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  1. #1
    Squid is offline
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    Default 6 ways you're wasting gas



    With all the worry over fuel prices, you'd think drivers would do whatever they can not to waste gas. But look around and you'll see lots of them tooling around as if they owned their own tanker fleet. One of them might be you.
    It's not easy to break bad driving habits, but if you don't, the money you lose on gas could wind up breaking your bank.

    By Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNNMoney.com staff writer
    Last Updated: May 22, 2008: 10:32 AM EDT


    Tailgating is dangerous, and it wastes gas. Do everyone a favor and back off.

    NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- With all the worry over fuel prices, you'd think drivers would do whatever they can not to waste gas. But look around and you'll see lots of them tooling around as if they owned their own tanker fleet. One of them might be you.

    Here are six ways drivers typically waste gas every on every trip:
    1. Racing away from green lights

    When the light turns green, you don't have to take off as quickly as possible. That pedal under your right foot is called the "gas pedal" for a good reason. The more you press down on it, the more gas you're pumping into the engine.

    Press lightly on the gas pedal, and you'll still accelerate, and you'll still get where you're going. You might be surprised at how little pressure it takes to get your car up to speed in a reasonable time.

    2. Racing up to red lights

    When you're driving down the street, and you see a light red light or stop sign up ahead, you should lay off the gas sooner rather than later.

    There's no point in keeping your foot on the gas until just before you reach the intersection. Let off the pedal sooner and give your engine a rest as you coast to the stop while braking gently. As an added benefit, your brake pads will last longer, too.

    By themselves, these first two tips can improve your fuel economy around town by as much as 35 percent, according to tests conducted by automotive information Web site Edmunds.com.

    3. Confusing the highway with a speedway

    Even if it doesn't involve hard acceleration, speeding wastes gas. The faster you go, the more air your vehicle has to push out of the way. It's like moving your hand through water. The faster you try to move your hand, the harder the water pushes back.

    In tests by Consumer Reports, driving at 75 miles per hour instead of 65 miles per hour reduced fuel economy by between 3 and 5 miles per gallon, depending on the vehicle.

    4. Bumper-buzzing

    Tailgating is a bad move for many reasons. First of all, it's unsafe. You reduce your ability to react if the car in front of you slows or stops. It also means you have to pay ultra-close attention to that car which reduces your ability to scan for other hazards ahead of you and to the sides.

    And tailgating wastes gas. Every time the driver ahead taps his brakes, you have to slow down even more than he did. (That's because you can't react immediately so you have to slow even more because you're slowing down later.) Then you accelerate again to get back up to speed and resume your bumper-buzzing routine.

    Hang back and you'll be safer - plus you'll be able to drive more smoothly and use less fuel. A good rule of thumb is to allow two seconds of space between your car and the one ahead. You can figure that out by counting off two seconds after the car in front of you passes an obvious landmark like an overpass.

    5. Driving standing still

    You've probably heard that it takes more gas to restart a car than to let it run. Maybe that used to be true, but it isn't anymore. With modern fuel-injection engines, it takes very little extra gas to restart a car once it's warmed up.

    Idling, meanwhile, burns about a half-mile worth of gas every minute, according to the California Energy Commission. That's why hybrid cars shut down their gasoline engines whenever they stop, even for a moment.

    Now you don't want to shut your engine down for every little stop in your regular, non-hybrid car - it's not designed for that - but if you're waiting for someone to run in and out of a convenience store, turn off the engine.

    And don't go through the drive-through at fast food restaurants. You're already paying enough for the oil in those chicken nuggets.

    Bonus tip: Don't idle your engine to let it warm up before driving. It does your engine no good and it wastes gas. Instead, start driving right away, but drive gently until the engine is warm.

    6. Short hops

    For really short trips, take advantage of the opportunity to get some exercise. Try walking to the store instead of driving. You can save gas and burn a few calories instead.

    If you can't hoof it, save up your errands. A lot of short hops that let the engine cool down at home between trips can use twice as much gas as starting the car once and making a big sweep to all your stops, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

    Go to your farthest destination first so your engine has a chance to reach its optimal operating temperature. Then make your other stops on the way back. With the engine warmed up, the car will restart easily and run efficiently all the way home.

    Source: CNN.com
    CNN.com delivers up-to-the-minute news and information on the latest top stories, weather, entertainment, politics and more.
    - Jim

    sig by: Crimsonblack (Many thanks!)

  2. #2
    stangracer44t is offline
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    #4 is really only partially true. If you ride someones bumper really close IE 3-4ft then its true, but if you sit back around 6-8ft it really does work. See mythbusters test.

    "Do you remember the little red button? Push the little red button, and you might want to fasten your seat belt!"

  3. #3
    FroMonster is offline
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    Great article! All of these are true. If you look at the statistics more than 50% of highway accidents in and around cities are due to people following to close to each other (rear ender benders!). I fuss on everyone who does it. I became a defensive driver January 1st 1982 when a drunk driver hit me head on. He died shorty after being cut from his vehicle. For the past 26 years I cautiously monitor everything around me when driving. Including those who ride my bumper!!

  4. #4
    91GT347 is offline
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    #7 Pumping it into a ricer. Now THATS a waste. lol

  5. #5
    Finny is offline
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    If your going to tailgate anyone lets start off with a few ground rules: Number one is YES IT DOES WORK. (Again mythbusters prooved this with computers and number tests).

    Number two: If your going to tailgate I would stick to larger transport vehicles and remain a distance away that you are comfortable with. 10-15 feet from the back of one of these monsters on the highway will save you 20-30% on your milage. Not to mention it affords you room to maintain your regular scan given that most truckers dont "tap their brakes" that often. Also, should the event arise that the truck decides to stop- your going to stop faster than he is unless your brake lines are cut.
    Think about it.... 18-wheeler, or Mustang/any other car? I could probably stop in a length or 2 of the truck itself. Lets see the truck do that.

  6. #6
    BaMustang is offline
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    Ouch 1, 3, and 6 got me. I love taking off on a green light, I go at least 10 MPH over the speedlimit constant, and I am actually doing number 6 in about 45 minutes. Going to my friends house 2 streets over.

  7. #7
    steelfalcon29 is offline
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    Quote Originally Posted by BaMustang
    Ouch 1, 3, and 6 got me. I love taking off on a green light, I go at least 10 MPH over the speedlimit constant, and I am actually doing number 6 in about 45 minutes. Going to my friends house 2 streets over.
    Ditto....well except going to see your friend.

  8. #8
    Squid is offline
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    Quote Originally Posted by Finny
    If your going to tailgate anyone lets start off with a few ground rules: Number one is YES IT DOES WORK. (Again mythbusters prooved this with computers and number tests).

    Number two: If your going to tailgate I would stick to larger transport vehicles and remain a distance away that you are comfortable with. 10-15 feet from the back of one of these monsters on the highway will save you 20-30% on your milage. Not to mention it affords you room to maintain your regular scan given that most truckers dont "tap their brakes" that often. Also, should the event arise that the truck decides to stop- your going to stop faster than he is unless your brake lines are cut.
    Think about it.... 18-wheeler, or Mustang/any other car? I could probably stop in a length or 2 of the truck itself. Lets see the truck do that.
    I think the comment was about tailgating in traffic. The constant speed-up, hit the brakes thing because you're following too closely.

    I agree with the drafting on the open road ... I got 32 MPG with my v6 coming back from Colorado ... stuck like glue to the 18-wheelers.
    - Jim

    sig by: Crimsonblack (Many thanks!)

  9. #9
    PerfRedV6 is offline
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    I got about 30-31 on my most recent cross-country trip without drafting, and I tried to stay only 5 over (dont want any higher insurance and even in a V6 its hard to keep the speed down sometimes).

    I like to gun it at a green light too, but I think if you don't do it EVERY time, you won't waste that much gas. I also try to let the car coast down big hills. I don't know if it really helps with gas mileage, but I figure it can't hurt.
    Last edited by PerfRedV6; 07-02-2008 at 09:13 AM. Reason: punctuation

  10. #10
    J is offline
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    Nicole and I debate that starting the car or let it idle thing all the time. I will make sure she reads this


    GSMC#10 (Got Stang? Midnight Crew)
    GSBMC#10 (Got Stang? Black Mustang Crew)

    Quote Originally Posted by EdditGT
    dude you're like the only online friend I have that I actually consider real cuz I've met you, hahaha lol
    and cuz you're a sexy bitch....yeah!

  11. #11
    gunner_501 is offline
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    I say screw it. Drive it like you stole it.

  12. #12
    spiderman is offline
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    Gunner 501 I agree totaly. I do fill up and do drive it like I stoled it.

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