As I mentioned before, I bought a new Acura TSX last December. Yea, I know, not very frugal of me. But that's a topic for another day. According to Edmunds.com the stated gas mileage is 31 Hwy/22 Street. I drive more freeway than street, however, the LA freeways are often slower than the streets. Nonetheless, I'm happy with the fuel efficiency. I have averaged 26-27 mpg.
That being said, with gas prices going up, it's starting to take a bigger chunk of the budget than I would like. So, I went digging. What are the recommended ways to improve your gas mileage? I found a site created by our very own tax dollars! fueleconomy.gov appears to be a creation of the EPA. Here are some of their best tips.
- Drive Sensibly. Think driving Miss Daisy, not Rusty Wallace. Quick acceleration and braking will wreak havoc on your fuel economy. I'm pretty good about this one. I am definitely more grandma than young punk behind the wheel. Potential savings: 5-33%.
- Observe the speed limit. Every five miles over 60 is costing you about 19 cents per gallon. Potential savings: 7-23%
- Remove excess weight. Hey! I take exception to that. I'm working on it. Oh, you don't mean from my midsection? Well, perhaps that as well, but essentially you shouldn't be hauling your apartment around with you. Potential savings: 1-2% per hundred pounds.
- Keep you engine properly tuned, tires properly inflated and filters clean. This could save you up to 17% in fuel economy.
So, using the higher range of these potential savings, you could save 75% on better fuel economy! Well, that's probably a little high. But with gas prices not showing any sign of coming back down anytime soon, we could all use a little help at the pump.
Some cars have run-flat tires so they don't have to carry the extra weight of a spare.
I normally fill my tank when I stop for gas, but I'm hoping to play a little gas arbitrage this weekend on I-95 and buy for cheap in DE. Today I put in $15.03 (classic oversqueeze) and I got ONLY HALF A TANK. I'm very sad. Fortunately, I'll be able to fuel up completely for free once I reach my destination. Whew!
Posted by: mapgirl | April 13, 2006 at 08:49 PM
Interesting. How does a gas arbitrage work? Is it the same concept as dollar cost averaging? And how do you get free gas?
Posted by: lamoneyguy | April 14, 2006 at 12:04 AM
nice to have you do all of the research for us. It makes our decision making so much easi
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