The price of petrol and diesel goes up and down any time of the year, but it's still a huge cost when driving. For all of us, keeping an eye on fuel expenses is the first part of being a great driver. As in the end, it is a highest daily expense in the driver's earnings. For most of the drivers, there are two common ways to keep their fuel expense economical or low: either pay less per gallon or increase the distances per gallon.
- The smart phone app Gas Buddy
Some of us are already the user of this great app. And some of us are yet to use the application. For these, a smartphone app called Gas Buddy shows users all of the gas prices in the different geographical area. It allows the user to sort results based on neighborhood or by price. Both the results are helpful as you don't want to travel another 5 miles to just to save 10 cents per gallon. It's definitely a feasible option to save on fuel expenses.
Almost every city has few metropolitan areas which are more expensive compared to others, including fuel prices. Wouldn't it be easy to keep an eye on areas that gas has cheaper gas than others? Hence, whenever you're riding through these areas, you can always fill up gas in between the rides.
- Gas Cards
Gas Credit Cards
Today, you get loads of credit card offers. You may even forget about them if not paying attention. Look for offers on gas purchases. Many credit card offers are providing rewards on gas expenses. Hence, try to use all and maximize those rewards to save up on fuel.
Reward Cards
Today, the majority of gas companies give their own reward cards to attract more and more drivers to them by helping them save a few cents per gallon. Many of those cards even provide discounts and attractive bonus rewards when you sign up for their card. So, why not take advantage of these offers?
- Hypermiling techniques
Not all hypermiling techniques are reliable and easy to use, but using few safer techniques can positively help you in a long run.
Save Your Brakes
It's a no-brainer that the more you avoid (unless necessary) using brakes, the higher your fuel efficiency will be. Whenever you use the brake, your vehicle uses more energy, which in turn is wasting more fuel. Of course, we cannot completely avoid them, but less brake usage with moderate speed will increase the gas mileage.
The best way to save your brakes? Forecast stops much ahead. For example, if there is a red light, no need to bustle, just wait. These small steps can make a huge difference to improve car's mileage.
- Do Not Idle
It's best to turn off your car's engine if you have to stop for more than half minute or so, to help you save on fuel consumption. Try to save fuel by turning off whenever stopping, including train crossings, drive-thrus, or other signals. This can really increase the vehicle's gas mileage.
You can even save while waiting for your rider to get in. You might think that perhaps such stoppage may lead to wear and tear on the starter, but the modern day starters are a relief. They're not a problem anymore. Many newer vehicles on the stoppage, automatically turn off the engine and start again on depressing the gas by the driver.
- Keep Speed Down
You might have noticed that driving at moderate speed, say 45 mph actually gives better gas mileage than driving at high speed like 70 mph (Take a look at an MPG calculation displayed on your dashboard). There are times when driving at 45 or 50 mph (like expressway) is impractical, but also driving at 60-65 mph instead of 70-80 mph helps save a notable amount of money, when it comes to fuel.
Although you might arrive around 20 minutes early on a 200-mile trip by traveling at 80mph instead of 70 mph, it's also a false economy. Surely, the car is running for 20 minutes less, but it uses much more fuel when it is traveling. And hence, for the driver, that 20 minutes could cost you up to $10-20 extra in fuel.
The transmission of each car is somewhat different, but it's advisable to know at what speed the car shifts into overdrive or in the last gear. This actually gives us an approximate speed of the car at which it gives the best gas mileage.
- Keep the tires inflated
Mostly, hypermilers will suggest to over-inflate the car tires. This simply decreases the contact volume of rubber with the pavement, producing less traction. Replacing your car's tires due to tire wear can cost you more than the fuel expenses that you might have saved in for the gas.
This does mean keeping your tires properly inflated can actually make a significant difference in car's gas mileage. Driving a few PSI above the recommended pressure is fine. Always follow the manufacturers' recommendations to avoid uneven tire wear. Also, don't forget that temperature affects tire pressure. Changes in temperature are likely to cause a change in tire pressure. So, make sure to check car's tire pressure frequently.
- Quality of Gas and Octane
Octane can always generate a hot debate. Many drivers have experienced that Octane has no connection or negligible effect on gas mileage, as long as it matches the specification provided by the manufacturer. It's always best to stick with the same grade of gas, which the car requires. And in no way, the benefits of higher quality of Octane will match up with higher costs of fuel.
It's the quality of fuel that matters. This is difficult to define as the quality of fuel many times vary within the same brand, at different stations. Most of the gas stations provide high-grade quality gas, and some may not. How to know? If you detect your car's gas mileage to be significantly less after filling up gas at a specific gas station, you know what to do next.
And that's how you can save on your biggest rideshare expense: fuel. Got more ways to save on fuel? Share it with us! Hope this article helps you cut expense on your fuel consumption, and don't forget to share.