theholtsite

We tested our Beetle’s MPG this past tank of gas. Although it’s hard to find accurate numbers, places on the internet list our 2000 Beetle GLX at 31 MPG for *highway* driving. Ours was…

34.4 MPG!

We weren’t just on the highway, we drove all over in populous areas and even some stop and go traffic. How do we get higher gas mileage than the listed highway value? Simple!

Efficient driving!

Barely anyone in and around Boston understands this concept. If everyone drove efficiently, we would save millions in oil costs – while I have no hard numbers to back this up, I’m very convinced of it. Imagine if everyone driving raised their fuel economy by just 2 MPG! Assuming 20-22 MPG efficiency and 5000 miles per year, this saves around 23 gallons of gas per car per year. In 2004 there were 243,023,485 registered vehicles in the US, so that’s 5,589,540,385 gallons a year. I freely admit this exercise may be flawed in many ways, but the fact is that at a LOT of gas could be saved with just a tiny increase in driver skill.

Here are some tips that I’ve tried to use in making myself a more efficient driver. Some of these ideas are borrowed and correlated with tips on this site and this site. Others are ideas I’ve developed personally after much thinking on the subject.

1) Don’t tailgate. If the car in front of you has to turn or slow down, you will have to brake immediately and then speed up after, which is very inefficient. With a wise following distance, you won’t even have to slow down when the car in front of you turns!

2) Go the speed limit. It’s very hard the closer you get to cities due to all the speeding maniacs on your bumper all the time. But it’s possible, and it’s the law. It’s also more fuel efficient. “As a rule of thumb, you can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas.” Also, I’ve found that when you go the speed limit you rarely have anyone in front of you, which is even better for your MPG.

3) Learn to drive standard. I heard somewhere that it increases fuel efficiency by 7% (with skillful use of course).

4) Accelerate/Decelerate wisely. If there’s a red light or stop sign right ahead, don’t accelerate. Take your time and coast to a stop. Also, this may not be widely accepted as the best way to drive, but I put my transmission in neutral a lot as I coast down a slight hill, while getting off the highway, or coming to a red light. For every tank of gas I use, at least a couple miles are driven with pure kinetic energy! “Tests show that ‘jackrabbit’ starts and hard braking reduces travel time by only four percent, while toxic emissions were more than five times higher. The proper way is to accelerate slowly and smoothly, then get into high gear as quickly as possible. In city driving, nearly 50% of the energy needed to power your car goes to acceleration.”

5) Use cruise control to maintain a steady speed when possible (not over the speed limit, of course).

6) Don’t leave your car running. “If you’re going to be stopped for more than 30 seconds, except in traffic, turn off the engine.”

7) Keep your tires properly inflated and get regular oil changes and maintenance. I’m pretty bad at this one, I rarely check my car’s innards for anything. Most of the time I just make sure they check it when I get my oil changed.

8) Keep junk outta your car. Especially heavy stuff.

If you follow all these tips, see if you don’t save some money at the pump! If you don’t like the idea of driving wisely and lawfully, don’t complain about gas prices either!