tips for better mileage

1. Anticipate, coast, and use your brakes less. Look far down the road ahead, even if "far" means half a city block. Get into position for turn-lanes smoothly and early so that you don't have to accelerate to get in front of traffic. Anticipate stops or slow-downs ahead and take your foot off the gas: try to coast much more than you brake. Keeping more distance to the car in front of you will help.
   See a long train at the RR crossing ahead? Get your foot off the gas immediately. You can idle forward in Drive for a long way (without braking), for ~30% less fuel than sitting in Drive, and nearly the same fuel use as sitting in Park.
   Remember: any additional distance you coast will save fuel and extend your brake-pad life.
   
2. Don't accelerate quickly. Remember that the guy who leaves the stoplight the quickest also pays more at the pump. Accelerating at about 1/4 throttle will be slower than you're used to, but it saves a lot of fuel. Whether you're driving an automatic or manual, this will tend to shift up to higher gears at slower speeds, turning fewer engine revolutions.
   
3. Minimize idling, and idle smart: Engines only need 10 to 30 seconds for warm-up, and idling your engine for more than a minute typically costs more fuel than re-starting it. So avoid the drive-thru lines at the bank and the fast-food shop: instead of sitting in line, park and go inside. BUT, when you must idle with an automatic transmission, put the transmission in Neutral or Park while you're waiting: this will cut your fuel usage at idle by 15-35% depending on the vehicle. If you have a manual transmission, don't use the clutch to keep from rolling back - use the brake. This will save fuel and extend your clutch life.
   
4. Use Cruise Control. It's proven to save fuel. But here's a secret... it's not just for cruising. Using the "Resume" button on your cruise control can be a handy compromise to provide reasonable acceleration times that don't irritate drivers behind you, without wasting fuel.
   
5. Overdrive and gear selection. If you have an automatic with Overdrive, use the Overdrive. If you have a manual transmission, shift early to keep engine rpm's lower and be sure to use the highest gear for highway cruising.
   
6. Slow down. As you increase speed above 60 mph, wind resistance starts increasing dramatically as a percentage of total fuel consumption. Estimates are that every mile over 60 mph costs you 1% in fuel economy. In other words, when you speed, you're paying more at the gas pump.
   
7. Watch your tire choice. Replacing your tires/wheels with wider and/or taller ones may look awesome, but keep in mind that your choice could have a 1 to 3% penalty in fuel economy... or even more in extreme cases like "monster truck" tires/wheels.
   
8. Carefully consider your route and the time of day: traffic flow is a huge factor.
   For example, see the picture to the right. Those vehicle-following-distances are typical of traffic in many large cities. If this highway traffic is stop-and-go, fuel economy will be bad. On the other extreme, if the traffic is moving smoothly and fast (at 60 - 80 mph), then your fuel economy is going to be superb: those rushing vehicles create a jet-stream of air which dramatically reduces your wind-drag losses - 10 to 30% improvements are possible. For maximum fuel economy, follow a larger vehicle and use your cruise control (just bump speed up/down 1 mph to adjust). Also, keep in mind the wind direction: if there's a strong wind blowing in from the right, and you drive in the right lane, you get no break in wind resistance.
   
9. Plan and Combine errands to make fewer trips. Think like your great-grandparents did. Plan meals and grocery shop once a week or twice a month; just make a list of other errands during the week, plan your route, and do it all on the same day. Dropping off the kids at practice? Arrange with other parents to carpool or to pick them up for you.
   Such planning may seem like work at first, but it will give you more free time, help you relax, and can improve your average fuel economy by 5 to 15%. It can also cut your average weekly mileage by 20% or more. Total dollar potential: save 10-35% of monthly fuel costs.
   How does this help fuel economy? During the first several miles while warming up, the engine and transmission are not operating at full efficiency. This is why city fuel economy can drop dramatically in cold weather, when it can take 10 miles for the transmission to warm up. Automatic transmissions in particular can be huge power hogs when fluid is cold (hot/cold temperatures are one of many reasons to use a full-synthetic 100,000-mile transmission fluid - see more on this below), and manual transmissions can feel like you're shifting in molasses. Combining two or three trips into one will not only reduce the miles you drive, but will get you better fuel economy on the way.
   
10. Drive first to your furthest destination of the day. When running errands, driving to your farthest point first will warm up your vehicle's engine and transmission most quickly, which allows it to operate with more efficiency during the rest of your stops.
    
11. Clear off the snow and ice. Snow and ice buildup costs you fuel in two important ways: it increases your vehicle's wind resistance, and it adds a lot of weight.
    
12. Use an engine block heater. When your engine warms up more quickly, it gets efficient more quickly. But "idling" your engine is an expensive way to warm it up in the winter. Instead, have an engine block heater installed and plug it into a hardware-store timer. Depending on the engine temperature, 1 to 3 hours on the timer will give you an optimal boost for your fuel economy.
    
13. Use air conditioning wisely. In city driving, it's cheaper to use the vents and/or roll the windows down. But at highway speeds, it's a different story: rolling the windows down will cost you more fuel than using the air conditioner. In addition, try to remember to shut off the A/C before you get to your destination. These factors can affect fuel economy by ~ 1-5%.
    
14. Drive in style - tint your windows. Window tinting offers both privacy and "coolness", by reducing the load on your Air Conditioner. It also extends the life of your interior by lowering the interior's temperature when sitting in full sun, as well as by blocking UV rays. Just be careful to select tinting that isn't darker than what's legally allowed.
    
15. Close passenger air vents. If your vehicle is a commuter rather than a family car, you don't need to be cooling your entire car interior - just you.
    
16. Buy fuel wisely. Ok, this isn't actually improving your fuel economy, but there are several things to save money on: Filling up on Tuesday afternoon or Wednesday morning will normally save you money: those are typically the lowest prices of the week. Also, filling up in the morning when the fuel pump is cooler will get you a few extra cents of fuel. So your best time to fill up is - on average - Wednesday morning. Don't "top off" your tank: you risk losing fuel to the station's vapor-recovery system, giving them back some of what you're paying for. And speaking of that vapor-recovery system, some fuel refinery employees have reported that you'll also get slightly more fuel in your tank by filling up with the gas handle on the SLOW setting so that you don't create as high a fume content while filling the tank... but that may be "splitting molecules" with a benefit so small that it's a waste of time.
    
17. Use a good fuel additive. Injectors with excessive deposits have poor spray patterns that can cost you 2 to 15% in fuel economy. Those deposits are caused by poor quality fuel. Since '95 the EPA has required all gasoline to have deposit-control additives. But as fuel quality control capabilities have improved over the years, average fuel quality has dropped steadily. Now about half of all fuel on the market is Lowest Additive Concentration (LAC) gasoline, which barely meets the regulation and contributes to excessive deposits. What can you do? First, if your vehicle is designed for premium gas, and you use premium, your injectors may be fine: many premium fuels include much higher additive levels that are effective at keeping injectors clean. However, what if you don't use premium? Use "Top Tier" detergent gas if you can find it, because this new class of fuel meets the 2004 GM/Honda/Toyota/BMW deposit control standard. Shell states that all their gas grades meet the Top Tier standard.
    If you don't need to pay for premium and Top Tier isn't available, you probably need an additive. BEWARE: there are a lot of mousey fuel additive products in ads and on store shelves that generate ridiculous sales profits but don't do much for your vehicle. Find a good one that will clean your injectors, keep them clean, and (for diesels) lubricate your fuel pump.
    
18. Lose some weight! Reduce your vehicle's weight: clean out the trunk (and maybe the back seat). Summer snow-chains and tools from that weekend project two months ago is costing you fuel! For every 200 pounds in your trunk, it costs you roughly 1 mpg.
    
19. Don't drive! Carpool, occasionally ride a bicycle or walk, telecommute for part of your work-week, or take public transportation.
    
20. Shift your work-hours to avoid gridlock. Stop-and-go traffic is hard on fuel economy. Try to arrange traveling to/from work when traffic flow is running smoothly at the speed limit.
    
21. Park in the Shade: The hotter the fuel tank gets, the more gas you lose to evaporation? Technically true, but most of your savings will come from the air conditioner not having to work as long to cool off your car's interior. If you crack your your windows a bit and use a sunshade in the front windshield, you'll not only sweat less, but you'll save money from your A/C not having to work as hard.
    
22. Smart vacation thinking: If your vehicle is a gas guzzler, consider renting an economical vehicle to drive on vacation. With a discounted week-long rate at better fuel economy, the rental might pay for itself. If you lease your vehicle, using a rental vehicle will also lower your total lease miles.
    
23. Keep a log of your mileage and fuel. I've done this for years, first in vehicle expense record books, and later with an excellent program in my Palm PDA called Highway Manager that I've used for more than 5 years. One advantage is that you can monitor your fuel economy and driving habits. Not only can you learn the cost benefits of changing your driving style, but you can spot the poor fuel economy that is often a first-alert to maintenance issues. In addition, as you make changes to improve fuel economy, you can measure the exact results (averaged over a few fill-ups for better accuracy).
    
24. Use your Fuel Economy display. One of the advantages to some of the most successful hybrids - like the Prius - is that they prominently display the instantaneous fuel economy. Many drivers have noted that this results in developing more frugal and sedate driving habits. If your vehicle doesn't have this feature, you can add one, like ScanGauge.
    

1. Keep your engine tuned up. If you have a dashboard service-engine light on, you're typically wasting fuel: for example, bad Oxygen Sensors are a classic problem that can cost you 5-15% in fuel economy. Overall, poor engine tuning and lack of maintenance will often decrease fuel economy by 10-20%, and it can be even worse in some cases.
   
2. Inflate your tires to their optimum: HIGHER pressures than "normal". Besides improving fuel economy, this will improve handling, increase safety, and increase tire life. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires.
   Over 90% of car tires on the road are under-inflated, and this costs money in both fuel and in shortened tire life. "Experts" generally define the "proper" pressure as the vehicle manufacturer's recommendation, and that's what most service shops try to follow. Who can blame them when even the government says to follow inflation pressures on the vehicle's OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) door sticker? Unfortunately, that's seldom correct. OEM wheel/tire combinations for most passenger cars and light trucks are designed by the tire manufacturer for even tread pressure on the ground when inflated to between 35 and 42 psi [pounds per square inch]: far more than the recommended 28 to 33 psi that you'll find in many owner's manuals or on door-jamb labels. If your tires normally wear the tread off the shoulder before the center of the tire, you can be certain that your tires are under-inflated.
   
3. Switch to best-quality synthetic oils and filters throughout your drivetrain: engine oil, transmission fluid, differential gear oil and wheel bearing grease. This advice - to use the best synthetic lubricants - is drastically neglected, yet it's an EASY area to save a lot of money because it's just replacing petroleum with high-performance synthetics. However, it's not a simple area to understand, so here's a brief primer on synthetic lubricants.
   
4. Improve airflow AROUND your vehicle:
   - Keep your windows rolled up at speeds over 40 mph: you'll feel a lot of air turbulence around the window, and the air-conditioning is probably cheaper than the fuel-economy penalty in additional wind-drag.
   - Turn off the air and roll down the windows at speeds under 40 mph in the summer heat: the additional wind-drag is cheaper than the air-conditioning.
   - Consider adding a truck bed cover, either soft-type or hardshell: they can give you a 1 to 2 mpg boost. What about dropping your tailgate to travel, or buying an "air gate" net or louvered tailgate to replace the stock part? Those are not as reliable - results depend on the vehicle aerodynamics, bed length, and the size and shape of what you do (or don't) have in the truck bed.
   - Reduce air turbulence under your vehicle: "Off-road" packages which include protective underbody "skid plate" features, or "ground effects" styling packages can help enough to add 1-5% in fuel economy. The downside is that these can make the vehicle more difficult to work on.
   - Adding an air deflector to the roof of your vehicle when towing will also add 1 to 3 mpg, but keep in mind that it will also reduce your non-towing fuel economy by about the same amount if it's still on the vehicle when you're NOT towing. (These air deflectors improve fuel economy by helping to "kick" the air up over the trailer, reducing the trailer's wind-drag.)
   - Loaded roof racks or cargo pods can cut 5% or more off your fuel economy. Fill the trunk first. A cargo rack that slides into a trailer hitch allows you to carry extra stuff, still get into your trunk, and use less fuel.
   - Sunroof air-deflectors can be handy, but they do cost you a bit of money. Removing the air deflector might save 1/4 to 3/4% in fuel economy.
   
5. Improve airflow into the engine. This can happen in several stages of increasing complexity, but the first place is the air filter, where air enters your engine. If your filter is dirty, that reduces fuel economy - up to 10% in the worst cases. However, there's a conflicting problem. Conventional filters should NOT be replaced before the OEM's recommended interval or they will increase your engine wear rate: they rely on the "dust cake" buildup to achieve effective filtration, which can reduce fuel economy.
   
6. Improve airflow out of the engine: Install an aftermarket exhaust system. These have larger diameter pipes and larger, less restrictive mufflers. My point isn't to get louder, but to reduce "backpressure" losses which cut down on horsepower, torque and fuel-economy. Since increased noise is typical, and some systems are intentionally designed to be loud, you may want to shop for the exhaust sounds you do or don't want. Borla is my personal high-quality favorite, because they tastefully design for great improvement without being overly loud.
   Keep in mind that on turbo-charged engines, anything you do to improve flow (reduce backpressure) through the exhaust system will pay rewards in increased turbo pressure, faster spool-up, and of course, better fuel economy. So if a larger down-pipe out of the turbo is an available option, take it: that's a useful upgrade that is sometimes overlooked.
   
7. Watch your transmission modes. Use overdrive when possible. Don't use 4-wheel drive when you don't need it. And when buying a new vehicle, consider your driving conditions and habits: if 4WD is important to you, you might want to consider AWD (All Wheel Drive) options for improved safety and automatic fuel-economy management of the drive system.
   
8. Upgrade to a more fuel-efficient vehicle. But be cautious. Everyone wants to make money from your vehicle change, so be sure to look out for your best interests. There are several ways to do this. First, beware of sticker price. Second, compare the fuel economy of different engine and transmission combinations. In some cases a larger engine actually gets better fuel economy. But spending a lot more money to get more fuel economy may not begin to pay you back before you sell the vehicle. Hint: hybrids are getting "hot" in the market, but they are often not worth the money. One reason is initial cost penalty, another is unrealistic fuel-economy claims, and another is high replacement costs for the big battery packs that these vehicles use to store and transfer energy. If that 56 mpg turns out to really be 41 mpg as a recent long-term test did in the '05 Toyota Prius vehicle (Car and Driver magazine), and you spent $6k more than an equivalent non-hybrid, and you're faced with a $2,300 battery replacement bill after 3 years and you only keep it for 4 or 5 years... well, the 36 mpg standard vehicle was a better deal.
   
9. SOURCE: http://www.ultimatesyntheticoil.com/Improve_Fuel_Economy/Increase_Fuel_Economy.htm
   

Vibhor wrote:Very nice and useful tips napster, Few of them are new for me. :)


VT

Road Rocket wrote:Useful tips, Most important is that we should not brake or acclerate suddenly, Thats drinks alot of fuel but thats also one needs to do in city.


RoadRocket

napster wrote:Second: vehicle MAINTENANCE & UPGRADES..

Improve airflow into the engine. This can happen in several stages of increasing complexity, but the first place is the air filter, where air enters your engine. If your filter is dirty, that reduces fuel economy - up to 10% in the worst cases. However, there's a conflicting problem. Conventional filters should NOT be replaced before the OEM's recommended interval or they will increase your engine wear rate: they rely on the "dust cake" buildup to achieve effective filtration, which can reduce fuel economy.

napster wrote:

Use Cruise Control. It's proven to save fuel. But here's a secret... it's not just for cruising. Using the "Resume" button on your cruise control can be a handy compromise to provide reasonable acceleration times that don't irritate drivers behind you, without wasting fuel.

1. Lose some weight! Reduce your vehicle's weight: clean out the trunk (and maybe the back seat). Summer snow-chains and tools from that weekend project two months ago is costing you fuel! For every 200 pounds in your trunk, it costs you roughly 1 mpg.
   
2. Don't drive! Carpool, occasionally ride a bicycle or walk, telecommute for part of your work-week, or take public transportation.