Locomotion
3 months ago
Lately, in an attempt to squeeze every bit of fuel economy out of my car—a Honda Prelude—I’ve been employing some ultra-bad-ass-driving-tricks that I thought I’d share. First, let me say, my Prelude is rated at 21mpg for city driving and 26 highway. On my last tank of gas, for example, I averaged 32mpg all city driving.
You, too, can be crazy-awesome like me. Here are some of the tricks I’ve been using to be a cheap bastard. Bear in mind, I drive a stick shift, so some of these may not be possible if you’re driving an automatic.
- Turn the car off and coast to stop lights. Turn the car back on when the light is green and traffic is moving.
- Keep the speed under 60mph
- Never rev over 3Krpms
- Accelerate slowly and smoothly
- Keep a good tire pressure
- Keep a clean air filter
My success has been pretty decent, with a 50% improvement in fuel economy. This will save me a hefty chunk of money—and be kinder to the atmosphere.
The average American uses 500 gallons of gas every year. With gas prices as they are, that’s roughly $4000 a year. Assuming ones fuel economy improves only half as much as mine did, (25%), one could be saving about $1000 each year from this. That’s easy money. Just another way that a little tweak can make a huge impact.
Rollin' Along
4 months ago
Like a freaking train.