If you’re looking for more ways to save gas (and thus, money!), then here is something you’ve probably never thought about before, but can make a big difference. Cars have an optimal speed for gas efficiency, and that speed is around 60mph or less. “In a typical family sedan, every 10 miles per hour you drive over 60 is like the price of gasoline going up about 54 cents a gallon,” according to this CNN article. The reason is simply air resistance! The savings can really add up, especially if you do a lot of highway driving.
Interested in other ways to save gas? Check out these older (but still relevant) blog posts:
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
My experience supports this information. In my Prius, I normally get 45mpg, but slowing down has resulted in nearly 57mpg. That extra 12mpg means I can go at least 100 miles farther on a tank of gas.
Driving 10 mph under the speed limit could very likely impede traffic, especially when you consider how many people fail to adhere to the “keep right except to pass” law. This, in turn, would very likely exacerbate already hideous traffic jams, thereby INCREASING fuel consumption.
I think more stringent requirements for acquiring a license to drive would be more beneficial in the long run. Better drivers would decrease the expense and substantially increase safety on our roads.
Atlanta interstates are crazy, especially when people pass on all sides. If slower drivers would stay to the right (if I drive 60-65 mph on 285 or 75, I always do so in the right lane), and those passing would do so properly, it would be a lot safer.
According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the speed limit for Ga urban interstates is 65 mph anyway, so it shouldn’t be much of a slowdown. But when everyone else is driving 80+, it does create a more dangerous situation.
http://www.iihs.org/laws/speedlimits.aspx
Another way to save gas is not to drive when you are angry. There was a hilarious episode of Mythbusters recently where they confirmed the myth that driving while angry actually does use more gas. When you’re mad you tend to break and accelerate more erratically thus wasting more gas…so take a deep breath and chill before you get in your car!