Maximizing Your Mile Per Dollar
...n sensors, a dirty air filter, and a clogged fuel filter? Julie Nawroth declares, “I never really paid attention to my car till my fuel mileage started to drop dramatically and my car would start chugging going to class. It turns out that my two oxygen sensors were fried, fuel filter, and air filter were all shot.” After all if your engine is not maintained properly it will increase fuel consumption by roughly 10 to 20 percent (autoclubgroup.com). I suspect that most commuting ECC students have formed few good driving habits. Speeding through the school parking lot, braking at the last minute before stop signs, and flooring it when the light turns green at the stoplight are just some examples of poor driving habits. In attempt to improve our driving habits here are some driving techniques that will improve gas mileage if executed properly. One thing I have learned is that cold engine starts use more fuel compared to when vehicles are at normal operating temperatures. Planning ahead can turn several short driving trips into just one trip; moreover, this will help cut down on cold engine start-ups and which in increase your gas mileage (priusview.com). Furthermore, not only will fuel be saved but you’ll also be saving invaluable time in the process by getting everything done all at once! When driving on any trip, try to accelerate at a moderate pace while keeping your vehicle’s speed under 70mph. Rapid acceleration along with heavy braking in stop and go traffic has always been a waste of gas. Arriving at your destination faster is highly unlikely, compared to just driving casually, so save the fuel for when you need it most (autoclubgroup.com). Finally, some commonly stressed advice would be to role up your windows and shut off the air conditioning at highway speeds. While this may be uncomfortable to some, having your windows down will add aerodynamic drag to the car. This in return slows down your vehicle making it work harder to maintain the same speed. The air conditioner however, uses 15% to 20% of the engines power when kicked on, resulting in a dramatic loss in fuel economy (how to save 50% on gas and car expenses). Using your a/c when needed is all right, but attempt to avoid having it run full blast all the time in an effort to save fuel. So now that we know how to save fuel by looking over our vehicles before getting in them and changing are driving habits, how else can we maximize our mile per dollar spent? We can be consumer consciousness when filling up at the pump, and believe it or not there are different qualities of gas. So just because you buy the stuff that is five cents cheaper at one gas station, compared to the other guy across the street charging more, doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll get the same mile per dollar. Steve Vida exclaims, ”I filled the mustang up with Throtons once, but then my car started sputtering a lot and my gas mileage dropped almost 4 miles per gallon. I switched back to BP as soon I was down a half a tank. “Steve commutes 70 miles a week to ECC so he needs the most miles per dollar possible. Typically going with a company that refines its own oil into gasoline unfortunately is the only way to tell if its quality or not. Most ‘generic’ companies buy left over gas from various refineries and mix it together when we go fill up at the pump (Easy Ways to Save Gas and Save Money). Different blends have various additives and throwing them altogether will run your vehicles engine poorly, dirtier, and possibly shorten its life. So stick with one blend of gasoline that typically has Ethanol additives to insure optimum gas mileage. Some companies like BP, Clark, Shell, Citgo, and Mobil have their own refineries and typically add ethanol to their fuels (how to save 50% on gas and car expenses). When you look at most gas pumps there are usually three different grades of fuel measured in octane levels. The better grade will give you better fuel mileage and let your vehicle’s engine last longer, right? Sadly, in this instance, just because you may use a higher grade of fuel doesn’t mean it will better your vehicle’s engine or even help yield better gas mileage for that instance (autoclubgroup.com). Contrary to belief, all gas at the pump is the same for the average driver. “I use to use premium fuel,” says Steve Garbarges, a fellow friend and commuting ECC student, “Now I just use regular and I save a lot more money by doing so.“ Other people have learned by doing, but just to be safe you can find out what octane your vehicle can use in several different places in your car. You can read the owner’s manual, reading under your fuel gage, or looking on the gas cap door. These areas are the most common places to find out what grade of fuel best suites your vehicle; furthermore, the majority o...