Are you driving to see family this holiday season? Taking a road trip to see the fam can be cheaper and more (or less) convenient than taking a flight.
If you haven’t noticed, in the past 10 days fuel prices have dropped 50 cents in many areas across the country. But don’t be deceived, they’re still a lot higher than they were just 5 years ago.
If you want to save money on driving, here’s our 5 site series on saving fuel. I’m posting across five websites, so make sure to check out all the tips!
Fuel Saving Driving Tips
6 – 10 Fearless Dollar
6. Avoid panic stops and riding the brake
Just as much as you shouldn’t waste fuel speeding up, grinding your brakes down wastes gas too. All that inertia you just spent gas building is wasted on short stops. People who frequently hit, or ride, the brakes are just wasting the gas they just spent speeding up.
7. Shift into a higher gear sooner
Shift into high gear as soon as possible. If you have automatic transmission, lift your foot from the accelerator about one second early. Manual cars allow you to shift to the highest gear as quickly as possible, and you’ll be able to nurse your car along at a higher gear saving fuel. BUT if you’re bogging down your gears you will be wearing them down, costing you in premature wear of engine parts.
8. Shift into a lower gear later
If you’re driving a stick, you need to shift up early and shift down late. Traveling at fast rates in low gears can consume up to 45% more fuel than is needed. If you’re driving an automatic, don’t worry about complicating your life with this tip. Your car does it for you!
9. Utilize timed stoplights
If the area you’re driving in has timed stoplights, they’re there for your motoring advantage. By traveling steadily at the speed limit you boost your chances of having the “green light” all the way, reducing your need to burn fuel accelerating and decelerating.
10. Understand your cars overdrive
Many automatic cars built in the 1980’s and onward have an option to turn on or off overdrive. When you use overdrive gearing, your car’s engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear. Make sure the “button” or “switch” to utilize overdrive is in the correct (on) position in your vehicle.
Checkout gas saving tips 11 – 15 on AllThingsFinance.net!
[Featured image courtesy of http://www.flickr.com/photos/cmogle/]
[…] Are you going to be doing a lot of driving over the January school holidays? Saving money on fuel doesn’t just have to involve watching the bowser. There are a lot of things you can do for yourself to cut your fuel costs, according to fearlessdollar.com. […]