Getting More Out of a Tank of Gasoline

With the price of gasoline reaching ridiculous levels of over $1.30 a litre, I thought I'd share with you a few tips to stretch your mileage. The usual motherhood statements of drive less, and plan your routes to minimize travel, still obviously apply.

• Optimal mileage is reached at about 80 kph (50 mph). So slow down when you're on the freeways. Get in the rightmost lane and do the speed limit or a bit under.


• Acceleration costs you gas, significant gas. Try to time your speed as you approach red lights to avoid actually having to stop, and thus reduce acceleration. Yes, this means coasting. Coast as much as possible instead of active braking. Active braking is a indicator that you stayed on the accelerator pedal too long. Simply try to time things such that you're doing less active braking, more coasting, and thus less accelerating.


• Maintain your momentum as much as you can without compromising safety. Try to know your car and don't unnecessarily slow down when you don't have to, especially around corners.


• Use the downslope of hills to your advantage to help you get up the other side. Allow your speed to bleed down somewhat on the upslope, don't press down a lot more on the accelerator just to maintain your speed going up hill. Gently accelerate back up to speed once you're over the crest.


• Keep your tires inflated to the level indicated by the sticker in your car. Under-inflated tires will hurt your mileage.


• Check and change your car's air filter at least every 6 months. Reduced engine airflow will hurt your mileage.


• Use your air conditioning sparingly. Turn up the temperature in your cabin by a couple of degrees. The compressor puts a significant load on your engine.


• Accelerate gently. Hard acceleration sucks a lot of gas.


• Only fill your tank to the halfway point. By leaving out those extra 25-30 litres of fuel, you have effectively taken 40 lbs out of your car. In fact, if everybody did that, it would create a temporary glut of fuel and prices would come down, at least for a little while.

As always, never compromise your safety. Don't zoom around corners if you don't feel safe doing so, and when you're coasting keep your foot ready to hit the brake and pay attention to the road. Also, be aware of drivers behind you and try not to piss them off with your frugal moves.