Better Fill up today

[frawin]

August Crude Oil continues to trade higher overnite reaching a new all time high of $140.925, up $1.285. Natural Gas for August is trading higher as well at $13.31 up $0.062.
Frank

[Tobina+1]

Frank; do you get tired of all my questions?  You're such a plethora of information, I figure I better ask while you'll still let me!
So, while in Denver this week, I was driving with a co-worker and she was complaining about someone who was driving slow.  I told her that she probably should get used to it with the price of gas going up, the speeds would probably be going down.  She said she heard that it doesn't matter if you slow down; if your car is used to (and "broke in") driving faster speeds, it will actually perform worse at lower speeds.
I know there are so many "wives tales" out there about vehicle performance and conserving gas; do you have any insight on this?  I know that a news station in Wichita had a story about that, and one lady said she calculated her gas mileage and it was better at lower speeds.  I think I get better mileage when I drive lower speeds, too, although I haven't taken the time to calculate it and confirm.  But is there any stock to your car being "broke in" at higher speeds and not performing as well at lower speeds (and vice-versa)?

[frawin]

Tobina, I am not well versed on that subject but I have researched it some and based on everything I read you will consume less fuel at lower speeds. I have seen numbers of anywhere from 1% less fuel consumed to 25% less fuel consumed. I know from my farming days that atractor consumed considerably more fuel if under a load such as plowing verses other work. I will pull up my notes on this subject. I know during the "EMBARGO" the government changed the national speed limit to 55 MPH with the reason being it would reduce consumption apprecably. Good Question.
Frank

[frawin]

Tobina here is what one website has to say about it:

Drive Sensibly

Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Fuel Economy Benefit: 5-33%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.20-$1.35/gallon

Observe the Speed Limit

While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph.

You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon for gas.

Observing the speed limit is also safer.

Fuel Economy Benefit: 7-23%
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.29-$0.94/gallon

Remove Excess Weight

Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Fuel Economy Benefit: 1-2%/100 lbs
Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.04-$0.08/gallon

Avoid Excessive Idling

Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.


Use Cruise Control

Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.



Use Overdrive Gears

When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.



Note: Cost savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $4.08/gallon.

Data Sources

Estimates for fuel savings from sensible driving are based on studies and literature reviews performed by Energy and Environmental Analysis, Inc., Washington, DC.

Estimates for the effect of speed on MPG are based on a study by West, B.H., R.N. McGill, J.W. Hodgson, S.S. Sluder, and D.E. Smith, Development and Verification of Light-Duty Modal Emissions and Fuel Consumption Values for Traffic Models, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, March 1999.

[frawin]

Tobina, this is probably the most crdible report, it is from Consumer reports:
Fuel economy: Save money on gas
Consumer Reports' tests show how to get the best gas mileage


VIDEO:
FUEL ECONOMY: Get the most mileage
All videos
The best way to burn less fuel is to buy a car that gets better gas mileage. But our tests with a Toyota Camry and other vehicles show there are ways to minimize what you spend at the pump with your current car.

Drive at a moderate speed. This is the biggest factor. You may have to be a little patient, but driving at 55 mph instead of 65 or 75 will save you money. When we increased the Camry's highway cruising speed from 55 mph to 65, the car's fuel economy dropped from 40 mpg to 35. Speeding up to 75 mph cost the car another 5 mpg. One reason is that aerodynamic drag increases exponentially the faster you drive; it simply takes more fuel to power the car through the air.

Drive smoothly. Avoid hard acceleration and braking whenever possible. In our tests, frequent bursts of acceleration and braking reduced the Camry's mileage by 2 to 3 mpg. Once up to speed on the highway, maintain a steady pace in top gear. Smooth acceleration, cornering, and braking also extend the life of the engine, transmission, brakes, and tires.

Reduce unnecessary drag. At highway speeds, more than 50 percent of engine power goes to overcoming aerodynamic drag. So don't carry things on top of your vehicle when you don't have to. Installing a large Thule Cascade 1700 car-top carrier on our Camry dropped its gas mileage from 35 mpg to 29 at 65 mph. Even driving with empty racks on the car reduces its fuel economy.

Don't use premium fuel if you don't have to. If your car specifies regular fuel, don't buy premium under the mistaken belief that your engine will run better. The only difference you'll see is about 20 cents more per gallon. Most cars are designed to run just fine on regular gasoline. Even many cars for which premium is recommended will run well on regular. We have found that the differences are imperceptible during normal driving. Check your owner's manual to find out if your engine really requires premium or if you can run on other grades.

Minimize driving with a cold engine. Engines run most efficiently when they're warm. In our city-driving tests, making multiple short trips and starting the engine from cold each time reduced fuel economy by almost 4 mpg. Engines also produce more pollution and wear faster when they're cold. When possible, combine several short trips into one so that the engine stays warm.

Keep tires properly inflated. The Camry experienced a 1.3 mpg loss in highway fuel economy when the tires were underinflated by 10 psi. More important, underinflated tires compromise handling and braking, and wear faster. And they run much hotter, which can lead to tire failure. Check the pressure of your vehicle's tires at least once a month with a tire gauge. The owner's manual explains how to do it.

Buy tires with lower rolling resistance. A tire's rolling resistance can add or detract another 1 or 2 mpg. In our tire ratings, look for high-rated tires with low rolling resistance. They generally won't cost more, and replacing a worn tire could save you more than $100 a year in fuel.

Avoid idling for long periods. Think of it this way: When you're idling, your car is getting zero miles per gallon. When we let a Buick Lucerne, with a V8, idle for 10 minutes while warming up, it burned about an eighth of a gallon of gas. A smaller engine would probably burn less, but idling still adds up over time. As a rule, turn off your engine if you expect to sit for more than about 30 seconds. An engine warms up faster as it's driven anyway.

For more information on saving fuel and alternative fuel vehicles, see our

[Tobina+1]

...
Minimize driving with a cold engine. Engines run most efficiently when they're warm. In our city-driving tests, making multiple short trips and starting the engine from cold each time reduced fuel economy by almost 4 mpg. Engines also produce more pollution and wear faster when they're cold. When possible, combine several short trips into one so that the engine stays warm.
...
Avoid idling for long periods. Think of it this way: When you're idling, your car is getting zero miles per gallon. When we let a Buick Lucerne, with a V8, idle for 10 minutes while warming up, it burned about an eighth of a gallon of gas. A smaller engine would probably burn less, but idling still adds up over time. As a rule, turn off your engine if you expect to sit for more than about 30 seconds. An engine warms up faster as it's driven anyway.

OK, these 2 quotes seem to contradict each other?  Can you explain?  You want your car to warm up, but not idle?
Great points, though!  Thanks for the info!

[Joanna]

I'm pretty sure they mean to try to do all your errands for the day in one trip (which is just common Kansas sense anyhow).  After your auto engine is warmed up, you can turn it off and it will stay warm for quite a while. So for most of us, a stop at the bank, the hardware store, the gas station, the feed store etc. wouldn't be too long and the engine would still be warm to start and go to the next errand; you wouldn't be "cold" starting it each time.  If you were somewhere that you stayed parked for an hour or so, the engine would probably cool off so you could plan those for either the first or last stops of your trip.

Unless you are in Kansas in the summer ~ in which case I don't think you'd ever get a cold start. Ha!

This I know from waiting (forever) for an engine to cool enough to check/add water to the radiator.  But that's another story...

They are good tips!  Especially the tire pressure one which most people don't think to check.  It can make a huge difference in gas mileage and is also extremely important for your safety!

[Catwoman]

Gas jumped 16 cents per gallon here in Wichita today.

[frawin]

Catwoman, that is a result of crude going up $5.00 yesterday.
Frank

[Catwoman]

Ya know...I am beginning to remember Dante's Inferno when I am stopping to consider what these price increases are doing to the people who have to make a choice between filling their car with enough petrol to get to work or buying food for their kids.  I am almost to the point where it would seem plausible!