Save On Gas Prices
Fuel prices have continued to
skyrocket over the years. This affects us all; especially those who are
on a fixed income. When faced with a challenge of this type, everyone
has to make choices. Some choose to continue to pay more at the pump and
keep their same driving habits, while others decide to cut back on their
driving. For those who have to commute, this can end up taking a big
hunk out of their pay check. The net result is like taking a cut in pay.
Most everyone wants to save on gas prices, at the pump. I’m sure you want to as well, or
you wouldn’t be on this website. For each dollar saved at the pump, you
have a dollar more to spend on something else.
This website is designed to
help you as a vehicle owner find some ways to lower your cost of fuel.
There are actually many ways we can cut back on our fuel bills without
sacrificing the traveling we need to do. Hopefully, some of the
following suggestions will be of some help to you.
Look For The Cheapest Gas Stations
It “pays” to pay attention to
gas prices. Sometimes by filling up on one side of the street, rather
than the other side, you can save 10 t0 20 cents per gallon. If you have
a 20 gallon tank, that can save you 2$ to 4$, on a tank of gas. If the
cheaper station is across town; however you may not gain anything by
driving to that station. In fact, you may end up paying more for cheaper
fuel than you would by filling up at the more expensive station. This is
true especially if you take into consideration the wear and tear on your
car. If you know of a station, that is considerably cheaper, and is a
few miles away, try to plan filling up when you already will be in the
area. This saves you time and will also help save money on gas
prices.
Change Your Driving Habits
When planning out your day,
if you have several places to go, try to make your stops as linear as
possible. In other words, don’t zigzag back and forth unless your
schedule dictates it. Before you begin your day, jot down all the stops
you will need to make, throughout the day. Combine trips; this will save
money on gas, as well as your valuable time. Rather than go to the
grocery store and then later to the hardware store, do both together. If
you need to go to the bank and also pick up kids from school, leave a
little early and go by the bank, on the way to school. By doing so, you
won’t break up your day as much and will even find yourself being more
productive. Ultimately, you will
also save on gas.
Another driving habit that
will save fuel, and thus fuel costs at the pump, is learning to
accelerate more gradually rather than screeching your tires when you
take off from a stoplight. By possibly gaining a couple of seconds on
your arrival time, you end up having your wallet sucked dry.
Choose A More Fuel Efficient Vehicle
When it comes time to replace
your vehicle, carefully look at how fuel efficient each vehicle is. It
may be that you need a larger vehicle, due to your family size. Try to
choose the most fuel efficient SUV
that will fit your specific needs. By doing this, you will save on gas
prices for many years to come.
Keep Your Car Maintained Properly
Even though it may cost a
little more up front, it pays to keep your car maintained. Preventive
maintenance is important. This includes changing your oil on a regular
basis. The smoother your engine runs, the less fuel it will consume.
Also, a well lubricated engine will last a lot longer.
Keeping all of the fluids
maintained is also important. By keeping the proper level of water and
mixture of antifreeze in your radiator, your vehicle will run cooler and
more efficient. Replacing your transmission oil will also keep your
transmission running more smoothly and reliably.
Keeping your tires inflated
properly, will not only keep them from wearing unevenly, but will also
save on gas prices at the pump. Yes, it will improve your gas mileage.
Consider A Hybrid Car
Another good option to
consider when replacing your vehicle is a hybrid car. There are a number
of hybrid cars for
sale, both new and pre-owned. If driven properly, a hybrid car can save
you close to 15% on gas prices. This can be significant if you put a lot
of miles on your car.
Think About Alternative Fueled Vehicles
A fuel that can really save
on gas prices is natural gas. There are already a number of Compressed
Natural Gas (CNG) vehicles on the market. Currently, there is only one
CNG car for sale, which is the Honda Civic GX. Ford and GM
are both introducing a bi-fuel pickup truck this next year that uses
both gasoline and natural gas. The natural gas infrastructure is
beginning to develop. When that is in place, you will see an abundance
of compressed natural gas cars on the market and on the road.
Natural gas is about half the price of gasoline and is much
cleaner burning. It makes sense and earns “cents” to switch to CNG.
In today’s market,
electric cars
are becoming a lot more popular. Several manufacturers already have
these alternative fuel cars on the market. They produce almost no
pollution and are reliable for shorter distance driving. The Nissan Leaf
touts 99 MPG-E (miles per gallon equivalent). Since electric cars don’t
run on gasoline, the EPA has come up with an equivalent based on power
consumption per mile. Rather than MPG, the thing to look for in an
electric car is the kilowatt-hours per 100 miles (kWh/100m) rating. When
the Nissan Leaf is driven in a combined environment (city and highway),
it is rated at 34kWh/100m. With electric cars, the lower the kW number,
the better; where with gas engines, the higher the MPG the better.
Solar powered cars
aren’t manufactured by any major auto makers at this time. However, if
you are interested, there are solar cars on the market. For the most
part solar cars aren’t as practical as they need to be, to become a
major player in the market.
As you can see, there are a
number of things you can do right now to assure you
save on gas prices at the
pump. Many of these ideas don’t lower the actual amount you pay per
gallon, but they do subtract from the amount of fuel you consume, which
equates to saving on gas prices.
As technology improves, there will be more and more options to choose
from.
If the government would allow
more domestic drilling and the building of more refineries, it would
drastically lower gas prices at the pump. With the latest technology,
these wells can be drilled with little impact on the environment.
Extreme environmentalists need to back off for the good of their fellow
mankind. Hopefully, our legislators will loosen up on some of the strict
regulations and allow more drilling of oil and gas wells.