Hurting at the pump? Gas saving tips!

I will break these into categories. All are needed for you to have the best fuel economy you can ever have!

Reduce loss!

The way car works is that the engine will provide you with power to move the car. It has to overcome other forces that are trying to keep the car from moving! So what can be done about this?

1. Reduce Drag. This is not just one thing. It has also to do with how aerodynamic your car is. (Which you can't do much about) but there are things that you can do.
   a. Remove any external extensions. (Over the roof baskets, front grill bras, side steps, overhead bins..etc) All of these will increase drag while driving. Causing you to lose gas trying overcome wind resistance.
   b. Close your windows while driving.
   Windows will cause a lot of drag. Closing them will help you save gas. Turn on the AC, although it will also take about 10% of your fuel, it still provides you better fuel economy than an open window
   c. Open back door in your Truck. (If your truck has one), keep it open. It will also reduce the drag on your car
2. Reduce the weight
   A heavier car requires more gas to move forward, more power to make it stop, more power to go up hill and all of that translates to ... wasted gas! Reduce the weight as much as you can
   Remove extra spares (you should only have one), remove last month's groceries, all the extra seats (If you have a 3rd row that you never use). Keep your car as empty as you can.
3. Reduce Friction
   Friction is happens when your tires meet the road.
   There's also another kind of friction, between the engine's internal parts. And another one between moving parts in your car
   a. If your tires are not properly inflated, they will have greater friction than fully inflated tires. Be sure not to over inflate your tires as it's unsafe to do so. Keep them always at the manufacturer's recommended value
   b. If you have winter/snow/dirt tires, they will increase the friction because of their deep treads. Make sure you use the proper tires for the right time of year.
   c. Make sure your engine is well lubricated. Use the BEST oil you can find for your car. This will save you SO MUCH on the long run. Consult your car's manufacturer for the recommended oils
   d. If your car as any other lubricated areas (chassis, joints ..etc) make sure they're well lubricated and in good shape
4. Wash your car!
   You might not believe this, but a clean car has less wind resistance! It doesn't hurt to also polish your car with a very shiny silky finish. It will reduce the drag.

Tune up your car!

A tuned car uses less fuel, and functions way better! In addition for it being safer to drive. Here's what you need to do to make sure you're saving money.

1. Tune up your engine
   A well tuned engine can burn the fuel more efficiently providing you with a great mileage. A badly tuned engine can waste up to 50% of the power of your car in misfires, and poorly burned fuel. Make sure the timing is perfect. The spark plugs (and wires) are in excellent condition
2. Check your wheel Balance
   If the tires are not balanced, they wiggle and cause more friction and uncomfortable vibrations in the car. Friction translates to lost power, and thereby gas.
3. Check your tire/steering alignment
   This can dramatically affect your mileage. If the tires are not aligned properly, they might be getting worn out excessively AND causing a lot of friction which will waste your gas considerably
4. Check your exhaust system. A faulty exhaust system might waste as much as %20 of your power

Use the right grade of gas!

You might be saving a little bit of money moving to a lower grade of gas, but does this mean that you're getting better mileage? Absolutely not. In fact, you might be wasting your money by doing this because your car was designed to work with premium gas.

Make sure you use the right grade of gas in your car. Consult the manufacturer's website for more details on this

Drive efficiently!

This is the MOST IMPORTANT SECTION.

1. NEVER put the paddle to the metal!
   Flooring it sounds fun! But it's extremely inefficient. You're burning too much fuel doing this and gaining NOTHING! Don't allow other drivers to intimidate you and cause you to waste valuable fuel needlessly!
   As a rule of thumb (em, toe), never push the paddle more than 1/4 of the total distance the paddle can travel.
   Avoid sprinting too fast.
2. Don't stop and start your car excessively!
   Don't think you're saving gas by turning your engine at the traffic signal. In fact, you might be wasting more gas doing so. A single start is equivalent to about 1.5 minutes of idling. You need more gas to start the car than you do to keep it running
3. Always drive in a straight line
   As you maneuver and turn. You are increasing the travelling distance. The shortest distance is a straight line so doing "betweens" is extremely wasteful for your gas.
4. Don't ever spin your wheels. A spinning wheel is the greatest indication that you're wasting fuel!
5. Avoid dirt roads, avoid roads with too many bumps. These suck the power out of your car
6. WATCH YOUR SPEED! Speeding uses fuel, the faster you go, the greater the drag. For most cars the optimum speed is around 55MPH to 75MPH (88 to 112Km/h) going faster than that will waste your fuel. Same goes for going slower. But make sure you ALWAYS follow the speed limit of the road you're on
7. Use the right gear always. The wrong gear means you are wasting fuel. As a rule of thumb. In automatic transmission the transmission will take care of this (as long as you don't over press the paddle)
8. Never over rev your engine. Going into the red line means you're really wasting fuel (and reducing the life of your engine)
9. Don't rev your engine before turning your car off. I know many people say do this so car will start faster. DON'T DO IT! You're really wasting gas doing this!
10. Warm the car before driving. A cold engine is a wasteful engine. Don't over warm your car. (1 minute should be enough)
11. Plan ahead!
    Don't wait until the last minute to slam on the breaks! Look ahead, and anticipate what you need to do. Either coast your way to a stop or reduce your speed so that you don't have to break unnecessarily and waste fuel accelerating again.
12. Conserve your trips. Plan your route so that you will visit multiple destinations in one go, instead of going back and forth
13. Avoid reversing!
    Sometimes it's inevitable, but the reverse gear is one of the lower gears and the most inefficient ones. Make sure you really use it only when needed. Try to park your car in a way that you will not have to use reverse when you start going out
14. Use "cruise control". If you have it, use it! It's designed to reduce the fuel consumption to the least possible amount. But DO NOT use it while your in town. Only do it on the highways. In the cities, the frequent stop and go, lights, stop signs, other motorists mean that you will be travelling for speeds too low for cruise control to function efficiently.
15. Avoid engine breaking. (Or "Ghayar 3aksi") if you can. When you engine break, you momentarily over-riv your engine causing it to burn more fuel. Try not to use it except to really reduce wear on your breaks and to reduce your speeds in emergencies. But never as a habit
16. Carpool with friends. You might not be saving a lot, but you and your friends will save
17. Make sure you distribute the weight around the car. A badly balanced car is also fuel inefficient
18. Walk, bike, or use public transportation. No matter how efficient your car is, it can't beat these

So there you have it.. My contribution to a cleaner earth for the future generations. Do you have a gas saving tip? Share it with us below