OBest & Easiest Gas Saving Advice Roy Howell, manager of product development and Chief Chemist at Redline Oil> How synthetic oils make a difference in gas saving and engine protection (10:21)

Members of the Motorwatch Technical Committee speak out:

Michael Zimmerman

• Use the recommended Octane Rating. It may seem that your spending more money on fuel but you are probably getting better miles per gallon. Inflate your tires to proper tire pressure.
• Have you ever tried to ride your bike with a flat tire. It is a lot more work. Your car thinks so too.
• Car-pool. Try to find someone to car-pool with to work. It can be the most dramatic savings in fuel that you will realize. Usually up to 50% minimum. The trick with this is the more people that you get to car-pool with the less you pay for fuel.
• Change your air cleaner. Your car has a more difficult time breathing if it has a dirty air filter.
• Change your oil. If your engine has dirty oil it can not work at peak efficiency.
• Check your alignment. When your tires scrub, (excessive tow in or out) it is causing more friction between the road and the tires.
• Empty out your trunk or truck bed. Don't carry around excessive stuff. Be sure to keep your 72 hour kit and the necessities, but eliminate all the excess stuff.
• Turn off the air conditioner. I understand that it gets hot but if you are really wanting to save fuel this can really help. Remember any time you are running an accessory on the vehicle it is using energy and the only source of energy in your vehicle is fuel.
• Drive with your window up. This keeps the aerodynamics of the vehicle at peak efficiency.
• Go easy on the gas pedal. If you drive around with a lead foot you will get worse fuel economy.
• Keep the car clean and waxed. It may not seem like a lot of drag but have you ever seen a biker shave his legs for better aerodynamics?
• Anticipate your braking and coast to a stop. This will help you maximize the kinetic energy in the vehicle.

Bill Cox

• Don't drive.
• Consolidate trips - ask family & neighbors what they need from the store and make 1 trip.
• Do not use A/C. Remember defroster is A/C too.
• Coast on downgrades & hills.
• Accelerate slowly & evenly.
• Anticipate stops so you are not on the brake then the throttle.
• CHECK TIRE PRESSURE FREQUENTLY.
• Have brakes checked for drag, back off a little on drum type brake adjusters if possible.
• Use synthetic lubricants in the driveline (eng, trans, diff).
• Use lubricants of the lowest viscosity recommended by the car manufacturer.
• Make sure you aren't a brake rider or "2 foot driver."
• MAKE SURE YOUR CAR IS PROPERLY TUNED.
• Check that Air filter is clean.
• Clean fuel injectors.
• Check your gas mileage with different brands and grades of fuel -- some cars like one brand, other cars like another. I once had a car that got terrible mileage on hi-test.
• If you can stand it, keep the windows up and use vents (not A/C) to improve aerodynamics.
• Put 5 coats of wax on your car and turn your spring loaded hood ornament sideways so it cuts through the air better (just kidding).
• Empty the car of unnecessary weight (break it to the Mother-in-law gently).
• Drive at reasonable speeds -- most cars get their absolute best mileage between 40-50 mph. Above and below that it drops off significantly.

Bob Weber

• Switch off engine when waiting for drive-up window, trains, etc.
• Apex carefully (make it a nearly straight line)
• Shed excess weight (good time to start that diet)
• Wash and wax (make it marginally more slippery)
• Repack wheel bearings with synthetic grease
• Make fender skirts from poster board (OK, maybe not)
 

Jim Armstrong

• Don't drive :-) just kidding
• Most importantly is preventive maintenance!
    Air filter
    Fuel filter
• Good fuel quality (not supreme! Just good fuel)
• Regular oil changes with the correct oil viscosity!
• The correct amount of oil no over or under capacity
• Transmission fluid is full and not overextended
• Manual transmission correct viscosity oil and amount
• Use the appropriate gear - do not "overdrive" the gearing
• Coolant is of correct mixture and not aerated and level
• Proper tire inflation, must be checked minimum twice monthly
• Adjust tire pressure for additional loads
• Have alignment checked and corrected if necessary
• Wheel bearings need to be checked for wear and free play (adjusted if
• equipped)
• All tires are the same circumference
• Address immediately a "check engine" light
• Driving habits
    No jack rabbit starts for light or stop signs
    Avoid heavy last second braking
    Make gentle turns at intersections
    Acceleration should be gradual (not too slow to cause a hazard)
    Make it a point to make your driving route a circle (from starting point ending point)
• Do not carry unnecessary weight(luggage, tools, etc)
• Run the a/c only when absolutely necessary
• Cabin filtration: Leave plenty of distance in front of you when stopped at a light or in traffic, lets the car breath
• Avoid stop and traffic as much as possible
• Do not tailgate
• Abide by the speed limits
• Coast (cruise feature) on hills - down side

Mile Miller

You can only take a big truck or V8-powered car and make it get "so good" fuel economy. Most of the secrets aren't secret -- keep the engine in good tune, tires properly inflated, and keep your right foot off the floor. You might manage to get another one or two mpg.
That's not enough.

My advice is buy a small displacement motorcycle, from 125 to 250cc and use it for commuting and short trips. It is not uncommon to realize 70-90 mpg on 87-octane gasoline. In the used market these diminutive bikes used to go for a pittance in today's world of Harley Davidson mania. Often, you'll have to spend some time and money making a used small displacement motorcycle road worth -- brakes, tires, tune up, carburetor rebuild and brake fluid change are the common requirements of a dusty garage-borne neglected motorcycle.

The problem is, once gasoline prices started to rocket this summer, folks began to think about "that old bike in the garage," and it is no longer a simple matter to find one for sale used, cheap. However, for about $3,000, you can buy a brand new Kawasaki Eliminator 125 or Honda Rebel 250. Traditionally these are not popular sellers in the U.S., so I would not expect the supply to be large. And the prices may increase with demand.

Consider a scooter or moped, too, if your commutes don't involve highways.

Think about it. In other countries, where gasoline prices have always been high due to socialist-level taxation, small displacement motorcycles are everywhere. Guess what? That's going to be the U.S. in a few years, so might as well get a head start!

Thomas Barry

• Don't start and idle engine on start up to warm (or cool) interior of vehicle.

• Coast into a stop. When stuck in traffic, turn off A/C-heater open windows for fresh air.

• No jack rabbit starts.

• Check tires for proper inflation.

• Check air filter. Change if dirty or has not been changed in a long time.

• Fill up when you have to. Don't over fill.

Mark Goldfarb 

• Check tire air pressure regularly (which should be standard practice anyway) to manufactures rated limit
• Change to Synthetic lubricants, the benefits of the synthetic  lubes far exceed the use of conventional products
• Use the cruse control when possible on  highways
•  maintain posted speed limit, speeding not only is costly in fuel but also your life
• Make sure  that the brake system is in good working order so the will be less drag on the wheels especially if your auto has drum brakes or sticking brake calipers
• Avoid excessive idling when it can be prevented
• Avoid aggressive acceleration
• Give your self plenty of time to stop look ahead for traffic conditions to pace your self
• Combine trips when at all possible
• Don't waste money on higher octane gas than what the manufacture recommends  if the vehicle will properly perform on  regular grades higher octane also burns faster and  can reduce mileage not to mention the extra expense
• Have vehicle checked over for any maintenance problems, like injector misfire, rough idle, stalling all contribute to loss in fuel economy
• Check for irregular tire wear, could be a sign of an alignment problem which not only causes excessive tire wear but can cause increased fuel economy if the tires are scrubbing from being out of align.
• Car pool when possible

F Eric Meinke

• Proper tire pressure
• Proper wheel alignment; tires should all have even wear
• Good engine tune; no service lights on, especially on 1996 and newer vehicles
• Unrestricted air cleaner, should be able to see light through it
• Old bug shields that stick straight up are gas hogs
• Large mud flaps also cause drag
• Oversized tires use more gas
• Don’t jackrabbit start