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Old 09-27-2012, 12:41 AM
 
142 posts, read 315,128 times
Reputation: 55

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I Drive A Small 4 Door Sedan ... Cant Seem to drive economically .. any tips ?

Fills on $36-$39
empty trunk
no roof rack
runs fine
ac fine
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Old 09-27-2012, 01:01 AM
 
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
14,100 posts, read 28,419,632 times
Reputation: 8075
What sort of roads do you drive on? Generally flat or lots of hills? Stop and go traffic or highways?
Does your car have cruise control?

Start off by checking your vehicle's recommended tire pressure and ensuring all four tires are at the recommended pressure. Do this in the early morning hours and not in direct sunlight. Morning sun will heat up tires causing an increase in tire pressure.
If you have cruise control and don't live in hilly areas, get into the habit of using cruise control. Lock it in at the posted speed limit. If on the interstate highway, lock in cruise control at 65 mph and stay in the right lane.
How are your shocks and or struts? If worn out, replace them.
What type of gas do you use? Does it have E10 or E15 mixed in? Ethanol alone will lower your MPG, higher the ethanol, the greater it's impact on your mpg.
If your vehicle doesn't require premium, don't buy premium. Don't buy from discount gas stations. Try to stick with "top tier gas" (do a google search) which has the right amount of added detergents to keep the engine's fuel system clean.
Don't jack rabbit accelerate from a stop. Do a smooth steady acceleration to the speed limit.
If you see a stop sign ahead or a traffic light red or about to turn red, turn off cruise control or take your foot off the gas and coast. If you time it right, the light will turn green before you come to a complete stop.
Don't use the drive through (bank, ATM, restaurant, etc). The more your car sits at a stop idling, the more you loose mpg.
Use AC only when necessary.
Plan your route. If running errands, go to your furthest destination first and the rest on the way back home. Plan your route to and from work with the least amounts of stop & go traffic. Shortest route isn't always the quickest nor the most fuel efficient. Simply leaving home 15 to 20 minutes earlier than normal could save you on gas by avoiding heavy traffic. Choosing another route to go home bypassing traffic could also save on gas.
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Old 09-27-2012, 01:04 AM
 
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
14,100 posts, read 28,419,632 times
Reputation: 8075
What sort of roads do you drive on? Generally flat or lots of hills? Stop and go traffic or highways?
Does your car have cruise control?

Start off by checking your vehicle's recommended tire pressure and ensuring all four tires are at the recommended pressure. Do this in the early morning hours and not in direct sunlight. Morning sun will heat up tires causing an increase in tire pressure.
If you have cruise control and don't live in hilly areas, get into the habit of using cruise control. Lock it in at the posted speed limit. If on the interstate highway, lock in cruise control at 65 mph and stay in the right lane.
How are your shocks and or struts? If worn out, replace them.
What type of gas do you use? Does it have E10 or E15 mixed in? Ethanol alone will lower your MPG, higher the ethanol, the greater it's impact on your mpg.
If your vehicle doesn't require premium, don't buy premium. Don't buy from discount gas stations. Try to stick with "top tier gas" (do a google search) which has the right amount of added detergents to keep the engine's fuel system clean.
Don't jack rabbit accelerate from a stop. Do a smooth steady acceleration to the speed limit.
If you see a stop sign ahead or a traffic light red or about to turn red, turn off cruise control or take your foot off the gas and coast. If you time it right, the light will turn green before you come to a complete stop.
Don't use the drive through (bank, ATM, restaurant, etc). The more your car sits at a stop idling, the more you loose mpg.
Use AC only when necessary.
Plan your route. If running errands, go to your furthest destination first and the rest on the way back home. Plan your route to and from work with the least amounts of stop & go traffic. Shortest route isn't always the quickest nor the most fuel efficient. Simply leaving home 15 to 20 minutes earlier than normal could save you on gas by avoiding heavy traffic. Choosing another route to go home bypassing traffic could also save on gas.
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Old 09-27-2012, 02:05 AM
 
142 posts, read 315,128 times
Reputation: 55
hey man, thanks for all the advice

- i live in nyc , in the bronx .. not much hills here in the "uptown" section of the bx. they (nycdot) just repaved roads during the first half of 2012. i use cruise control on the highway, i set it on 60 and turn on the ac. not too sure on my shocks/struts but i will check them out asap. i use (87) gas with 10% ethanol added to it. i never jackrabbit acceleration ,thats highly dangerous ! i go to school out in queens so i hop on the highway .. not to much traffic signals .
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Old 09-27-2012, 02:53 AM
 
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
14,100 posts, read 28,419,632 times
Reputation: 8075
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bx4Life View Post
hey man, thanks for all the advice

- i live in nyc , in the bronx .. not much hills here in the "uptown" section of the bx. they (nycdot) just repaved roads during the first half of 2012. i use cruise control on the highway, i set it on 60 and turn on the ac. not too sure on my shocks/struts but i will check them out asap. i use (87) gas with 10% ethanol added to it. i never jackrabbit acceleration ,thats highly dangerous ! i go to school out in queens so i hop on the highway .. not to much traffic signals .
Another thing you can do is purchase a Scan Gauge. It's a device that connects to your car's data port and gives you real time info like your current and average MPG. You use the device to adjust your driving habits to the maximum efficiency. They're about $200. You should also look up your vehicle's EPA rating for MPG by going to Fuel Economy and looking up your car. Try exceeding your car's official rating. My car is a 2003 Chevy Malibu with a 3.1L V6 and in mostly city driving, I average 22.5 to 23 mpg summer and 24 mpg winter. There are other techniques to save gas but some of them are dangerous and illegal. Don't buy any bolt on or add on device promising higher mpg. Some of them do the opposite.
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Old 09-27-2012, 03:02 AM
 
Location: Chicago
38,707 posts, read 102,817,074 times
Reputation: 29967
If you have a smart phone, forget the scan gauge. You can get an OBDII plug and diagnostic app for about 30 bucks combined.
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Old 09-27-2012, 03:18 AM
 
Location: Lafayette, Louisiana
14,100 posts, read 28,419,632 times
Reputation: 8075
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drover View Post
If you have a smart phone, forget the scan gauge. You can get an OBDII plug and diagnostic app for about 30 bucks combined.
Really!? Please share! Been wanting a scan gauge for a while now but have been putting money aside for minor things like medical bills and a new water heater (already took care of the roof and creditors). That price is much more affordable.
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Old 09-27-2012, 03:45 AM
 
861 posts, read 1,245,882 times
Reputation: 838
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bx4Life View Post
I Drive A Small 4 Door Sedan ... Cant Seem to drive economically .. any tips ?

Fills on $36-$39
empty trunk
no roof rack
runs fine
ac fine
All four tires should be the same model and size recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. Tires should be properly inflated with same pressure in all tires. Wheels should be properly aligned and balanced.

If you've been running cheap gas in your vehicle, buy a bottle of Chevron Techrolene at your local auto parts store or Chevron station and follow the directions... be sure to add it to the gas tank on a empty tank just before filling up. You can check reviews of this product at Amazon.com. I was a doubter, but it worked wonders on my 06 4Runner. I am now getting 22 mpg combined mileage. And I drive fast on the freeway.

When you are stopped and want to move forward, don't mash the pedal. Imagine there is a raw egg under the pedal and if you push it too hard too fast, it will break and make a big raw egg mess all over your floor and shoes. Easy does it. But don't go so slow as to **** everyone behind you off lest you set up a accident by a road rager.

Don't race up to a red light or stop. Use your vehicle's momentum to take you there. This will also save on brakes. If you're on a street with lots of signals, they're typically timed. Pay attention to the signals way ahead and drive accordingly. .

Believe it or not, a clean and waxed vehicle gets better fuel economy. Just waxing the front and hood of your vehicle can make a difference. I even use auto wax on my windshield. Think of it this way; Your vehicle is pushing air out of the way as it moves forward. If the vehicles surface is slick, the air will be less resistant.
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Old 09-27-2012, 03:49 AM
 
105,977 posts, read 107,921,072 times
Reputation: 79566
i tow my hummer with my smart car.
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Old 09-27-2012, 04:26 AM
 
Location: North of Canada, but not the Arctic
20,983 posts, read 19,442,353 times
Reputation: 25456
Drive the speed limit or less. When I first started doing this, I felt like I was being rude to other drivers behind me. Now I get a kick out of the fact that other people are wasting their money on extra gas that they wouldn't have to buy if they were as smart as me. Plus I enjoy my car, so I have no reason to minimize my time in my car. And I haven't gotten a speeding ticket in 15 years.
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