Fuel Saving Tips: Fact or Fiction? - Copy

For any fleet owner, there is no way around spending a large portion of your money on fuel expenses. The need to get around will always be there, and the ever increasing cost of gas can make it difficult to turn a profit.

Many tips and tricks are exchanged while everyone looks for ways to cut down on fuel costs, but which ones actually work? Separate the facts from fiction and make sure you get the most mileage out of every tank of gas.

Driving Slower Increases MPG

Fact. While speeding will save you time, it will not save you at the pump. Vehicles perform at their best when driven at around 55 miles per hour, and every time you add a little pressure to your gas pedal, the MPG begins to drop.

Idling Costs More Than Turning The Engine On and Off

Fact. Sitting in the car while you wait for someone or run inside for a minute will actually cost you way more in the long run. Running your engine for roughly 10 seconds is the equivalent of switching the engine on and off. So idling around is actually costing you a lot more than simply cutting the power when you don’t even need the engine on at all!

Coasting In Neutral Saves Gas

Fiction. While it may seem like this should decrease the amount of fuel being consumed by the engine, this is not the case. An engine will use just as much gas in neutral it would while coasting. So switching into neutral on a downhill slope isn’t helping your MPG, and is just more of a danger risk since vehicles become far more difficult to maneuver went not in gear.

Tire Pressure Contributes to Better Fuel Economy

Fact. Having your tires properly inflated will improve MPG. Check the inside of the driver’s side door or the owner’s manual to see what the correct tire pressure is for your vehicle and you can increase your gas mileage by 3.3 percent!

Gas Caps Matter

Fact. Fuel will evaporate out of the gas tank without a gas cap, and can still seep out if the cap isn’t screwed on tight! The numbers really add up because a missing or broken gas reduces the fuel efficiency of your vehicle by up to 2 percent.

Save Fuel by Using Cruise Control

Fact. On longer trips, cruise control can save you big at the pump. It’s a great tool to use while maintaining a safe speed on highways and is not intended for city driving or on winding roads. By keeping at a safe speed, the cruise control function negates the need to increase the engine’s RPM and keeps the MPG at a steady rate.