Nifty tips for thrifty drivers

Summer’s here and you’re all set for that all-American pastime — the driving vacation. You’ve piled your bags in the trunk, the map’s on the dashboard, and you’ve donned your favorite Bermuda shorts ready for the great road trip. But wait ... at over $2 per gallon, isn’t a driving vacation going to cost you a small fortune? Well, it may if you’re driving one of those gas-guzzling SUVs, but here are some some simple tips on how to minimize your pain at the pump.

Take it easy
As you head down the highway, keep in mind that you can cut your fuel consumption by avoiding “jackrabbit” starts and driving smoothly. How many times have you sat at a light and  bolted for the open road the second it turned green?

Invigorating? Yes. But also a sure way to burn up gas faster than you should since hard acceleration causes your engine to kick into a less efficient "fuel enrichment" mode. So avoid extreme acceleration except in emergency situations.

Furthermore, after putting the pedal to the metal, chances are you’ll soon be standing on the brakes for the next red light, and that again is inefficient.

In average city driving, almost half the energy needed to power your car goes to acceleration. So roaring away on a green light to then hit the brakes only wastes away the valuable juice.

Aside from restraining the urge to “floor it,” anticipating traffic conditions and not tailgating are the best ways to avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration. This alone can improve your fuel economy by 5 to 10 percent, according to the Department of Energy.

Slow down to cruising speed
It seems contradictory, but to improve your car’s fuel efficiency you need to drive faster … but slower.

Traffic flow, safety and observing the posted speed limits should always determine your speed. But by regulating your speed you can get more miles for each dollar you spend on gas.

With gentle acceleration, you should aim to get your car up into its highest gear, or overdrive, assuming traffic and road conditions permit. Overdrive gears (on 5-speed manual transmissions and 4-speed automatic transmissions) considerably improve the fuel economy of your car during highway driving because they result in slower engine speed.

In short, “cruising” in a low gear burns gas, so pick it up — but not too much.

Going too fast also wastes gas. In highway driving, more than 50 percent of the energy required to move your car goes to overcoming aerodynamic drag. As you drive faster, drag and rolling resistance increase, and in turn your gas mileage goes down.

For the average car, you can improve gas mileage about 15 percent by driving at 55 mph  rather than 65 mph, according to the Department of Energy.

If you have cruise control, use it. Cruise control helps you maintain a constant speed and, for most cars, will cut fuel consumption. But please don’t sit in the passing lane with the cruise control set at 55 mph and pay no attention to others on the road.

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