i know owning a pet's the trendy thing to do...but a hotel for pets?!?!
on a completed unrelated note, here's an interesting article on gas saving tips. i think most of it's common sense, but there are a couple things i didn't realize (like using overdrive on the highway and every 5 mph higher than 60 decreases your mpg...). i've been wanting to inflate my tires for a while now, but was horrified to discover that Chevron now charges for the "free air & water...cuz that's how it should be" (or something like that) that they used advertise!! Then yesterday, I was gonna get air at the shell that gives it free to customers, but there was too long a line waiting for the attendant. hopefully, i can get air on my next fill up.
More Tips on Saving Gas Money: 13 Ways to Save on Gas and Improve Mileage
- Stay within posted speed limits. The faster you drive, the more fuel you use.
- Use overdrive gears. Overdrive gears improve the fuel economy of your car during highway driving.
- Use cruise control. Using cruise control on highway trips can help you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, reduce your fuel consumption.
- Anticipate driving situations. If you anticipate traffic conditions and don't tailgate, you can avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration, and improve your fuel economy by 5 to 10 percent.
- Avoid unnecessary idling. Turn off the engine if you anticipate a lengthy wait. No matter how efficient your car is, unnecessary idling wastes fuel, costs you money and pollutes the air.
- Combine errands. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.
- Remove excess weight from the trunk. Avoid carrying unneeded items, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk reduces a typical car's fuel economy by one to two percent.
- Keep your engine tuned. Studies have shown that a poorly tuned engine can increase fuel consumption by as much as 10 to 20 percent depending on a car's condition.
- Keep your tires properly inflated and aligned. Underinflated tires cause fuel consumption to increase by six percent.
- Change your oil. Clean oil reduces wear caused by friction between moving parts and removes harmful substances from the engine.
- Check & replace air filters regularly. Your car's air filter keeps impurities in the air from damaging internal engine components. Clogged filters can cause up to a 10% increase in fuel consumption.
- Buy only the octane level gas you need. Remember, the higher the octane, the higher the price. Check your owner's manual to determine the right octane level for your car.
- Own a fuel efficient vehicle. The difference between a car that gets 20 MPG and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to $1,500 over 5 years.
6 comments:
Nice tips. :) Camry's, fortunately, have pretty good gas mileage, and Camry's with manual tranny--even better. ;)
Interesting, I thought I read somewhere that cruise control is not necessarily fuel-efficient because on hills, it'll burn more gas to maintain, say, 60 MPH.
re: kuoj's comment, I think that is the case if you're in a hilly area. However, cruise control is supposed to help control the speed up, let up on gas, speed up, etc. cycle that most manual drivers will get into, which is supposed to help (I guess).
I actually follow quite a few of these... I'm probably one of the few people who would be willing to trade 20 hp for every mpg gained, and trade around 60 hp...
hmmm...these tips seem to point to the direction that says that if you're a nice/'good' driver aka. no tailgating or going over speed limit, you'll be okay. =]
i think all gas stations have to give you free air and water if you buy gas from them. also, for cars that have overdrive, the default (ie, no info light on the dash) is to use overdrive, so you should already be covered there.
There's also:
14. Ride a motorcycle - motorcycles generally get the same mpg as the hybrids or older low-consumption civics do (40-50 mpg I think).
15. Ride a bicycle.
16. Take public transportation.
17. Work from home.
As for the rest of the suggestions - they generally also fall under the umbrella of proper basic maintenance and care for your vehicle.
Unfortunately in the U.S., most people treat their personal means of transportation as mere appliances, with little understanding (or concern or respect) for how things work under the hood, so to speak.
The other falls in the category of driving habits, and Americans' habits are among the worst - inattentiveness, multitasking, etc. Reasons for this include the ease with which drivers' licenses are passed out and the general attitude towards driving as a chore or task to be endured or waste of time (witness the number of people on their cell phones while driving, snacking, reading, looking at maps ...). Consider also how each of these individuals is piloting a 2-ton assembly of plastic, cloth, and metal, some of which serve to contain thousands of miniature explosions a minute (the engine), at speeds of around 80 mph near other 2-ton assemblies of plastic, cloth, and metal, and one begins to wonder just where the lack of respect is derived.
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