Save Money On Gas

The Common Sense Approach

Unless you've been living in a cave - and if you had Osama would have told you - you know that gas prices have gone nuts. The truth is demand has gone up and supply has not kept up.  Personally I have to have gas and I am not willing to give up my SUV for a motorized skateboard just yet.  The following tips will save you money on gas, will make your car last longer and help you leave a smaller carbon footprint so Al Gore will be happy.

1. Keep your car in good shape mechanically, this means getting a tune up, changing your air filter, and changing your oil.  Many of these can be done yourself or very cheaply at your local mechanic or even Wal-Mart.

2. Here's an easy one, keep your tires inflated to the proper pounds per square inch as indicated on the tire itself or the panel on the drivers side door.  Do not over inflate and do not under inflate, it's got to be just right.  Get yourself one of those cheap tire gauges that looks like a pen.

3. Get the junk out of your trunk, or pick up, or SUV luggage area, just get it cleaned out.  The more weight you remove the more you save money on gas.

4. Stop the Jack rabbit tire burning runs to the 7-11. Accelerate and break as smoothly as you can. That traffic light will still be there and still be red if you coast up to it and you will use less gas. Make it a game to see how close to a stop you can be as you cruise up to that red light.

5. WASH that car! Wax it too. The ease with which your vehicle slips through the air will actually translate into more miles per gallon and save cash on gas as well as look a lot classier. It's aerodynamics at work, it's why they wax those jet airplanes and NASCAR cars.

6. Try not to use your car's air conditioner unless it's absolutely necessary, most people don't cool off the car before they get where they're going anyway.  Get one of those solar powered suction fans you see on TV and let it draw out the heat, you will be shocked at how well those gizmos work.  Crack open the window and get some fresh air, just remember don't drive highway speeds with the windows down as the drag and air pressure will end up eating up your savings.

There are a thousand ways to save gas and money, and these are just some of the easy common sense first steps that don't cost a lot.  Just remember each one of these tips may not save a huge amount but together they add up just like pennies make dollars.

by Stingram - June 10, 2008

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