How to save gas…
The good people at Edmunds.com have come up with a collection of the usual suspects in the driving to save fuel category. The interesting thing is that they actually spent the time to Quantify the savings.
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Evil Functions
Support the EFF
May 8th, 2006
I agree with the folks at Edmunds. I’ve followed most of their suggestions for years and they can make a substantial difference in how far you can go on a tank of gasoline. My Lincoln has never been a particularly efficient car, insofar as mileage from a tank goes. I live in a densely traveled part of Atlanta and it is sometimes difficult to drive as Edmunds suggests. When I spend most of a tank in local traffic, it is plainly reflected in the distance I get from that tank of gas. I’ve gotten as little as 360 miles from 20 gallons. Actually, I rarely let it get below 3 gallons before I refill. My record high mileage from a tank is 510 miles, and I did take it to fumes to get there. That was on a highway only trip in the northeastern US. I was quite surprised as I did pass through some mountainous areas. Locally speaking, I average around 400 miles per tank. This is due to a mixture of driving surface streets and highways. If I limit my driving to times when traffic density is low, the number generally increases. The point is this: Give their suggestions a fair try and you’ll likely be rewarded, particularly if you are like so many drivers I see that accelerate quickly from stops, accelerate quickly to stops, and jam the brakes hard rather than coasting and lightly breaking for a longer distance. I also tend to drive the speed limit and limit my speed to no more than 10% above it. I have found this also makes a huge difference, but it can be dangerous in Atlanta where drivers don’t pay much attention to anything save what is directly in front of them, and they tend to be very aggressive when they come upon someone actually driving at or near the speed limit. A bonus I’ve found that may also reward you is that if you take a relaxed approach to driving, you’ll find you arrive at your destination rested and calm rather than anxious from having battled the road and its occupants.