May 20, 2008 7:18 pm US/Eastern
Tips That Work To Improve Your Gas Mileage
MIAMI (CBS4) ―
With the average price of gas quickly approaching four bucks a gallon, it seems everybody has a tip on how to save gas.
But some are not all they're cracked up to be.
CBS4 consumer reporter Al Sunshine says we've all heard the most popular tips: put air in the tires, use premium if the manufacturer recommends it and change the air filter. But some are more myth than matters of reality and may not save much gas in the long run.
"You can't even afford the fuel any more, it's crazy, it's crazy," said Miami salesman Will Cowdell who is now spending about $100 per week to fill up his SUV.
He says he's always on the look out for ways to save on gas.
"If I'm going somewhere, I'll group up with people going out," said Cowdell, "I'll look for other ways of going places."
Cowdell said he's heard about the most popular tips for squeezing every mile you can out of a gallon of gas, but doesn't' really know which ones work. A study by Consumer Reports found most of them are more myth than reality.
Consumer Reports Gas-Myths
- Clean Air Filter: Negligible Change
- Premium Gas: No Better Fuel Economy
- Excessive Tire Pressure: Added Risk of Accidents
- Gas Saving Additives: Generally Useless
- Air Conditioning: Keep it Off
Researchers for the magazine found despite what your mechanic may tell you, clean air filters won't improve your gas mileage all that much, car engines made to run on premium will work fine on cheaper gas and over-inflating your tires to decrease resistance with the pavement can be dangerous. As for fuel additives, testing showed they were generally useless.
So what did work?
Opening the windows and driving with the air conditioning off around town gained an additional mile per gallon compared to driving with the windows up and air conditioning on.
One of the biggest factors in getting better mileage is to drive within the speed limit and less than 65 miles per hour which reduces the drag on the vehicle and allows for better fuel efficiency.
During an informal test, Sunshine found his gas mileage dropped dramatically when he maintained a speed to keep up with the flow of traffic rather than follow the posted speed limit.
"I could easily save 7,8,9 to 10 miles to the gallon," said Sunshine, "and on a long trip it would be a really good money saver"
Sunshine said he found his real mileage killer was idling in stop and go slow moving traffic; on a 72 minute trip, he was stopped in traffic for 13 minutes burning gas the entire time.
Click Here for more gas saving tips from Consumer Reports.
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