Switch to synthetic motor oil. It reduces engine friction and may make your car a little less ravenous at the gas station. (There are brands available claiming 5%-20% increases in fuel economy.)
Use the manufacturer's recommended grade of oil. Manufacturer specs are based on what is best for your specific vehicle.
Buy gas with the recommended octane rating. Premium can actually be detrimental to many engines.
Fill up during the coolest times of day. You get more gas in each gallon, because liquids expand in the heat. The pumps are measuring gallons, not weight.
Make sure that the gas cap is tight after you fill up. Gas evaporates easily - you can lose an appreciable amount through an improperly seated cap.
Check your tires before your holiday and inflate them to the manufacturer's recommendations. Underinflated tires create drag and increase gas consumption. Always carry a tire gauge in your glove compartment.
Never drive on bald tires! Besides being unsafe, they also increase fuel consumption.
Don't leave your engine idling for long periods of time. This includes pre-warming - one minute is all you need. Start off slowly, then use normal speeds after a couple of minutes.
Don't continually start and stop your engine. Each start burns about the same amount of gas as one minute of idle time.
Drive the speed limit on highways - speeding devours gas. Activate your cruise control whenever possible, and when cruise is not engaged remember the 'egg' trick: drive like you have a raw egg between the floorboards and the gas pedal.
Stop lights in cities are usually set to synchronize with the posted speed limit. Drive the speed limit and you are more likely to hit a long series of green lights. Stopping at red lights increases idle time and gas consumption.
Drive in a way that entails minimal use of the brakes.
Don't pack more than you need. The more weight you carry, the more gas you use.
Decrease wind resistance. A car caked with mud, snow, or ice will cause drag and burn more gas than a sleek, clean vehicle.
Don't use the air conditioner unless necessary. Vehicle air conditioners increase fuel consumption.
Pamper your vehicle by ensuring that it goes in for regular tune-ups and maintenance. Slight adjustments can mean dramatic fuel savings. Ask the maintenance people to add fuel injector cleaner whenever the oil is changed.
Some communities have websites that post fuel prices at local gas stations. Do your research before you leave to find out where the cheapest stations are. Use common sense: driving too far out of your way will gobble up more gas than you save. Try gasbuddy.com (USA and Canada) and your favorite search engines.
If you own a gas guzzler, try trading with a relative or neighbor for a smaller vehicle while you vacation. (Make sure that insurance policies on both vehicles are in order first.)
Use your feet! Once you get to your destination, walk whenever possible. Walking is how you really get to know an area.
Save money, save the environment - and have more cash to spend on your vacation!
?Copyright Kathy Steinemann: This article is free to publish only if this copyright notice, the byline, and the author's note below (with active links) are included.
When it comes to international driving, I come from a bad gene pool. My father had traffic citations from Mexico, Belgium, France, Canada, the Netherlands and Germany. This might not sound too impressive, but he drove less than 2 days in each country! Although I'm as bad an international driver as he was (God rest his soul), I have much better karma.
On my last European vacation, I proudly earned my first and only international driving ticket in France which I never had to pay (I'll get to that later). Which brings me to my first French driving tip: To Peage or not to Peage, that is the question. Peages are the French toll roads that cross the entire country. You can pay anywhere from a couple of Euros to 20 Euros or more depending how far you go on the Peage.
Now my first instinct was to avoid Peages because they cost money. (Note the past tense of the verb was.) The alternative to Peages is to take the local roads which can be slow, full of traffic, full of traffic lights and take a less direct route to where you're going. Not only can they be aggravating and not very scenic, but it can take you 3 times as long to get to your destination and the odds of you getting lost are disturbingly high.
But worst of all, they can be speed traps. For example, I was driving from the Loire Valley to Provence when I saw a Peage toll both ahead. Being "savvy," I swerved into the lane taking me to the free public road. I was toodling along at 90 km per hour as posted the road signs. I was admiring the country scenery when a light flashed in my eyes and I saw a camera above me on the road. Further down the road there was a sign instructing traffic to go 90 km per hour. I knew I got a ticket but I couldn't figure out what I did wrong. I know I never exceeded 90 km per hour and there was no dramatic change in the road or the traffic conditions from the time I entered the public road.
About 20 kilometers later the speed limit sign changed to 50 km per hour and about a kilometer later I saw another dreaded traffic camera. About a kilometer after the traffic camera the speed limit sign was back to 90 km per hour. Be aware, there had been no change in traffic or road conditions in the area that justified a reduction in the speed limit.
However, justice prevailed! I was driving a car I had rented in Belgium and I told the rental agent about my ticket. He smugly said: "Don't worry about it. The French police will send the ticket to the Belgian Department of Transportation for collection, they will see that you're from California, figure they can't collect and throw the ticket in the trash." That's what must have happened because I never heard anything about my ticket ever again. Previously, I had rented a car in France and got a parking ticket. The price of the ticket was included in the bill of my rental car when I turned it in. So I guess the moral of the story is: "If you are going to drive in France, rent your car in Belgium."
Finally, I discovered something about driving in France that I've never heard anyone mention. On a Sunday, we were driving in an isolated part of Brittany and were running very low on gas. All the gas stations were closed, but you could use a credit card at the pump. However, the gas pump only honored French credit cards. We were stranded there until a nice French lady came to fill up her car and she graciously let us use her credit card in exchange for the equivalent cash of our gas purchase. So, when in the French country-side make sure you fill up your gas tank on Saturday.
Both Kathy Steinemann & Pat Campo are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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