The Best Fuel Economy - A Tip You May Not Have Heard

Nobody wants to waste fuel with the current high fuel prices. Yet even without thinking about it, most of us actually DO waste a great deal of gas. The following is a car fuel mileage tip you haven't heard, but will make sense after you see it here:

Our poor fuel mileage and thoughtless wastefulness is due to the fact that we're almost always in a rush. Any time you are in a hurry and running behind, saving gas and money is the last thing on your mind. No, you hop in your car, start it up and speed away, frequently driving like a fireman on the way to a fire.

As a result, the single most significant thing that you can do to save money and gas is to give yourself an extra 10 minutes - at least - to get to your destination. If you approach it like this, the truth is 95% of the time you will find yourself leaving and/or arriving on time (instead of ten to fifteen minutes early). The reason? The actual traffic will be heavier than you expected, you will need to run back into your place for an item you forgot, a last-second distraction may hit you that requires your attention, etc. and etc.

No matter the cause, that ten minutes will nearly always come in handy. But the benefits of getting to where you need to go on time are only the tip of the 'benefit iceberg: You will be moving and traveling relaxed - no need to hurry - so your blood pressure will be lower. This helps make you happier and healthier - quite literally. And let's not forget the better fuel mileage, which saves you big bucks over the month, and helps save the planet.

Here are some tips:

1. Avoid "aggressive" driving such as speeding, fast acceleration and hard braking. (Leaving early or on time will allow you to fix this!) Aggressive driving not just leads to illness and shorter life-span (for both you and your vehicle), but reduces your gas mileage up to thirty-five percent at highway speeds and about five percent inside the city.

2. When warming up a cold engine, avoid long periods of idling; instead, warm your car's systems by idling only 30 seconds or so after which SLOWLY driving for a mile or so. This technique warms up the transmission and other areas of the car that need gradual warming along with the engine. It is the best for your vehicle's health and also saves you time as well.

...Lengthy idling simply wastes gas and increases harmful emissions.

3. Incorporate several short trips into one longer one. Because several short outings use up to double the gas as one longer, multi-purpose errand trip.

4. Slow down - avoid speeds over 65 mph.

...Think about these facts:

Each 5 miles per hour you drive over sixty mph is like paying an extra $.15 per gallon for gas - perhaps more - depending on the current price of fuel. It works out to be between $.12 to $.85 for each gallon you save on gas! Amazing but true.

...The main reason you figure to save so much money and fuel for driving below seventy miles per hour is because about 85% of your car's engine power is used to 'fight' the wind resistance above 65 miles per hour - even for really low drag cars.

5. Avoid using your car's air conditioning at speeds under 30 mph. The reason behind this is your a/c compressor robs loads of power from the engine, however the negative effects diminish a great deal at steady freeway speeds.

6. Keeping your tires properly inflated and aligned will improve your gas mileage by about 3.5 %.

You most likely already knew that a lighter vehicle gets better fuel mileage than a heavier one. Then get the junk out of your trunk! But if things are away from view inside the trunk, you don't realize you are hauling additional weight around. ('Out of sight, out of mind.')

These things are easy to do and will save you a lot of money on your next tank of fuel. Perhaps more importantly, you will help reduce America's dependence on foreign oil.

But don't forget the most significant single thing that will allow you to arrive on time alive and relaxed, with extra cash in your wallet and helping save the planet:

Leave ten minutes early every single time!

Discover more money-saving ways to get the best car gas mileage at http://hybrid-electric-car.net