymore, I see it on an average of maybe once a week out of the 4+ gas stations I visit... and the reasons imo are...

1.They break and gas stations are too lazy to fix it,
2.Some never had it
3.Could be a safety thing for that station and they don't want you to top off, or if the thing does not stop from malfunction it won't keep going.


Anyway, couple other tips to add... Most of the gas that we all see, Chevron, shell, Sunoco, Mobil... They ALL come from the same fuel station... No one knows this unless your working in the industry. I know someone that works at the fuel plants and you will see hundreds of trucks all from different companies go and fuel up there. The only difference between all of them is the additives they put in it to help clean ur engine or what have you. Now "grocery gas" or Ma and pa family owned gas stations like "Tom's Chill & Fill, or Gas-land... all use cheaper gas and use no additives.

They sometimes "mix" there tanks with other octanes. This lady at Mobil told me that down the street (a Franchised Shell) happen to be empty on regular fuel and had about 50% premium left. Now when these guys make their fuel order they order generally one set amount of gallons for their tanks, and if that amount is too much, they top it off in the other tank. Corp gas stations can't do this, because there being monitored. Now doing that is a no-no by state laws but some cheapo stations do that to save money, because the trucks do not refund the Gas stations if they end up not emptying out the truck.

 

you're...their...

You visit 4+ gas stations a week????