We’re all paying a lot of money at the pump. Here in Japan, it’s 170 yen a liter. That translates to about $6.80/gal! The general consensus is that this sucks. With that revelation under our belts, please enjoy these methods of squeezing every last drop out of your car.
1. Obey the law. Silly as it may sound, one of the best ways to increase your miles per gallon is to drive at or slightly below the speed limit. The faster a car goes, the harder the engine has to work, and the more fuel is consumed. Driving the speed limit doesn’t really get you anywhere any slower and it will save you money in speeding tickets, so give it a shot.
2. Drive a constant speed. It is the constant acceleration and deceleration that drains a cars tank. That’s why the mpg listed for a vehicle is higher for highway driving than it is for city driving. On the highway, you are driving at a fairly constant speed. Try using that in town. Obviously, you still need to stop at traffic lights and such, but otherwise pick your speed and stick to it as traffic allows.
3. Make the car do the work. There are a few times when you can take your foot off the pedals and let the car do the driving for you.
A. When you have to stop, but have a long distance to do it in. When you see a red light in the distance and there are no cars between you and it, take you foot off the gas (COVER THE BRAKE JUST IN CASE) and let the car coast until you need to stop it. You will slow down gradually due to the laws of physics. If you are lucky, the light will turn green and you can gas on through, eliminating one of those nasty start/stop gas guzzling maneuvers.
B. When driving down hill and there is nothing in front of you. Take your foot off the gas and let inertia and gravity do the job. Again COVER THE BRAKE JUST IN CASE!!
During these times when the gas pedal is not engaged, there is little to no gasoline being burned. It isn’t much, but every mpg helps.
4. Stop Idling. This has been a major PSA campaign in Japan lately. The idea is that when you stop your car for more than about 30 seconds, switch it off. Modern cars (at least Japanese ones) use less fuel restarting than they do idling for a minute or more. So don’t leave the car running when your spouse dashes into the store for five minutes. Don’t circle the parking lot waiting to pick someone up. This one requires good judgment, but if it is done correctly, it can save up to a gallon per tank (according to the Japanese PSA campaign).
5. Drive less. Yeah, this is the one we don’t want. But sometimes it just makes sense NOT to drive. Use public transportation, park & ride, walk, or use whatever else you can. Failing that, you should at least try planning your route out ahead of time so you can cover the maximum amount of space with the least amount of driving. For that matter, combine trips and do as much as you can in one drive.
Just a few ideas that I've found work for me. The result is that I only need to go to the gas station twice a month even though I drive every day.
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