Tips for saving money on gas

1.      A car consumes most gas as it accelerates. A moving car doesn't require much gasoline to keep moving. This means, in order to improve your mileage you need to keep the ride smooth. Slow acceleration and a constant speed in heavy traffic this is the most efficient way to save gas and can easily get you 10% - 20% better gas mileage.

2.      If you own a hybrid powered car try to avoid fast braking. Hybrid cars have the ability to convert braking power into electric energy and store them in their batteries. But this will only give you so much braking power. If you need to decelerate faster your brakes will engage and energy will be lost. Start breaking a lot sooner and don't slam on the brakes the last minute. This will significantly improve the efficiency of your hybrid car.

3.      The compressor for the air conditioner makes the motor of work more, which will reduce my fuel economy. Try not to use the air conditioner if you don't have to.

4.      A manual transmission can be a lot more fuel efficient. If you have a manual transmission, you can shift up early and shift down late.

5.      If you have a cruise control and there isn't a whole lot of traffic, you probably should use it because it will keep the speed constant and doesn't need to accelerate which saves your gas.

6.      Shift into neutral when you are standing still to reduce transmission strain and cool off the transmission.

7.      You can also try to reduce the mass of your car by emptying out the trunk and removing heavy items that you don't need

8.      When you turn on a car it uses a bit of gas. When the car is idling it uses a fixed amount of gas over a period of time especially with the AC on. In most scenarios the energy balance will be positive if you turn off your car for more than 20 seconds.

9.      Driving fast will increase the drag and your fuel consumption.

10.  Opening your windows will increase the turbulences and eventually cost you fuel. If you can, use only the ventilation system of your car. Opening your windows at low speeds and using the air conditioner at high speeds gives you better fuel economy.

11.  Avoid heavy traffic and lots of traffic lights. The shortest route is not always the most fuel efficient if you have to stop a lot.

12.  Inflate your tires to the specified level. This will reduce the contact area of your tire to the road and therefore reduce the friction. It will help you to get a slightly improved gas mileage. If you don't need Snow Tires then remove them. Snow Tires are softer and have a deeper profile which will increase friction.

13.  Many eco-tuners offer replacement chips for your engine computer that increase the power while at the same time saving gas. At the upper end they give you more power with reduced efficiency and at the lower end a better efficiency.

14.  The grade of the oil pretty much tells us about the viscosity. If you use the wrong grade you may increase the friction in your engine then it will get hotter and use more gas.

15.  Replace your air filter when you need to or your mix won't be right. However don't replace it every time the mechanics tell you to.

16.  When you can do so safely turn off your headlights and save energy.

17.  If two people are riding in a car the gas used per person is immediately cut into half. If 4 people are sharing a ride their individual gas bill becomes only one third. Since they can now use carpool lanes they won't have to spend as much time in traffic and get an even better gas mileage, plus they get home sooner.

18.  Try to combine trips. If you live outside of town try to go into town only once and get everything you need done.

19.  If you are in the market for a new car, you definitely should consider fuel efficiencies.

20.  It’s not commonly known, but Diesel engines can give you a much better gas mileage than Hybrids on long distance drives.

21.  Don't fill up unless you are on empty since gas weighs a lot. When gas prices are rising, fill up sooner.

22.  Do not fill up on gas stations visible from the Interstate. You need to look for places with lots of competition and avoid prime locations. Large cities often have higher gas prices and are harder to navigate.