Multiple Ways to Save on Gas
The economy is in the crapper, but thank god gas prices have come down a bit. This doesn’t mean that we still can’t save a few dollars in that department. I will cover a few different ways to save on gas and free up some money.
Driving style is probably the easiest way to save on gas. When driving on the freeway use cruise control. The car’s computer is much more efficient at keeping the car at a constant rate than you are. Wind resistance increases exponentially over 55MPH, thus driving faster uses way more gas. Set your cruise control for 55MPH to get the best MPG. Don’t accelerate hard, accelerate gently! Having a heavy foot on the gas pedal will certainly cost you MPG.
Another option is to add a fuel saving device to your vehicle. I’ve researched a few options and trust me there are a lot of gimmicks out there promising you better gas mileage and lobster for dinner every night. The technology that I have found to work the best are the chips that plug into your IAT sensor. These alter your fuel mixture to make it more lean, which means less gas and more air. There are no negative side effects on your engine but it essentially reduces the fuel that enters the combustion chamber saving you gas. There are many places to buy these chips, and it can certainly be confusing. When shopping, look for something adjustable as to control the level of effect you desire. This is good because different cars respond differently to this type modification and you can adjust it to the setting that allows your car to perform the best but yet yield you the most fuel savings. From my experiment I’ve noticed a 2-3 MPG saving, it definitely pays for itself over time. However, on the downside, the installation can be tricky if you aren’t super comfortable under the hood of your car. It requires you to cut wires for installation and that can make even the most comfortable gear head nervous.
If cutting is a no no, there are more expensive ECU programmers you can buy. However, these will run you around $400 and don’t necessarily help save gas all the time. Most of them are geared towards increasing horsepower. In theory, if you have more horsepower you will be lighter on the throttle, thus save gas.
