Lesson 1: Get Started by Doing the Obvious
One obvious thing you could do would be to trade in your current vehicle for a more economical one. We should all be so lucky as to be able to change cars on a whim, and I did promise you that you wouldn’t have to spend a cent in order to start saving money when fueling your car, so let’s put that option aside. And, even if you were to upgrade your car to a more economical one, you could still apply ecomiling techniques in it and potentially save even more. We’ll get to the ecomiling in a little bit.
In the mean time, when I say obvious I mean tips that you’ve probably already heard. These are the fuel-saving recommendations that you might hear during doom-and-gloom stories on the evening news every time oil futures advance by a dollar. While a conscientious effort to apply ecomiling techniques to your driving can provide vastly larger and more consistent savings than the following recommendations, you should absolutely ensure that you’ve got these obvious pointers taken care of before you get on the road. They’re truly freebies and could, in total, account for substantial improvements in your vehicle’s fuel economy and otherwise reduce the amount of gas you use!
Reduce your vehicle’s weight and improve its aerodynamic profile. Are you driving around with a roof rack or roof-top carrier on your car? Do you have a loaded toolbox in your pickup’s bed or a trailer that you haul around daily? Is your trunk full of sporting equipment? Take all of that auxiliary accessory weight off your car! It’s damaging your car’s aerodynamics and it’s adding weight, and that’s costing you money! 100lb of added weight can increase your vehicle’s fuel consumption by 1%, depending on the vehicle itself, and a loaded roof carrier can increase fuel consumption by up to 5% both because of its weight and its impact on your car’s aerodynamic profile. Unless you intend to use whatever accessories are attached to your car in the immediate future, take them off and save yourself a bunch of cash.
Additionally, if you’ve got a car full of audio equipment and you think you might be growing out of it, consider getting rid of it in the name of fuel economy. Those amps, beefed-up alternators, batteries, heavy-gauge copper wiring, caps and sub boxes add a lot of weight to your vehicle and the electricity that powers your system, well it doesn’t come from out of thin air.
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Avoid using your air conditioner at all costs. Everything you’ve heard about the impact that air conditioners have on fuel economy is true and I’ve personally tested it using my ScanGaugeII. In my automatic 2.3L Mazda3, turning on the air conditioning at idle and while in gear increased my fuel consumption by 70% and turning it on at a constant 50km/h increased it by over 10%. These are huge numbers! Obviously, the specific numbers will depend on your specific vehicle and on the sort of driving you do but it's clear that all of the gains you stand to make by ecomiling can be easily erased simply by turning on your air conditioner. Ideally, you should drive with your air conditioning off and your windows closed. If you need air, your windows are a much more economical choice.
Also make sure you're aware of "stealth" air conditioning. In most modern vehicles, when your vents are set to defog/defrost your windshield and your fan is on, the air is automatically set to fresh and the air conditioner is automatically cycled on, even if the A/C light never turns on to indicate it. For all intents and purposes, there is nothing you can do about this. Assuming that you have to defog/defrost your windshield, you will be using your air conditioner whether you like it or not. The reason you need to be aware of this fact is so that you do not accidentally turn on your fan with the vents set to defog/defrost if all you want is some ventilation. Set the vents correctly depending on your desired purpose in order to avoid using your air conditioner by accident. Additionally, ensure that the insides of your windows are clean because fog forms on particles that are trapped there and you will be forced to defog/defrost when you otherwise might not have had to were your windows clean.
Ensure that your car is properly maintained. Change your vehicle’s fluids as recommended by the manufacturer and make sure you use recommended lubricant grades. Stick to your manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule. Ensure that your air filter is regularly changed. Make sure your wheels are properly balanced and aligned. Check all warning lights promptly. A poorly maintained vehicle could consume as much as 15% more gas than a well maintained one and a vehicle that’s in a state of disrepair could consume even more!
Keep your tires inflated according to manufacturer specifications. Under-inflated tires will wear unevenly and can account for up to 3% greater fuel consumption depending on the degree to which they are under-inflated. Over-inflated tires may improve fuel economy, however over-inflation is not recommended because it will also cause your tires to wear unevenly and it will impact your vehicle’s handling characteristics in unexpected ways. Proper tire pressure is ideal for fuel economy, safety and tire longevity.
Always keep track of your fuel economy. Whether your vehicle’s computer does it for you, whether you have a ScanGaugeII or whether you simply use your car’s trip computer and the fill amount provided at the pump, keep track of your fuel economy to the best of your ability and as accurately as you can. Knowing your vehicle’s fuel economy helps you reinforce good driving behavior and keeps you in the money-saving mindset.
Don’t idle your car to warm it up. While it’s true that your engine operates more efficiently at temperature, warming up your engine prior to driving is a tremendous waste of fuel. You’re better off allowing your engine to come to temperature while driving, even if you consume more fuel than you would at operating temperature and even if it’s the dead of winter. The fuel you spend idling doesn’t move your car forward and that means you’re getting the worst mileage possible: zero. Bad mileage is better than zero mileage.
Combine and plan out your trips. As mentioned above, your engine uses more gas when it’s cold so multiple trips after cold starts can cost you more than you know. Try to do your shopping at one place and make an effort to plan your route so that you avoid doubling back and retracing your path.
Carpool. Reach out to your coworkers or friends and make an effort to carpool. Alternate days or split the gas (Ideally, the person who owns the most efficient car should drive.) and try to get as many people as is feasible in on the pool. The more ways you split the ride the more money you save. Plus, in many areas, a carpool will allow you to bypass traffic by using HOV (high occupancy vehicle) lanes and, as you’ll learn if you read on, HOV lanes are great for fuel economy.
Take public transit. A carpool with your friends is great, now multiply that by ten and you’ve got the most economical sort of carpool possible – public transportation. You can save a bundle on gas, car maintenance and insurance by using your car on a very limited basis and relying on public transportation for your commute. Many places do not have ideal public transportation and many people simply prefer to avoid taking buses for whatever reason but trust me, it’s not bad being chauffeured to and from work/school even if not in a limousine.
Try walking or riding a bicycle. Do you drive to the video store a block down? Do you drive 20km to the mega store for just a box of cereal and a jug of milk when there’s grocery store next door? The best and most obvious way to save gas is to use none at all.
Now, move on to Lesson 2 if you’re ready to get ecomiling.
Lesson Quicklinks
Lesson 2: An Introduction to Disclaimer: It is of critical importance that you always place safety first and fuel economy a very distant second. Although ecomiling may be an engaging, exciting and money-saving challenge, never place fuel economy above your safety or that of other road users. Obey all local traffic laws.