Tips to Save Gas While
Traveling
By
Scott Siegel
http://www.beatthegaspump.com
As gasoline prices continue to set records and you find
yourself spending more and more money at the gas pump, the
prospect of taking that driving vacation trip seems more
expensive than ever. How can you travel and not break your
budget on gas?
You can do something about it. You can control your gas
consumption. Remember, you the owner and operator of your
car, are the best fuel saving device. There are some basic
tips that you can follow to ease your gas burden while
traveling.
First thing you can do is get rid of all the extra stuff you
have sitting in your trunk. Take out that extra tool kit,
get rid of the box of paper you were going to take to the
recycling center and take out the 50 pound bag of pet food
you bought last week. Every 100 lbs of weight that you can
take out of your car will save you 1 to 2 percent on gas.
The lighter your load the more fuel efficient your car will
be.
Buy gas before you leave on your trip. You already know the
best places to buy gas near your home. Chances are it will
be priced lower than the stations along your travel route.
In fact you will be best off buying your gas the day before
you leave. The day you leave you will most likely be rushed
and hurried. You may not have time to go to the outlet with
the best price. If you fill up the day before you will be
able to do it without worrying about any deadlines.
Don't use luggage racks. If you need to pack your car for
the trip try and get everything inside the car. The wind
resistance created by using luggage racks will rob you of
fuel. The resistance will increase on the highway.
On the highway use your cruise control as much as you can.
The more you can keep your speed constant the more fuel
efficient you will be. Your cruise control will do a much
better job of maintaining a steady speed than you can do
manually.
Keep your speed near 55 miles per hour. That is the most
efficient speed to drive at. The farther away you are from
55 miles per hour the more gas per mile you will burn.
When you need to stop for gas you may find that the station
that is the farthest from the exit will have the lowest
price. For example, if the sign as you exit the freeway
tells you that station A is .1 mile away, and station B is
.1 miles away and station C is .7 miles away the likelihood
is that station C will have the lowest price. It would also
be the least crowded and you would not waste gas waiting for
a pump to open up.
When you are on the toll roads you can usually find very
competitive prices at the official turnpike service plazas.
Most states have regulations that do not allow the
sanctioned contracted fuel suppliers at their service plazas
to take advantage of motorists traveling the toll road. As a
result the stations you find there are generally
competitively priced.
Make sure you have proper directions and navigating tools
before you leave on your trip. There is nothing that will
waste gas more than driving around while you are lost. Make
sure you have maps of the area you are traveling to. Use
Mapquest or Google maps before you leave to get directions
to any destination that you are not familiar with. If you
have access to a GPS device use it.
If you use these tips you can still take that driving
vacation without breaking your budget on gas costs.
Following these easy suggestions will go a long way to help
you control your costs.
===========================================================
Scott
Siegel is the author of "Beat The Gas Pump!"
Learn
more about saving money and gas at the pump. Over 130 ways to
save and increase fuel economy.
If you want to take your money out
of your gas tank and put it back in your pocket go to:
http://www.beatthegaspump.com
===========================================================
