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Some driving behaviors will increase your fuel-efficiency (good), and others will decrease your fuel-efficiency (bad). This isn't rocket science (duh), but you have direct control over how much gas your car burns.
Here are some tips that really work. Not only will you find that you are saving a lot of money on gas, but you will feel calmer when you drive. And for the record, I have tried them all - my old car went from getting 20 Miles Per Gallon to 26 Miles Per Gallon.
Read more about getting better fuel efficiency at fueleconomy.gov
- Use the right fuel for the right car. You may think that high-octane fuels provide better mileage. This is not necessarily true. High-octane fuels improve the efficiency of high-compression engines, but actually reduce efficiency in low-compression engines. Check with your car's dealer to find out what fuel is best-suited for your vehicle.
- Stay calm in traffic jams. When you're in a traffic jam, you are at the mercy of the traffic Gods. When traffic starts moving, resist the urge to press the gas pedal. Just let your car slowly idle up to speed. Chances are you're just going to have to brake again in 3 seconds.
- Do not accelerate near the crest of a bridge. When you do this, you will be moving too fast when you start to head downhill and will end up having to apply your brakes. Practice easing-off the gas pedal at just the right time so that you make it over the hill at a safe speed, but do not have to press your brakes as you go over the crest.
- Try not to stop. Going from a dead-stop up to the speed limit is what burns the most gas. If you can keep your car rolling, you will save an amazing amount of fuel
- Do not speed. Going faster doesn't necessarily mean you will be burning more gas, but it does mean that you will be stopping more often. The traffic lights in most cities are synchronized so that if you are going the speed limit, or just under it, you won't need to stop as often.
- Anticipate red lights. When we learned to drive, we trained ourselves to accelerate if the car is going slower than the speed limit. But if there's a red light ahead then there's not much point is there? If you make a genuine effort, you can re-train yourself to not accelerate towards red lights, which means you'll be stopping less.
- Practice. Practice. Practice. Avoiding stopping is by far the best way to improve fuel efficiency. Stay alert and look for other ways to modify your driving behavior to avoid stopping.
- Accelerate slowly. When your car is stopped, accelerate slowly so that you reach the speed limit in about twice the time it normally takes.
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