Better Gas Mileage

How bout those Gas prices! Why don’t they just raise the price of oil to $250.00 a barrel and bump gas up to $10.00 a gallon and get it over with. That way the whole U.S. would shut down, which in turn, would pretty much slow the whole world down. Gee, hope them OPEC guys didn’t hear that. Anyway, I’m just kidding about raising all these prices, but if you think about it, maybe this is what the world needs. Quit messing with us, we’ve had enough.

All of what’s been happening for the last couple years is starting to remind me of when I lived in California in the late seventies. The gas lines, the prices, the odd/even numbers on your license plate, and people getting shot at the gas pump. Oh, the memories.

It seems like everything cooled down during the 80’s & 90’s and then all of a sudden, there’s a storm. A hurricane, then another, and then another and suddenly the price of oil starts going up. Did these guys sit down in a big conference room one day and decide all this. Hey, listen up my conference room buddies, let’s do this; every time we get a storm or there’s some bad news on the wire, let’s just raise the price of oil. No one will ever notice. If you don’t believe me wait until we get another storm that’s anywhere near one of those oil wells in the ocean. This is their big excuse now for raising these prices. If this wasn’t the case then why have all of those big oil companies been making record profits for the last couple years?

I couldn’t imagine how the people living on a fixed income from pay-check to pay-check are dealing with this. Those are the ones that are suffering the most. I make a pretty decent living and I’m feeling the crunch, but in my case, I’m just not able to save as much as I did before. The mid to lower class people are the working people here in the U.S. and they’re the ones that are feeling the pain, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to get any better any time soon.

Ok then, enough about the doom & gloom of the oil industry. Let me get to the point of what I really wanted to write about. How can we make a bad situation a little less painful? Well, how about some tips on how to help better your gas mileage. Some of these don’t take a whole lot of effort and if you decide to use some of these, you should see some quick results.

I checked and read through a ton of websites and compiled a pretty good list below that could save you up to 10% on your fuel bill:

1. Check your tire pressure at least once a month. One of the biggest culprits for bad fuel mileage is under-inflated tires.
2. Quit being a lead-foot; Ease into the gas slowly when the light turns green.
3. Avoid abrupt stops; try coasting to a stop at a sign or light.
4. Try using your “Over-Drive” during those highway trips. The less RPM’s your engine will be turning, the better your fuel mileage.
5. Keep up with your car maintenance. A poorly tuned engine can increase fuel consumption.
6. Drive the speed limit. Slowing it down, what’s the rush.
7. Maintain a steady speed.
8. Don’t rev the engine before you shut it off.
9. During those low speeds around town and in heavy traffic, turn off the air conditioner.
10. If you’re waiting for a long light or for a train to pass by, turn your car off.
11. When you do fast food, park your car and go inside instead of waiting in a line. This also goes for banks, Pharmacy’s, anything with a drive up window.
12. If you’re going on a trip, plan it carefully to avoid the high traffic areas.
13. Start combining your shopping trips throughout the week.
14. Lighten your load and empty out your trunk. Weight increases fuel consumption.
15. Carpool if you can. This will save you a bundle.
16. Ride a bike or walk to the store once in a while.
17. Use the cruise control on those out of town trips and set it just under the speed limit.
18. Keep your car clean and waxed to cut down on the drag.

I hope this helps a little. I’m going out to get my truck serviced and then stop by a couple stores while I’m out.