Driving for Maximum MPG

Glancing at the fuel gauge more often these days? You are not alone. With fuel prices near record highs, that gas in your tank is a valuable commodity and maximizing fuel economy is more important than ever.

Unfortunately, there is no miracle cure for minimizing the pain that most drivers are feeling at the pump. Getting the best possible fuel economy from your vehicle is one straightforward way to cut those gas pains. Accomplishing this requires various fuel saving driving techniques and a reasonable degree of effort. While just a few key techniques can make a noticeable improvement, the biggest gains will be found by making a conscious decision not to waste fuel and practicing as many of these techniques as possible. Achieving maximum fuel economy can be addicting, too ... in a good way. Pinching a few more tenths of a mile per gallon is a satisfying feeling and a very worthy goal that not only saves money but also offers the added benefit of reducing pollution.

Making the most of every drop of fuel begins with a bit of planning and preparation. It may sound simplistic, but driving no further than necessary for a given trip is the surest means of minimizing fuel consumption. The best way to do this is to know exactly where you're going and the shortest way to get there. While we love a good adventure as much the next person, driving around pointlessly trying to find an unfamiliar destination is a waste of gas and time. A few minutes on an online mapping website can provide turn-by-turn directions with options for the shortest distance or the quickest routes. Better yet, an in-car GPS navigation system will guide you and allow some flexibility if plans change along the way. You don't need to spend a lot of money to have the latest technology at your fingertips these days, since portable units that easily transfer between vehicles are now available for a few hundred bucks.

Mapping out your route may be a good way to save on longer or unfamiliar trips, but what about your well-worn paths around the neighborhood? Errands can be made much more efficient by combining trips. Try linking your trip to the grocery store with a stop at the bank and post office. Single mission excursions use much more fuel and consume precious free time. Another consideration is that short hops are harder on your car and also produce higher tailpipe emissions in the process. Emission control system components like catalytic converters must be heated sufficiently to reach an operating temperature that allows transforming noxious tailpipe gases into relatively benign ones. On a short trip to the corner store, you may reach your destination before this temperature is fully reached, so early "cold start" emissions can be a factor. When an engine is cold it's also not operating at its peak efficiency.

Most drivers know that rapid starts and stops waste fuel. Driving in an economical mode requires a light touch on the accelerator, but not too light. Think of the gas pedal as a valve: the more pressure you apply, the wider the valve opens to drain gas out of your tank. The LDC displays in many gasoline-electric hybrids that indicate instantaneous fuel economy are great aids that can help perfect this driving technique. Toyota and Nissan have announced they will be including fuel economy gauges in their standard model vehicles and this trend will likely be followed by other automakers as well.

As you're learning to drive in more fuel efficient ways, don't be overly conservative with acceleration. Prolonging the time it takes to get up to speed can be counterproductive because optimum fuel economy is achieved at a steady-state cruise. There's also the very real issue of driving so slow as to anger impatient driver behind you. The safest and best approach is to accelerate with traffic, applying only as much accelerator pressure as necessary to move with traffic flow.

Being aware of the traffic around you is always a good idea, but a heads-up approach can save gas, too. When you see the traffic light ahead is red or about to change, easing off the gas and coasting is the most efficient mode. Maintaining the speed limit until the last second and then braking hard only wastes fuel and wears out your brakes. Remember, a vehicle is most efficient at steady cruising speeds. If you don't need to come to a complete stop and then use all the energy necessary to get the entire mass of your car in motion again, you are ahead of the game.

Once at speed it's steady as she goes using overdrive or the highest gear possible to maintain low engine rpm. Cruise control can be an effective tool if you have a heavy right foot. With modern powertrains, very little power is required to keep the car rolling at a constant speed. Some of that power goes toward overcoming rolling resistance of the tires on the road surface, some is lost to mechanical friction in the driveline, and much of the rest is consumed overcoming aerodynamic drag. This last component is the biggest factor as your car's speed increases, so traveling the speed limit will provide the best economy. Aerodynamic drag increases substantially with increased velocity. The EPA estimates that every 5 mph driven over 60 mph results in an efficiency loss that costs the equivalent of an additional $0.20 per gallon of gas.

On the other end of the speed scale, make an effort to reduce idling when possible. Hybrids shut the engine off while a vehicle is at rest because idling is an inefficient use of gasoline. We don't recommend shutting down at traffic lights or short stops, but idling while waiting in a parking lot is wasteful unless you need to run the air conditioning or heat due to extreme outside air temperatures. Long warm-ups are also unnecessary unless you need to clear the windows of snow and ice in the winter.

Naturally, keeping your car in top mechanical condition will play a role as well. Regular tune-ups and routine maintenance are critical to efficient operation. Tire pressure is perhaps the biggest single maintenance item affecting fuel economy. Just one psi (pounds per square inch) of pressure below the manufacturer's recommendation can reduce fuel economy by as much as 3 percent due to the increased rolling resistance. Another tip is to only carry what's necessary. For the average car, each additional 100 pounds of weight carried decreases fuel economy by 1 to 2 percent.

You wouldn't voluntarily pay 20 percent more for gas at your next fill-up, would you? An aggressive driving style can add that much every time you pull up to the pump. At $3.00 a gallon it's like paying $0.60 more for each gallon of fuel. Clearly, driving efficiently is a skill worth perfecting.