Gas Saving Myths

In these times of gas being near $4 a gallon across the countries people are bound to try and save a little money.  Here are some popular money saving "tips" that don't actually work.

We have all fallen victim to gas saving tips for as long as we have been driving.  I am here to tell you that most of these, are all just myths.  The bottom line is the only way to save gas, is to change the way that you drive.  According to Investopedia, if you don't put the pedal to the metal and you could actually be saving yourself up to 33% in gas cost.  Here is a bit of common sense.  The less you drive, the less gas you use.  They say to make sure to take care of all the things, or most things, in one trip so you don't have the keep heading out over and over again.  That being said, here are some well known "tips" that will not actually help you save at all.

Drive with the AC off: You will actually save money with the AC on in the summer because when you put your windows down, it creates some drag making your car less efficient.  So when it's hot why not crank up that AC.  They say that these myths may have started because using AC in your home does a number on your electric bill.

Filling up in the Cold: This is one I am not all that familiar with, but apparently some people believe that if you get gas in the early morning or at night the duel is colder therefore denser and you'll get more for less.  The idea just seems stupid and I can't believe anyone falls for that.

Increasing Tire Pressure: I have definitely done this one before, but turns out it doesn't matter.  If your tires are under-inflated you could lose a whopping 3% of total gas use, but over inflated tires could cause you to get in an accident because they won't grip the road as well.  I guess it's lose lose here.

Fuel Additives: These are kind of like energy drinks for your car.  Think of the gas as the cars blood and the additive as a sugar rush, but unlike in humans there is no sugar rush.  This is just a clever marketing tactic because people are always looking for a solution.  The EPA can back up that these provide no gas savings.

Changing the Air Filter: Yes it is important to do routine maintenance on your vehicle but Consumer Reports shows that in this day and age of computerized cars, changing something as simple as the air filter will not effect how much gas your using.  So, Jiffy Lube, stop bugging me about it and just change my damn oil.

Keeping the Engine Running: This may have been true in the 1960's, but with today's fuel injected engines cars don't waste gas on start ups anymore. People use to think starting your car wasted gas, and it may have, but not any more.  If you leave your car idling, it can cost you up to half a gallon of gas an hour.

So throw out everything you knew about saving gas and change your driving habits.  That is the best way that you'll be able to save yourself some money at the pump.  If you adjust your habits, you may just save a few pennies.