wise driving tips

8/22/2019 Wise Driving Tips

1/29

Designed and Distributed by Web Warrior Toolsby Lynn Truong

Wise Bread'sWise Driving Guide:

108 Tips to Raise Your Fuel Economy


2/29

2

IntroductionEven though Gas prices have leveled out a bit, it

wasn't that long ago that it was breaking record

highs every week, closing in at $5.00 per gallon. It

is increasingly important to be aware o your car'suel eciency. Any improvement to your MPG

(miles per gallon) will lead to big savings. This

comprehensive guide will give you tips to increase

your uel economy immediately. It will also dispel myths and provide warnings or

dangerous strategies to avoid.

No matter what kind o car you drive, you can benet in knowing more about how

driving habits, car maintenance, and liestyle aects how much you pay or gas.While applying some o these tips will have a bigger impact than others, just knowing

your options or obtaining better uel economy is invaluable. Many common driving

habits are detrimental to uel economy, and many drivers unknowingly spend more on

gas than they have to. This ebook will guide you through all the ways to get better

uel economy (it's FE in hypermiling lingo). Getting more mileage rom every gallon

o gas isn't just good or your wallet, it's great or the environment. You can lower

your uel consumption (without sacricing anything), spend less on gas, and have a

better driving experience. It's all in this Wise Driving Guide.

Please note the special icons that label some of the techniques:

Top Tip simple and eective Advanced technique

Dangerous, stay away

2

For any updates, news,or to join the forumsdiscussion on thisebook, please visit

http://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tips.
http://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tipshttp://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tipshttp://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tipshttp://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tipshttp://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tipshttp://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tips


3/29

3

Be aware that all o these tips are provided as recommendations and should only be

applied when conditions are sae. Some techniques such as coasting and EOC (En-

gine-o coasting) may be illegal in some areas. Check your local laws beore attempt-

ing such maneuvers.

3


4/29

4

Driving Tips ways to drive ormaximum uel economy

1. Dont drive aggressively

Flooring the gas and slamming on the brakes is the quickest way to burn a hole in

your wallet and empty your gas tank. According to ueleconomy.gov, you may experi-

ence a 33% decrease in uel economy by rapidly accelerating and braking. The hard

act is that you share the road with other drivers and ultimately have to stop at all the

stoplights and stop signs like everyone else. Save yoursel some heartburn, speeding

tickets, accidents, and lots o cash by taking it easy on the pedals.

2. Plan your stops ahead o timeI you see a red light up ahead, rather than pressing on the gas until you need to

brake, coast to a stop by taking your oot o the gas and putting your car in neutral

or manual transmission. You have enough momentum to keep your car moving or-

ward or a while (without needing to eed more gas into the engine by maintaining

pressure on the gas pedal). By coasting, youre making sure that the gas you use is

taking you as ar as possiblethe key to getting a higher MPG.

4. Study the lights

When driving a amiliar route, you can identiy the intersections at which you typi-

cally must stop (so you can coast up to them), as well as the lights that change more

quickly due to sensors or the size o the intersection. Smaller, less busy intersections

usually have shorter lights, and i there are sensors, allowing cars to get ahead o you

to trigger them (also known as Rabbit Timing) will allow you to coast through. You

4

3How your car uses gas

Consider that a carconsumes the most

gas when it accelerates(even more during rapidacceleration). Once theacceleration is completed,it takes very little to keepthe car moving (physicsis pushing it along morethan anything). I you slowthe car down by braking,youve eectively wasted

the gas used to push thecar orward in the rstplace. Youre losing all theenergy it has built up romthat initial acceleration.The gas could have takenyou arther, but by cuttingit short (braking) yourecutting your MPG. To useyour gas most eciently,keep your ride steady andsmooth, without a lot obraking.


5/29

5

can make the best time and enjoy greater eciency by knowing when to coast or

when to push through at a constant speed.

5. Switch lanes

I you have to stop quickly with no room to coast, choose the lane that has ewer carsstopped at the light so that your momentum will carry you arther, rather than using

gas to cover that distance later when you need to accelerate.

6. Find the clear lane

Dont get caught in a lane in which trac con-

ditions require you to speed up and slow down

repeatedly. For example, avoid driving behindbuses on surace streets, and on the merging

or exit lanes o highways.

7. Accelerate slowly

Dont push down the pedal more than a quarter o the way down when accelerating.

Any more and youll be pumping excess gas into your engine while going the samedistance.

8. Shit up early and shit down lateFor manual transmission owners, this will keep your car running at a lower RPM at a

higher gear, which helps uel economy.

5


6/29

6

9. Release the throttle earlySome automatic transmissions can be coaxed to upshit sooner when accelerating

by briefy releasing some throttle pressure (liting o the gas pedal), then re-applying

throttle pressure to continue accelerating. It may take a little practice to get the tim-

ing just right.

10. Keep a constant, low RPM

Those with manual transmissions will nd this easiest to do, but i you have an auto-

matic transmission, driving 1-3 mph aster or slower can change the gear you are in.

Choose the speed that produces the lowest RPM or the gear you are in. Traveling at

higher speeds in low gears can consume up to 45% more uel than needed.

11. Dont idleWhen idling, you use gas while traveling zero milesthis really reduces your average

MPG. I you know youll be idling or more than 30 seconds, you will save more gas

i you turn o your car and restart when you need to start moving (the break-even

point or idling versus using gas to start up the car is about 20 seconds). Hybrid cars

take advantage o this by turning o the engine automatically when stopped, and willrestart again when the gas is applied.

12. Shit to neutral

I you do idle, switch to neutral. The car uses less gas when its in neutral. Its also

easier on the transmission and allows the engine to cool.

6


7/297

14. Driving without brakes (DWB)

This is not to be taken literally, but its a term hypermilers use when reerring to their

uel economy philosophy. I you really had to drive without brakes, what would you

do? You would slow down, drive with more anticipation, and coast to slow down.

DWB encompasses the broad view o the hypermilers best uel economy practices.

15. Engine-o coasting (EOC) or Forced Auto Stop (FAS)One o the biggest reasons hybrids get much better uel economy is their Auto Stop

eature. Hybrid engines shut down in various situations, one o them being when the

accelerator is released (when youre coasting) at under 40 miles per hour. Extreme

hypermilers apply this strategy to their non-hybrid cars, which is very dangerous, andmost likely illegal. Not only is there a series o precise steps you must execute (i.e.

settings to turn the key and how to rev back at the right gear when restarting the en-

gine), but you also lose all power or power-steering and power-braking, which is not

a good situation or anybody, whether youre the one driving or just in the vicinity o

such a driver. I you are determined to use this technique, buy a hybrida car that is

specically designed to operate in this way.

16. DratingFollowing a large vehicle closely to drive in its slipstream is no tip. It is extremely

dangerous and no amount o MPG increase is worth the risk. There is simply no time

to react to any sudden moves by the truck youre ollowing.

17. Pulse and Glide

This originally started as a technique used by hybrid owners, which hypermilers have

7

13What is hypermiling?Hypermiling is a term thatreers to the techniquesused to maximizeuel eciency. WayneGerdes, the most amous

hypermiler, coined theterm as he was pushingthe limits o uel economy.While all o the techniquessuggested in this ebookall under hypermiling,there are many extremetechniques experthypermilers use that areconsidered dangerous

and may even be illegal.Always consider saetyrst.


8/29

8

adopted to their non-hybrid cars (like EOC/

FAS). Rather than going at a steady speed

(lets say 40 mph), you accelerate to 45-50

mph (pulse), and then coast until youre at

30 mph (glide). This gets you higher uel

economy than traveling at a steady 40 mph.Hybrid cars are best suited or this tech-

nique because o the interaction between

the gas and electric engines during the

pulse, and because the engine shuts down

during the glide. The idea is that you only use gas or roughly hal o the trip, which

should yield you twice the MPG. But using this method on a non-hybrid vehicle re-

quires much more strategic maneuvering and the use o extra instrumentation.

18. Driving with load (DWL) or target driving

The aim is to maintain a target MPG rather than a specic speed (like you would dur-

ing cruise control). This is most eective when there are many dips and hills, and easi-

est when you have a MPG display to guide you. Using this technique means keeping

steady pressure on the gas so that you slow down when going uphill and speed up

when going downhill, and even out to a constant rate o speed when youre back onfat road.

19. Drive shoeless

Some extreme hypermilers drive without shoes so they can control the accelerator

to the nest degree. Hypermilers got this idea rom race car drivers, a big source o

inspiration or uel economy tricks (like drating).

8


9/29

9

20. Brake hard to coastI youre in a situation where youre going too ast and have no time to coast to a

stop, rather than braking moderately to slow down to a complete stop, you can brake

hard to reduce your speed quickly, then coast the rest o the way. Only do this when

it is sae, and there are no cars behind or around you that may react unexpectedly toyour sudden braking.

21. Use momentum to travel up a hill

Accelerating while moving upwards uses up a lot o gas. I you are approaching a hill,

build up speed beore reaching the hill and use that momentum to carry you up the

hill without additional acceleration. Its much easier to build up speed on a fat road

rather than at the bottom o a hill. Maintain your speed as you go up the hill (youprobably dont even need to have your oot on the gas). Coast down the hill saely.

22. Avoid rough roads

Try to avoid rough roads. Gravel roads, dirt roads and roads with many potholes

cause riction that reduces uel economy.

23. Find side streets

Smaller streets that run parallel to large ones are generally less congested and require

ewer stops.

24. Make ewer let turns

UPS integrated a no let turn policy and claims it shaved 30 million miles o its deliv-

9


10/29

10

eries and saved the cost o 3 million gallons o gas in 2007. Let turns generally take

longer and require more idling. This is especially important when you are running

multiple errands. Pick the route that requires ewer let turns. (It isnt so practical

when youre just trying to get to one location.)

25. Make wide turns.Wider turns require less deceleration during the turn and less re-acceleration ater the

turn. This means choosing the outer lane to make a turn when theres an option. This

tip applies to instances when youre approaching a turn, not when youre turning rom

a ull stop.

26. Drive 55 mph on the highwayIn 1974, the 55 mph speed limit was implemented nationwide

to respond to the oil crisis at that time. It is still the speed at

which cars today get their best MPG. The biggest actor infu-

encing uel economy at high speeds is wind resistance. Since

cars havent dramatically changed in shape or orm in the last 30

years, their ability to bear wind resistance has not changed much,so 55 mph is still the sweet spot or cars. There are a ew

exceptions where high-perormance sports cars may nd their

sweet spot at a slightly higher MPH. However, no matter where

the sweet spot is, a small car will always have a much better MPG than a high-peror-

mance sports car that needs more uel or its engine. Cleanmpg.com shows a 17% drop

in uel economy when driving at 70 mph instead o 55 mph and a 10% drop when driv-

ing 65 mph compared to 55 mph. I you are already generally driving sensibly without

jack rabbit starts and stops, this is where you will see your largest MPG improvement.

10

27The cost o minutesI you need to go 30 miles,driving at 60 mph will getyou there in 30 minutes,whereas driving 75 mphwill get you there only 6

minutes aster. How muchare you paying or those 6minutes?


11/29

11

28. Drive with buerBy putting more space between you and the car in ront, you can anticipate decreases

in speed earlier, which allows you to coast rather than brake requently due to the un-

predictable behavior o the driver in ront o you. This

works best when driving in heavy trac on the highway.You might see a ew cars fooring it just to get ahead o

you, but theyre not getting anywhere.

29. Find good company

On the highway, most people drive aster than 55 mph.

Getting in the midst o them will either encourage you to drive aster or orce those

behind you to quickly get around you. Find the slower vehicles and drive behind or in

ront o them, to help you stay at optimum speed.

30. Watch the winds

This is impractical or the average driver, but i you like to ollow the wind reports, or

i you live in an area or have a job that requires you to pay close attention to the wind

direction, you can decide your route by considering whether you can drive with atailwind boost, or avoid head and crosswinds. With crosswinds, choosing a route with

barriers, such as trees or buildings, or even having other cars around you, will improve

your uel economy.

31. Ridge Riding (RR)

Most people drive in the center o the lane, causing grooves, ruts, and dents in theroad surace rom the constant wear. By driving along the paint where the road is

11


12/29

12

smoother, your car will encounter less riction. This is really only eective when the

road is wet, since youll be able to avoid driving into water puddles that cause drag.

32. Coast through a curve

Prepare or a curve by coasting up to it and ridingthrough it without stepping on the brakes. You might

nd cars behind you anxious to gas it to the curve,

but youll leave them behind when they have to step

on the brakes while you coast right through it slowly

and steadily. This occurs most oten on reeway on/o

ramps.

33. Use the overdrive

Use your cars overdrive eature when driving on the highway.

34. Use cruise control

Cruise control is best or long distances on fat roads. Dont use it on hilly or moun-

tainous roads that call or requent acceleration/deceleration.

35. Hug the curve

You travel a shorter distance i youre in the lane that hugs the curve rather than the

arther onesame logic as running or racing.

12


13/29

13

36. Consider the weather

When its hot, avoid driving during the hottest time o day, when your A/C will be

required most. When its cold, drive during the warmest part o the day, to help your

engine warm up aster.

37. Clear the snow and ice

Completely clear snow and ice o your vehicle

beore driving. This will minimize your use o

derosters, remove drag rom the clumps o

snow, and reduce weight (a layer o snow on

your car can be surprisingly heavy).

38. Dont warm up

Cars today dont need a warm-up time beore

they begin moving. You can warm up your en-

gine aster by driving, rather than idling, which

is terrible or uel economy.

39. Heating block

Use a heating block to warm up your engine beorehand. Engines are most ecient

ater they are ully warmed up. About two hours is the maximum time needed to pre-

warm a small engine.

13


14/29

14

40. Avoid requent stops during cold weather

The engine does not operate eciently until it is warmed up. When driving around

in colder weather, it hurts your MPG signicantly to make requent short trips (beore

your engine is completely warmed up, you need to stop, causing the engine to cool

down again). I you must do a lot o short trips, drive to your arthest destination rst,

to warm your engine completely so it takes longer to cool down during your stops.

41. Dont run the heater right away

Wait until the engine has warmed up beore running the heater. Running the heater

beore your engine is warm increases engine warm-up time.

42. Use covered parkingCovered parking keeps your car cool when its hot and warm when its cold.

43. Use A/C sparingly

Setting the A/C on max can have as high as a 25% reduction in uel economy. Use

the A/C as sparingly as possible. I you do need to cool down, when driving at low

speeds (under 50 mph), rolling down your windows is better than using the A/C, butat higher speeds, using the air conditioner will get you better uel economy.

45. Close unused vents

I youre driving alone, close the vents or the passenger side. Youll be able to get

more air at a lower setting, and nothing will be wasted cooling down unoccupied ar-

eas o the car.

14

44The A/C windows down

debateThe large debate overusing the A/C versushaving the windowsdown has to do with howlarge the eect o dragon a particular car is. Airconditioning places a5-10% extra load on the

engine. The drag causedby having the windowsdown on a sedan can goup to 20%, while SUVs areonly aected by about 8%(this is because SUVs havepretty poor aerodynamicsto begin with). So itspossible that having thewindows down on a SUV

is not much dierent romusing the A/C, no matterwhat the speed.


15/29

15

46. Cycle the A/C

Set the air fow to recirculate, turn it on when un-

der light engine loads or deceleration, and turn

it o when under heavy engine load or accelera-

tion.

47. Turn o the A/C early

When you are a ew minutes rom reaching your destination, turn o the A/C. It

doesnt need to keep working until the very last minute when you turn o your car.

There will be enough residual cool air to keep away the heat until you stop.

48. Keep headlights oDont turn on your headlights until you have to. Any electrical equipment used will

increase the load on the engine, which uses more gas. This includes using the de-

roster, radio, and any other power eatures. Check your local laws or the exact time

that the headlight requirements kick in.

49. Dont drive at nightOne way to avoid using headlights is to not drive ater sunset.

50. Retire your sunroo

Opening your sunroo increases drag and aects the uel economy, especially at high

speeds.

15


16/29

16

51. Dont start until youre ready

Wait to start the car until you are ready to move. Buckle your seat belt, get settled,

make sure everyone is in the car and the trac is clear beore starting your car. Oth-

erwise youll end up idling or no reason.

52. Rolling start

You usually can get a rolling start rom your automatic transmission beore you have

to hit the gas. Start your car, shit into gear, and release your brakes. The distance

youre covering is basically ree!

54. Park in the shade

Find a shady area and crack your win-

dows to allow air to circulate. When

you get back in the car you wont need

to turn the AC on as high or as long.

55. Pull-through parking

Find a pull-through parking spot thatyou can drive orward into, so you are

acing out. This way, you wont need to reverse out o the spot (using gas to reverse

and then braking beore you move orward).

16

53Just park itDont wander aroundthe whole parking lotlooking or the closestspot. Parking arther awayalso usually means theres

less trac rom cars andpedestrians that requiresmore requent stops.


17/29

17

56. Reverse-in parking

I there is no pull-through parking spot, backing in to the space will still help. First,

having to stop and reverse is better when your engine is warmed up, providing the

best uel economy or the situation. Second, backing out o a space usually takes

more time since your eld o vision is smaller than it is when you are acing out.

57. Potential Parking (PP)Some hypermilers look or parking at the highest spot so they can coast up to the

spot, and exit by rolling orward in neutral.

17


18/29

18

Car Tips ways to make sure your car isin its best shape to yield higher MPG

58. Optimum tire pressureInfate your tires to the maximum allowed indicated on the sidewall. This reduces the

riction caused by your tires and will be more uel ecient. Make sure to maintain the

tire pressure since it will drop over time. Under-infated tires can lower gas mileage by

0.4% or every 1 psi drop in pressure. Youll be surprised how under-infated your tires

can become. Also, properly infated tires result in a saer ride and longer tread lie.

59. Over-inateExtreme hypermilers will over-infate their tires by 10-15 pounds above the maximumindicated. This may cause extra wear on your tires and orce more requent tire pur-

chases. Its not only inconvenient, but could be dangerous i it blows.

60. MYTH: Nitrogen or your tires

Filling your tires with 100% nitrogen will not impact your MPG very much. Some claimthat the use o nitrogen maintains your tire pressure better and longer but how

much better or longer is any ones guess. For no additional cost, you can go to any

gas station and maintain proper tire pressure on your own.

61. Travel light

Remove excess weight by taking out miscellaneous items stored in the trunk (some

drivers even remove unused car seats). Every 100 pounds can reduce your MPG by

18


19/29

19

2% (smaller cars are more aected than larger ones because the same change in

weight represents a larger percentage o the overall weight o a smaller car).

62. MYTH: Drive with hal a tank

Its true that a hal tank o gas is lighter than a ull one, but the extra trips youll needto take to the gas station and the chance that youll be running on an empty tank will

make this tip cause more harm than good. Just ll er up.

63. MYTH: Driving on empty is less gas efcient

Its not good to drive on empty or several reasons, but gas eciency is not one o

them. You may stir up some particles or debris at the bottom o your tank that will

clog up your lters and damage your engine. Also, modern uel injected cars havea uel pump in the gas tank, which is cooled by the uel. The reserve uel is there to

keep the pump rom overheating. Driving on empty may shorten the lie o the pump.

64. The right octane

Only buy gas with the octane rating designed or your enginehigher octane uel

does not mean higher quality. Your engine is designed or a particular octane, andusing a higher octane is completely useless.

65. MYTH: Wednesdays oer the cheapest gas prices

While statistics show gas prices are higher on weekends and holidays, there are so

many variables aecting day-to-day prices that timing your gas ll-ups based on the

day o the week will not be productive.

19


20/29

20

66. Shop online

Sites like www.gasbuddy.com can show you the best

current prices around your area instantly, so you can

plan your route ahead o time.

67. Clear the nozzle

Jiggle and turn the gas nozzle beore removing it

rom your tank to drain any residual gas remaining in

the nozzle into your tank.

68. MYTH: Topping o and inaccurate readings

Topping o does not result in short bursts o uel that are inaccurately counted by

the meter. But its still not good to top o because you may overfow, which clearly

wastes gas.

69. MYTH: Get gas when its cold out

Dont bother trying to get gas when its colder out. Its true that gas is denser in

colder temps, but gas stations store it underground in double walled tanks that keepthe gas at a relatively stable temperature. When it goes through the pump into your

tank, the outside temperature has little eect. However, you may notice a slight di-

erence in the gas tank reading on your dashboard when its really hot or really cold,

since the gas in your tank is more susceptible to extreme outside temperatures.

20


21/29

21

70. Remove unused racksRemove any roo racks when youre not using them. This increases drag, which de-

creases uel economy.

71. Load the trunk instead

A loaded roo rack can decrease uel economy by 5% due to the increased drag. I

possible, place items in the trunk.

72. MYTH: Tailgate down or using a net is better or ueleconomy

Mythbusters proved that having the tailgate up is more uel ecient. So take o the

net and put the tailgate back up.

73. MYTH: Washing/waxing

The ormula behind this theory is based on solid acts. However, the results you would

achieve are so insignicant that it would not be worth the time or cost to keep this

up. This may actually have a larger impact i you were traveling a very long distance ata constant speed. Perhaps its worth a shot i you are planning a long road trip. But

or day-to-day driving, this will not be helpul.

74. Use the right tires

Remove snow tires ater winter. Heavier tires with deep treads will use more gas than

lighter tires.

21


22/29

22

75. Rotate your tires

Uneven tire wear will cause more riction, decreasing uel economy.

76. Check your alignment

Improper alignment will cause engine drag.

77. Tighten the cap

Make sure your gas cap is secure. A properly-tted gas cap prevents gas rom evapo-

rating.

78. MYTH: Gas evaporation in high temperaturesA secured gas cap prevents evaporation, even when its really hot out.

79. Use proper oil

Use the lowest weight oil recommended or your vehicle, or try synthetic oil. Low-

weight oil is easier to pump through an engine, and the engine components will inter-

act more eciently.

80. Tune up

Keep your car in tip-top shape with regular maintenance. Small ineciencies could

be caused by small problems that are easily xed or adjusted during regular mainte-

nance.

22


23/29

23

81. Air flter

It is recommended that you change your air lter once a year, although modern en-

gines have computer sensors that allow air lters to last longer without clogging.

Check with your mechanic to make sure your air lter is clean.

82. Sunshades

Use a sunshade or your window when parked outside on a hot day. This will keep

your car cooler when you return, so the A/C doesn't need to be blasted as long.

83. Seat covers

Beaded seat covers can provide more ventilation or your body, and help keep you

cool.

84. Ignore the inomercials

Avoid additives or products that claim a higher uel economy. Consumer Reports and

the governments Environmental Protection Agency have tested dozens o these prod-

ucts nding that none o them oer any signicant improvement in uel economy.

85. Break in period

New vehicles will not obtain their optimal uel economy until the engine has broken

in. This takes 3-5 thousand miles. Also, check the manual or speed recommendations

during this time. Some will say not to go above 60 mph.

23


24/29

24

Liestyle Tips ways to change yourpersonal habits that will result in ewervisits to the pump

86. Drive lessDont jump into your car at every impulse errand. Consider i any o the ollowing op-

tions are acceptable.

87. Use alternative transportationWhether its walking, biking, public transportation or ride shar-ing, consider your driving alternatives.

88. Work options

Consider moving closer to your workplace, or asking or tele-

commuting days.

89. Cluster your destinations

Do you drive all around town running regular errands? Consider choosing stores that

are closer to one another i they oer equivalent products and services. This includes

your gas station. I you decide to drive arther or a better price, think about choosing

stores in the same area.

24


25/29

25

90. Cluster your errands

Run all your errands at once so you can get the most out o the miles traveled. Its

less ecient to go to the post oce and dry cleaners on two separate trips i theyre

right next to each other.

91. Bulk up

I you make several trips to the same store a ew times a week, see i you can cut out

one or more o those trips by bulking up on the products or services.

92. Addictions add up

Having to buy cigarettes or a latte rom Starbucks every morning adds up in mileage

and gas thats not included in the high sticker price already. Consider i there are any

daily habits that you can cut out o your daily route.

93. Count your costs

Beore heading out, calculate the cost o the trip (multiply the miles you will be travel-

ing by your MPG, and then multiply by the current cost o a gallon o gas). That may

make you think twice or rearrange your plans to save money.

94. Avoid peak trafc times

Find ways to avoid the congestion by altering the time o day you

usually travel. Get into the oce earlier, nd a gym or bookstore near

your work where you can wait out the end-o-day trac, and avoid the

lunch crowd when running errands.

25


26/29

26

95. Skip the drive-thru window

Just park and walk inside. All that idling is a waste o gas, and its usually not much

aster.

96. Order deliveryI you know your MPG, you can easily calculate whether the driving costs outweigh

any delivery/shipping ee.

97. Rewards or buying gas

Use a credit card that will give you rewards or cash back on gas purchases.

98. Drive a small car

A smaller car will always have better uel economy due to its smaller mass.

99. Learn stick

Manual transmission is more ecient than an automatic.

100. Buy a hybrid

Not only do you get a tax break, but a hybrid car automatically uses ecient driving

techniques so you dont have to. The engine will shut o when coasting, energy is

transerred to the battery when braking, and the electric battery adds some torque

when accelerating rom a stop.

26


27/29

27

101. Live without the power

All o the extra powered accessories and engine buness (horsepower, cylinders,

etc.) oered in cars today is a double edged sword. Not only do you pay more money

to add them, you pay more with gas each time you use them.

102. Spring or tinted windows

Tinted windows help keep the car cooler, so you dont need the A/C as much. It also

helps protect you rom UV rays!

103. Dont use 4 wheel drive

I youre not o-roading or stuck in the snow, dont engage your 4 wheel drive. It in-

creases uel consumption or no good reason.

104. Choose wisely

Carpooling? Ask the person who drives more eciently to drive. Do you have your

pick o cars to choose rom? Pick the one with better uel economy. Small choices like

these can reap big rewards.

105. No distractions

To get good uel economy, you need to drive consciously, and its dicult to do that

with any distractions. Whether its talking on the cell phone or having someone else

in the car, it takes away rom your ability to concentrate on your buer space or light

timing.

27


28/29

28

106. Get instant eedback

Get a uel consumption display i youre car doesnt already have one. The instant

eedback will provide more motivation to improve and serve as a reminder o bad

habits. ScanGauge and SuperMID are popular and dependable.

107. Join a community

Attend driving clinics and participate in orums to discuss and get tips and eedback.

By sharing and being a part o a community, you can stay excited about your prog-

ress.

108. Keep a logKeeping a log o your MPG is the best way to encourage all the habits that contribute

to better uel economy. Ive created an easy worksheet to ll out ater each ll-up.

You can also use an online tool, such as www.uelclinic.com that does the calculations

or you. Youll notice how eective small changes really are!

Join the orums discussion on this ebook, share your experiences with these tips,

nd updates, news, more great tips and related articles at http://www.wisebread.

com/108-best-uel-economy-tips.

28
http://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tipshttp://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tipshttp://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tipshttp://www.wisebread.com/108-best-fuel-economy-tips


29/29

DateDay oWeek

Price pergallon

Station inoGallons

purchasedMiles sincelast fll up

MPG(miles/gallons)

Additional notes

wise driving tips

Documents