Syndicated News

by George Adcock
TheSyndicatedNews columnist
George Adcock is the author of three books on financial and estate planning, former editor of The Financial Planner magazine and of Pension World magazine, regular contributor to numerous financial journals.

Yikes! The national average for regular gas (at this writing) is $4.06 a gallon. We almost can’t afford to drive to the corner for milk and bread. Not to mention the fact that gas prices have increased transportation costs so much that milk and bread prices have soared.

But there are some things we can do to squeeze every penny out of that outrageously inflated gasoline in our tanks. Some of them can increase your gas mileage as much as 37 percent—at the time they are being utilized.

Your local newspaper probably runs stories every month about how to save gas. And the FTC has a list of steps they say will make a difference at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt064.shtm. But Edmunds, the publication and web site that provides used car prices and trade-in values, has tested these and found some of them just don’t fly. And some that do work aren’t all that practical.

For instance, one step increases mileage by 14 percent. Driving 55 rather than 70 will do that, while you are doing 55. But we all know that if you’re on a freeway with posted speed limits of 65 or 70 and you’re doing 55—even in the right lane—you will get run over. So the practicality of that is questionable.

Here are some other mileage saving steps offered by the FTC and actual results of tests:

--Aggressive driving. Accelerating rapidly from traffic lights, around cars, etc. eats gas. Driving calmly and reasonably can save you the most gas—as much as 37 percent. This can be your biggest saving.

--Use cruise control. This works too. On the highway, you can save up to 14 percent on gas mileage.

--Keep A/C off when possible. Not with today’s technology. There is no difference in gas mileage whether the A/C is on or off.

--Tire pressure. Keeping your tires properly inflated will make them last longer…but it won’t increase your gas mileage.

--Avoid excessive idling. When the car is idling, you’re not moving so you’re getting zero gas mileage. If you’re going to be stopped for more than a minute, turn off the engine. It will save you as much as 19 percent.
There are other tips you can follow not on the FTC list that will also help, even though there’s no data to put a number on most of them. From anecdotal results from drivers, however, I can say they do help.

--Keep the suspension aligned. If your car is crabbing down the road, it’s going to use more gas—and eat up your tires.

--Replace your air filter regularly. A clogged air filter can lower gas mileage as much as 10 percent.

--Same with the fuel filter.

--Keep your car tuned up and in good running order.

Maybe we can’t do anything about gas prices, but we can get every mile possible out of each gallon OPEC sells us.

If you want to know more:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/FEG/driveHabits.shtml
http://www.edmunds.com/advice/fueleconomy/articles/106842/article.html
http://www.gas-mileage-enhancers.com/gas_mileage_enhancers-car_repairs.htm
http://www.gas-mileage-enhancers.com/gas_mileage_enhancers-gas_mileage.htm
http://www.gas-mileage-enhancers.com/gas_mileage_enhancers-fuel_filters.htm

Published: Jul 22,2008 13:39

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