Gas Issues

Ah yes. The power of petrol. Anyone who owns a car or anything that runs off of petrol will tell you that skyrocketing gasoline prices have caused a damper on its use. Currently I drive a 92 Ford Escort powered by a massive 1.9 liter, 4 cylinder engine and because of this my miles per gallon should hover around the 26 mark. While thats a mere sip compared to some vehicles that drink more than Lindsey Lohan, I have lately been practicing some tricks that have raised my average MPG from 26 to a lofty 30. Now to some people an extra 4 miles doesn't seem too impressive, however, when applied to a simple math equation, it shows that I will generally suck an extra forty miles out of my ten gallon tank before my car needs refueled.

Here are just a few tricks that I have learned to squeeze every mile out of every gallon:

1. The first rule is probably the most simple. Don't drive if you don't have too. It takes a lot of fuel for a car to start up and for the engine to get into it's warm comfy state. Walk, ride a bike, or hitchhike to the McDonalds down the street if you must but avoid driving your car if at all possible. It is these small trips that will drain your tank faster than Lindsey Lohan can drain a Jack Da....wait- whoops, already went there. Now while I know that doesn't really apply to increasing mileage while driving, it is still a good rule to live by if gas prices are draining your wallet.

2. Number two is, without a doubt, the most effective way to up those MPGs. When cruising down a road or the highway try not to drive your Taurus or Accord like a Ferrari. Drive the speed limit. One may ask why? Well it is simple physics, of which I understand nothing. The faster you drive the more the pistons in your engine go around. And the more times your pistons go around the more gas you use.

3. Now number three deals with a problem that I had. Picture sitting at a stoplight for a whole painstaking minute and finally having the red go green. Most people put the pedal to the medal and gun the car just as fast as it will go until you reach the next stoplight 400 feet away. Rinse, lather, and repeat for terrible gas mileage. So one can now gather that you can save loads of fuel by not taking off like a jackrabbit at every stoplight.

4. And finally use cruise control. It allows for a consistent flow of fuel rather than a roller coaster ride with Mr. Rightfoot and Mrs. Petrolpedal.

Now these are obviously simple steps, but they do produce results. So if better gas mileage is of interest to anyone I encourage you give these a try.
Reporting from our Raintree studio,

Chad Waite


P.S. For even better MPG you may check out websites devoted to better fuel economy. Or buy one of these: