3 tips for saving gas
What’s that smell? Something stinks! Oh … it’s the price of gas. I live in SC and I’ll admit we haven’t had it quite as bad as some other states, but it’s still a drag. In the past year the average price of gas in SC has ballooned from $2.82 to $4.38! So are we to do? Well, for the most part it’s out of our control at the moment, but here are three tips that can help you save a little bit on gas…
Relax behind the wheel: If you’re an aggressive driver, you’re not helping your wallet. According to the US Department of Energy, speeding and rapid acceleration and braking can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds (fortunately only 5% at city speeds). So don’t gun it every chance you get and keep a safe distance behind cars in front of you, so you won’t have to hit the breaks so much. If you’ve got a highway commute every day, this could save you up to 82¢ per gallon.
Clean out that trunk: Extra weight can also cost you when it comes to fuel efficiency, so if you’re not playing golf today, take your clubs out of the trunk and put them back in the garage. The same goes for those camping chairs. Soccer season is over!
Don’t idle so much: I understand the desire to crank your car for 5 or 10 minutes before your commute on a winter morning, but it’s July! It’s good for a car to run for a few seconds before you put it in drive, but 20-30 seconds ought to do it. While you’re only losing about a dime every 10 minutes of idling, if your car has a remote start, that could easily get out of hand.
