How to Save Money on Gas

Recently, I have been getting pretty in to saving gasoline. Since I commute to Stamford from Middletown everyday, it has become pretty important to save money on gas. If I just drive normally I spend about $170 a week. BUT, since I have been using some new technique's I have gotten that number down to $100. Here are some of the things I have found out, either by experience or by looking it up, on how I saved on gas prices.

LOCATION EVALUATION
This one is pretty much just common sense, but it basically means that you should look up the quickest way to where ever you're going. I personally use Google Maps, but anything will really work. Make sure to keep in mind that the shortest distance isn't always the fastest way to where you're going. You need to take stop signs, stop lights, and traffic density into consideration when mapping out your travel route. When it comes to traffic, always remember to either check the news before you leave, or hit up your local radio station.

DRIVING TECHNIQUES
There are a couple different things I've heard about the way to actually DRIVE your car so that you get the best gas efficiency, but these are the things that have worked for me.

1: Keep steady on the accelerator. If you keep pressing on and off the gas, you are basically wasting it. Every time you pump the accelerator you are dumping unneeded amounts of gas into the cylinders. I assume that you are given the ability to speed up really fast on the highway for safety reasons, or if you feel like ramming a car that's going to slow.

2: Keep your engines RPM's down as much as possible. Unless you are street racing, there is probably no need to bring your engine up to 7,000 Revolutions Per Minute. Though I suppose you might miss your chance at running over your neighbors cat. For those of you that don't know what I'm talking about, the higher your RPM's are the harder your engine is working, and the more gas you're using.

3: When taking a curve, switch to the lane that's on the inside of the turn if there are more than one lane. This is a pretty good tip. If you really think about it, the inside of a curve is the shortest distance in the curve. Just think about walking around in a circle. Would you rather walk around the outside, or the center? Remember, if it's late at night, and you are driving on a two street that is only one lane each way, it is perfectly fine to hug the curb in the opposite lane if it happens to be on the inside of a curve. Who's going to catch you anyway?

4: Riding the wind behind another car. This pretty much only works on the highway, but it definitely works. In fact, Nascar drivers use this technique in order to save gas during a race. Basically, if you get as close as you can to the car in front of (you don't HAVE to tailgate them...) they break the force created by air, making your car have to struggle less in order to maintain a "safe" highway driving speed. I am not sure if it really matters what size of car is in front of you, but I usually pick a car that is about the same size as mine. I've tried it with huge Semi trucks, but they actually create a strange wind cycle behind them, making my car a little harder to control. It's actually kind of weird.

MECHANICAL IMPROVEMENTS
Is always a good idea to keep your vehicle up to par when it comes to running quality, aerodynamics, and structure integrity. My car was pretty beat for a while, but after I got the exhaust and brakes fixed along with a tune up, I was saving some good money. I guess this one kind of sucks only because you do have to spend some money to save some money, but with the way gas prices are looking, you will probably save more than you spend.

Another thing to remember, is that when you use the AC in your car, it is run by a belt directly controlled by your engine. This can bog down your engine, especially if you are driving an older car. BUT, keep in mind that rolling your windows down greatly reduces your aerodynamics which will make your gas millage suffer as well. My suggestion would be to evaluate your vehicle. If you're driving something newer, I would say use your AC. Newer cars don't lose as much power from their AC's. If you are rocking an older car, as I am, just roll down the windows. My car actually starts to chug when I switch on the AC. I can only imagine how much gas that wastes. But, don't forget to evaluate your driving situation as well. If you are driving slow speeds all the way to your destination, you might as well just roll down the windows. You wouldn't be going fast enough for it to matter, but your AC will still bog your engine down just as much as if you were going fast. If you are going to be hitting the highway in your brand spanking new, 2025 BMW, just use the fucking AC.


Other than these things, you probably already know all the other tricks. Look around for the cheapest prices on fuel, don't just run your car when parked, and try not to make too many molotov cocktails with the gas from your tank.... use someone else's.