Reducing Fuel Costs

I commute about 50 miles each way to work. I know that's a long ways to many people, but in the central and western US, that's not that far. I know people that drive that far to get groceries for instance.

That said, the rise in gasoline prices has been a concern to me. As I was filling up my little economy car this morning, I saw a sign on the gas pump for fueleconomy.gov, so when I got to work I surfed on over and read up on ways to save gasoline. And remember that gasoline savings = money savings. Here are some of their suggestions

Driving More Efficiently

• Drive sensibly, i.e. no aggresive driving. Potential benefit - 5-33%.
• Observe the speed limit. For every 5 miles an hour over 60, the site claims that it costs you an additional $0.19 per gallon. Potential benefit 7-23%.
• Remove excess weight. This is even more important for small cars like mine. Potential savings 1-2% per 100 lbs.

In my case, I already drive pretty sensibly, so I don't think I'll see much improvement there. But I usually drive 65 on the highway to work, so slowing down a bit to 60 would save 19 cents per gallon. Gas was $2.79 this morning, so that would drop the effective price to $2.60. I don't have anywhere close to 100 lbs of "stuff" in the car, but I suppose every little bit helps.

Bottom line for me - maybe $0.19 per gallon reduction

Keeping Your Car in Shape

• Keep your engine tuned up. Good advise, regardless of savings. Potential benefit 4%.
• Replace Air Filters regularly. Again, just a plain good idea that will increase the live on the car. Potential benefit - 10%
• Keep tires at proper inflation. Your tires will last longer too. I'd also add to that to use the size of tires recommended for the car. Wider tires, while maybe looking "cool" will lower fuel economy. Potential benefit - 3%
• Use the right motor oil. They mean weight rating (like 5W/30 for my car). I'd also suggest that you consider synthetic oil. You can go longer between changes (which saves time, and potentially money). I use Mobile-1 synthetic in my car. Potential savings - 1-2%.
  

I already do most of these things. Synthetic oil is claimed to improve fuel economy as well, but I use it mainly for the benefit of not having to have my oil changed every 3,000 miles. But these tips are a good reminder - I should probably check my air filter next time I have the oil changed. Let's say I was able to squeeze an additional 2% savings out of this area. That works out to about 5 cents per gallon, which drops my effective cost down to $2.55.

Bottom Line
Cars, except for rare or collectable cars, are not an investment. They are a cost center, and reducing costs means more money in the bank. Reducing my costs by the 24 cents estimated here would help make the pain of the pump a little less painful.