Do my fuel-saving tips really work?
Can a fuel-efficient car really be made even more fuel efficient? I've decided to put my (gas) money where my mouth is and see how well my fuel saving tips work. For the last few weeks I've been driving the Red Scare, my old (but outstandingly frugal) Honda CRX. By just following my own driving tips -- which basically amounts to keeping a gentle foot on the accelerator -- Red has been averaging 35.8 miles per gallon (15.2 km/l) in mixed driving. (Gotta love small cars!)
Today I applied tips number 1, 2 and 8: I changed the air filter (it was clogged with dirt -- has it been that long since I changed it?), pumped up the tires (all four were down about 4 psi), and cleaned out the car (a real eye-opener -- I put all the stuff I didn't need into a box and hurt myself trying to pick it up. I bet I was hauling around 50 lbs of crap I didn't need). Total cost: $12 and about half an hour of my time. Will it make a difference? I've just filled Red's tank and I'll update you in a week or so. Incidentally, we now have comments on our blog, so if you'd like to share your own fuel-saving tips, please do. -- Aaron Gold
Comments
I own a 2004 pt cruiser gt..with all the bells&whistles..in trying to save a little gas,when i use my air cand. in the summer on a trip,I cool the car down, then open the sunroof a crack, turn off the fan, and let the car draft the cool thru the vents into the inside……really works..at interstate speeds i gained some 6 mpg on trips….thanks john
6 MPG? Wow, that’s impressive! I knew you could pick up MPG by shutting off the A/C but that’s the most impressive gain I’ve heard of.
In other news I’m going to make one more change on the CRX: New spark plugs. The old ones are looking pretty ragged. For newer cars, many of which run 100k on a set of spark plugs, this might not be an issue, but for older cars it’s something to check.