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Now that Gas prices contiune to skyrocket, here are a few tips to help improve your car getting better mpg.

To help your car stop guzzling gas, how you drive is almost as important as what you drive. :-2

“Fuel economy suffers at speeds higher than 60 and drops drastically above 70,” says the National Vehicle and Fuel Emissions Laboratory in Michigan. A University who researches fuel efficiency, says “Slowing from 70 to 55 can increase your MPG by 15 percent.”

Avoiding “Jackrabbit starts” (stomping on the gas after a red light) saves use by 25 percent, and using the car's cruise control also saves fuel.

Also, try to limit use of air conditioners and defrosters when/as much as possible.

Avoid idling as much as possible: “One minute of idle is almost equal to starting the car.”

Also inflating the cars tires to the maximum recommended Air pressure will help increase milage by reducing drag.

Ofcourse needless to say, keep your car well tuned, & in perfect working order.

What about this idea ?

Rising, even skyrocketing gas prices is a good thing/

Will it propel us into alternative methods of go go juice ?

If the prices become hurtful, will it be enough to finally make us do what we should have done 30 yrs ago ?

Nomad wrote: What about this idea ?

Rising, even skyrocketing gas prices is a good thing/

Will it propel us into alternative methods of go go juice ?

If the prices become hurtful, will it be enough to finally make us do what we should have done 30 yrs ago ?


You've a way to go yet - we're at just under $8 / gal and still we keep buying it.

cars wrote: Avoiding “Jackrabbit starts” (stomping on the gas after a red light) saves use by 25 percent, and using the car's cruise control also saves fuel.


I've started doing just this, and other than the mean looks I get from the road ragers, it works like a charm!:o

Bryn Mawr wrote: You've a way to go yet - we're at just under $8 / gal and still we keep buying it.


Wow, $8 /gal, that's nasty! But most of you if not all of you guys, drive sensible 40 mpg cars there, not like the 10 to 14mpg gas guzzlers many of the Americans drive here in the USA. :wah: So it's kind of a wash. (Balances out) :rolleyes:

We have 3 cars, two get 22mpg & 1 gets 25mpg, still far cry from 40mpg, but better than those 10mpg SUV's. (Using a few tricks, I'm improving those mpg, by about 2mpg)

Cannot figure out why they are not using ethanol here, it would burn cleaner and possibly decrease our dependance on petrolium so much. My husband and I are fortunate enough that we car pool most days. Helps out some.

I can't imagine 8$ gas....must hurt....

Marie5656 wrote: Cannot figure out why they are not using ethanol here, it would burn cleaner and possibly decrease our dependance on petrolium so much. My husband and I are fortunate enough that we car pool most days. Helps out some.


I thought that was a safety issue - ethanol burns invisibly whereas petrol files are visible.

My neighbour has just come to an arrangement with the local chinese takeaway to but all their used cooking oil. He is refining it to use as biodiesel in his diesel car.

So folks buy diesel and get round to your nearest chip shop and buy their used oil.

According to eec rules the tax in biodiesel should be a lot less than on conventional diesel to encourage it's use. The biodiesel industry is still born in this country as a consequence. But it's funny how our govt can ignore the EEC when it suits them and pretend they can't when that also suits.