Anyone know ways to get better fuel economy from cars?

Question

Anyone know ways to get better fuel economy from cars?

Answer 1

Hypermilling is not practical (or safe) for the average person. What you should try to do is limit your RPMs when driving. By limiting my RPMs down to 2000 or less, I increased my city mileage from 18 to 23. Keep up with the regular maintainers (fluids changed and so on). Also, try buying nicer products when it comes to fluids, filters and spark plugs (K&N filters and E3 Diamond Fire Plugs). Avoid rapid acceleration. Use all of your momentum (the more you must brake, the more momentum you waste). You don't have to go 30 all the way to the stoplight then slam on the brakes, coast. At lower speeds, like city driving, roll down the windows. At higher speeds, highway, use the AC. Remove roof racks and other things that will increase drag. Don't keep unessecary loads in the car. Most of it is common sense if you remember Freshman Physical Science.

Answer 2

Drive slower, I was able to get another 7 miles per gallon by just slowing down.  65 instead of 75-80 on the freeway.  Don't exhilarate quickly....just drive slower.

Answer 3

One of the best ways to optimize mileage is to keep up with vehicle maintenance. Key ideas are to maintain are tire pressure, tire balance, and proper oil weight and level.

And don’t waste gas by accelerating up to red lights and stop signs.

Don’t let your car idle excessively. Drive as if you have no brakes. Drive slowly, take your foot off the gas as soon as you see it turn red. Try not to have to stop, but still me moving when it goes to green.

Putting the lowest weight oil in your car helps it work more efficiently. This makes it easier to pump oil through the engine, and the engine moves against itself easier.

Answer 4

Like Bob M said,

Keep up with vehicle maintenance, don’t waste gas by accelerating up to red lights and stop signs, and don’t let your car idle excessively. Drive as if you have no brakes and so on.

It seems like he found my answer to an earlier similar  question. Here is the rest of it:

Avoid cruise control on hill climbs. Rather than maintaining a precise speed during a hill climb by adding progressively more acceleration, maintain a steady throttle position and allow the vehicle to slow slightly during the climb, then let gravity accelerate the car back up to speed on the descent. Doing so will keep the engine in a more efficient RPM on the climb, and reduce energy wasted braking on the descent at the same average speed. To avoid slowing too much on the climb, it may help to gain extra speed as you approach the climb.

Avoiding jackrabbit starts and keeping speed at a minimum are all useful in this regard. When accelerating, the engine should be kept in the peak of the torque curve. A slow acceleration is less efficient.

Air-conditioning loads, usually a few horsepower, can have a significant impact on mileage. When parking in the sun, a reflective visor across the windshield will reduce solar heating, if possible park with the windshield facing the sun. When initially entering a hot vehicle, open the doors for a moment to vent the hot air to escape, or drive with the windows down to clear the hot air before turning the AC on. Run in Recirc mode to keep the cool air in the vehicle longer. Cycling the AC on and off at key points also makes a difference: Turn the AC off while climbing hills and accelerating, run it at a moderate temperature setting on flat stretches, and run it on maximum setting during hill descents -- this will use energy that might otherwise be expended braking to cool the car down.

If ambient temperatures are not unreasonably hot, rolling the windows down is more efficient than AC at speeds below 50 miles per hour. At slow speeds, drag from completely open windows is small compared to AC load. At faster speeds, open windows just slightly to allow circulation, without significant resistance from drag. On many vehicles, opening the driver's side window, and the rear window opposite the driver generate a swift air-current passing through the drivers seat.

Check out Hypermiling web sites like these:

http://www.hypermiling.com/

http://money.cnn.com/2006/05/01/Autos/dr...

Answer 5

Go on google and type in "tips for better fuel economy"

Answer 6

Wow...  I just checked out the 'hypermilling' link.  That's the way I've been driving for years.. I had no idea there was a name for it!

I always keep the mileage computer running on current MPG on my display, so I can have instant feedback on how my techniques are working.

I draft trucks whenever I'm on the highway, too..  yes, it's unsafe, yes, the truck drivers don't like it sometimes, but when I see that I'm getting 50 MPG out of my Jeep on flat highway?  I just can't help myself...

Here in Las Vegas we have stop lights like every 50 feet..  it's a game of skill to adjust your pace to hit the green every time on a stretch of road.  And the looks on the faces of the dippy speed racers as you pass them and their f**t-can mufflers is priceless.

Answer 7

1 - fill up in the morning

2 - dont pull trigger fully on

3 - never fill up when truck is there