One of the fastest ways to rob a vehicle of good gas mileage is to ignore the tires. There are many different ways that tires can affect the fuel economy of your car. Checking that you are riding on correctly inflated tires is one of the easiest ways to save money on fuel.
According to statistics provided by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Energy Information Administration, the Possible savings of avoiding under inflated tires is between $100.00 to $200.00 per year depending upon how much you drive and how under inflated your tires may be.
Twenty-three per cent (23%) of cars have at least one (1) tire under inflated by more than twenty percent (20%) according to the Canadian Office of Energy Efficiency. In addition to hurting your fuel consumption, under inflated tires can also lead to poor steering and delayed or bad braking. those factors describe situations where under inflated tires can be dangerous. Although using a tire gauge is the only way to be certain what pressure your tires contain, a telltale sign of under inflated tires are squealing when stopping or cornering even at moderate speeds, particularly on warm pavement.
Operating a vehicle with just one tire under-inflated by 20% (8 psi) can increase the vehicle's fuel consumption by 4%. In addition it can reduce the life of the tire by over 9000 miles. Tires are permeable, meaning that air can and does leach through the tire walls. A tire can lose up to 2 psi (pounds of pressure) per month. This is even more critical in summer as more air is lost in hot weather as the pores in the tire material expand.
When a tire is under inflated, the sides of a tire bend and flex too much. This builds up heat. As stated earlier heat can accelerate air loss in tires. So an under inflated tire will continue to lose air at an increasing rate.
Under inflation also causes the tire to increase rolling resistance which also increases fuel consumption. In addition under inflated tires can cause serious damage to the tire walls can lead to sudden tire failure.
To maintain proper inflation levels, measure the air pressure in your vehicle's tires at least once a month. Measure your tire pressure when your tires are cold. "Cold" means that a vehicle has been stationary for at least three hours or has not been driven more than 1 mile.
It is a great idea to keep a pressure gauge in your car. Check the air pressure of the tires often. If you can keep your tires at the correct inflation levels you should realize a savings of between $100.00 and $200.00 per year in fuel. Although proper tire pressure will save you gas and money, it could also prevent tire damage that could lead to accidents. Not only will you be contributing to your fuel economy you will be maintaining the safety of your vehicle.
2007年12月19日星期三
How to save 14% on your gas costs!
There is a way that you can save from 3% to 14% on gas purchases. This strategy requires no special gadgets or fuel additives and does not require you to change your driving habits or your car.
This method utilizes credit cards that offer rebates on fuel or other gas station purchases. The correct card can substantially lower your cost of gas. You save without having to do any maintenance on your car. This savings method costs nothing at all.
Gas companies still need to compete for your business. They don't compete on price so they have to use other methods. One method used from time to time is credit cards with rebates. The average card will rebate you 10% on your purchases at their stations. Included in those purchases are your purchases for gas. The 10% rebate is usually the first two or three months that you have the card and after that the rebate changes to 5% on your gas purchases thereafter.
For example currently BP has a credit card that will pay 10% for the first 60 days for BP gas purchases and 5% for BP gas purchases after 60 days. These cards generally offer 1% rebates on other purchases and can be used anywhere Visa or MasterCard is accepted.
The credit card explained above is specifically for BP branded stations. You can not have a rebate at other stations. Instead of a gas company card a general market card might be a good choice if you need to use many different branded stations.
Many card companies have cards that have rebate amounts for gas. For example: currently Discover Card has a Discover Gas Card. This card will provide you with a rebate of 5 per cent of the gasoline you purchase. This card also provides a 1 per cent rebate on other purchases.
Other companies that issue gas rebate cards are Chase and Citibank. Citibank has a gas credit card that provides a rebate of 6% for gasoline purchases for the first 2 months and then provides a 3% rebate thereafter. Chase has a program much like Citibank.
The credit cards that offer rebates only at specific branded stores and the general market cards have disadvantages and advantages. The credit card from the gas company pays the rebate only at the gas company's own stations. The general market card advantage is that you can use this card to buy fuel anywhere and you still get the rebate.
But, the advantage to the gas company card is that you receive a 10 percent rebate for the initial period where as the general market card does not pay that high.
So far we have discussed how to get a discount of 3 percent up to 10 percent. Even though 3% is good and 10% is better, how can you get a 14% discount? There is a method you can use to do that.
Pre paid gas cards or gasoline gift cards are sold at most gas stations. Usually these prepaid cards are discounted. You may have to wait for certain promotions but in general you can find one that is discounted. For example by spending $48 on a $50 gift card, you can use the card for $50 worth of gas but it only cost you $48.00.
That means you pay $48 for the card but the card allows you to buy $50 worth of gas. That is the same as getting a 4% discount. In most cases you must buy these prepaid cards at the gas outlet.
Now here is where the extra savings comes in. If you purchase the prepaid card using the gas company credit card during the initial period when you are getting a 10% rebate you will get a 10% rebate on the prepaid card.
If you purchase a prepaid card that provides a 4% discount, the $48 dollar card for $50 dollars worth of gas, you are adding to your savings.
You are getting a 10% savings on the rebate and you are getting a 4% savings on the prepaid card. In total you are getting a 14% savings!
This method utilizes credit cards that offer rebates on fuel or other gas station purchases. The correct card can substantially lower your cost of gas. You save without having to do any maintenance on your car. This savings method costs nothing at all.
Gas companies still need to compete for your business. They don't compete on price so they have to use other methods. One method used from time to time is credit cards with rebates. The average card will rebate you 10% on your purchases at their stations. Included in those purchases are your purchases for gas. The 10% rebate is usually the first two or three months that you have the card and after that the rebate changes to 5% on your gas purchases thereafter.
For example currently BP has a credit card that will pay 10% for the first 60 days for BP gas purchases and 5% for BP gas purchases after 60 days. These cards generally offer 1% rebates on other purchases and can be used anywhere Visa or MasterCard is accepted.
The credit card explained above is specifically for BP branded stations. You can not have a rebate at other stations. Instead of a gas company card a general market card might be a good choice if you need to use many different branded stations.
Many card companies have cards that have rebate amounts for gas. For example: currently Discover Card has a Discover Gas Card. This card will provide you with a rebate of 5 per cent of the gasoline you purchase. This card also provides a 1 per cent rebate on other purchases.
Other companies that issue gas rebate cards are Chase and Citibank. Citibank has a gas credit card that provides a rebate of 6% for gasoline purchases for the first 2 months and then provides a 3% rebate thereafter. Chase has a program much like Citibank.
The credit cards that offer rebates only at specific branded stores and the general market cards have disadvantages and advantages. The credit card from the gas company pays the rebate only at the gas company's own stations. The general market card advantage is that you can use this card to buy fuel anywhere and you still get the rebate.
But, the advantage to the gas company card is that you receive a 10 percent rebate for the initial period where as the general market card does not pay that high.
So far we have discussed how to get a discount of 3 percent up to 10 percent. Even though 3% is good and 10% is better, how can you get a 14% discount? There is a method you can use to do that.
Pre paid gas cards or gasoline gift cards are sold at most gas stations. Usually these prepaid cards are discounted. You may have to wait for certain promotions but in general you can find one that is discounted. For example by spending $48 on a $50 gift card, you can use the card for $50 worth of gas but it only cost you $48.00.
That means you pay $48 for the card but the card allows you to buy $50 worth of gas. That is the same as getting a 4% discount. In most cases you must buy these prepaid cards at the gas outlet.
Now here is where the extra savings comes in. If you purchase the prepaid card using the gas company credit card during the initial period when you are getting a 10% rebate you will get a 10% rebate on the prepaid card.
If you purchase a prepaid card that provides a 4% discount, the $48 dollar card for $50 dollars worth of gas, you are adding to your savings.
You are getting a 10% savings on the rebate and you are getting a 4% savings on the prepaid card. In total you are getting a 14% savings!
Beware of Fuel Pill Schemes!
Have you noticed ads for pills or powder or even liquids that you put into your gas tank and, magically, you will get up to 30% better gas mileage? Wow, that's more powerful magic than Harry Potter can produce! The number one selling fuel pill out there was a product made by Bioperformance. Their product was known as the gas pill or the fuel pill.
The Attorney General of Texas filed an action against Bioperformance. He stated "We will aggressively fight these con artists who cynically exploit the public's concerns about high gas prices to line their own pockets."
He referred to them con artists. That is exactly what they are. It seems, if you had put moth balls into your gas tank you would accomplish the same thing as the fuel pill. The fuel pill was found to be basically the chemical equivalent of mothballs.
Bioperformance and it's owners were really only out to recruit as many investors or paying members as they could into what at this point looks like a full blown pyramid scheme. That was according to statements made by the attorney general.
As incredible as it may seem, there are still products out there that are making the same claims all over again. One is MPG-Cap. Enviro-Max another one. They promise the same thing as the older fuel pill made by Bioperformance. They claim you will get increases in gasoline economy simply by dropping their pills into your gas tank.
Most of their claims are based on testimonials from drivers. An average driver cannot scientifically make the comparisons they claim. To really do a believable test it needs to be done under controlled conditions with sophisticated and expensive equipment.
The normal driving conditions of weather, traffic volume and stop light patterns have a tremendous impact on any days fuel economy. There is no way for the average driver to take those factors into consideration to be able to run a believable test.
Enviromax Plus claims that it makes gasoline burn more efficiently. It claims it will lower the unburned gas in your engine from 15 percent down to 1 to 2 percent. Unfortunately for Enviromax but fortunately for you, todays current engines actually burn gas with an efficiency of about 98 to 99 percent. That is without any help from EnviroMax.
The bottom line, save your money. Don't believe the wild claims of these modern day snake oil salesmen. As always if it seems to good to be true, it is!
The Attorney General of Texas filed an action against Bioperformance. He stated "We will aggressively fight these con artists who cynically exploit the public's concerns about high gas prices to line their own pockets."
He referred to them con artists. That is exactly what they are. It seems, if you had put moth balls into your gas tank you would accomplish the same thing as the fuel pill. The fuel pill was found to be basically the chemical equivalent of mothballs.
Bioperformance and it's owners were really only out to recruit as many investors or paying members as they could into what at this point looks like a full blown pyramid scheme. That was according to statements made by the attorney general.
As incredible as it may seem, there are still products out there that are making the same claims all over again. One is MPG-Cap. Enviro-Max another one. They promise the same thing as the older fuel pill made by Bioperformance. They claim you will get increases in gasoline economy simply by dropping their pills into your gas tank.
Most of their claims are based on testimonials from drivers. An average driver cannot scientifically make the comparisons they claim. To really do a believable test it needs to be done under controlled conditions with sophisticated and expensive equipment.
The normal driving conditions of weather, traffic volume and stop light patterns have a tremendous impact on any days fuel economy. There is no way for the average driver to take those factors into consideration to be able to run a believable test.
Enviromax Plus claims that it makes gasoline burn more efficiently. It claims it will lower the unburned gas in your engine from 15 percent down to 1 to 2 percent. Unfortunately for Enviromax but fortunately for you, todays current engines actually burn gas with an efficiency of about 98 to 99 percent. That is without any help from EnviroMax.
The bottom line, save your money. Don't believe the wild claims of these modern day snake oil salesmen. As always if it seems to good to be true, it is!
2007年12月18日星期二
How to Spend Less on Gas in One Easy Lesson!
There are a number of methods you can use to reduce your overall expense of gas purchases even before you consider changing your driving habits or taking any actions on your car. These strategies consist of smart buying and good management of your gas purchases.
One of the easiest and most basic methods is smart shopping for gas. If you were buying a camera you would shop around for the store with the lowest price. For some reason most of us were trained to treat gas differently. You probably buy gas where it is convenient regardless of price. That is what you need to change.
As with any other item you want to save money on, you need to shop around for the lowest price for fuel. You must keep in mind though, that if you use 12 gallons of fuel to find the lowest priced station it will be counterproductive. The idea is to do the shopping consuming the least amount of gas doing it.
You can try to shop around in your local area for the cheapest gas but you shouldn't go too far out of your way. The minute you start driving around looking for good gas prices you start burning gas which adds to your gas expense. Since your goal is to save money you would be defeating the purpose by driving around for too long.
The American Automobile Association has done studies that show the average cost to drive a car is about 51.7 cents per mile. That is based on data for cars so the numbers for SUVs and trucks are higher. At 51.7 cents per mile every three miles you drive to find the lowest price gas station could be costing you more than $1.50.
If you have a 15 gallon tank that you would fill (assuming you were empty) to the top, you would have to find a price 10 cents lower than your usual station. Every three miles after that you would need to save another 10 cents. You can see that very quickly over a short distance the potential savings decreases and in fact if you drive too far you could end up spending more money.
The best way to find the lowest price stations is to do so during your normal daily driving routine. If you do that you will not be using any extra gasoline. Have a small notebook with you or in your car. When you see gas stations that have good prices indicate the location in the notebook.
Later, when you have time to compare prices in your notebook, you can decide where to stop for gas during your normal driving routine. By doing that you will find better prices but will save all the gas you would have used if you had driven around looking. You will have been able to take advantage of the best gas prices and will not have used any extra gas to do it! The result is a real savings on your fuel purchases!
One of the easiest and most basic methods is smart shopping for gas. If you were buying a camera you would shop around for the store with the lowest price. For some reason most of us were trained to treat gas differently. You probably buy gas where it is convenient regardless of price. That is what you need to change.
As with any other item you want to save money on, you need to shop around for the lowest price for fuel. You must keep in mind though, that if you use 12 gallons of fuel to find the lowest priced station it will be counterproductive. The idea is to do the shopping consuming the least amount of gas doing it.
You can try to shop around in your local area for the cheapest gas but you shouldn't go too far out of your way. The minute you start driving around looking for good gas prices you start burning gas which adds to your gas expense. Since your goal is to save money you would be defeating the purpose by driving around for too long.
The American Automobile Association has done studies that show the average cost to drive a car is about 51.7 cents per mile. That is based on data for cars so the numbers for SUVs and trucks are higher. At 51.7 cents per mile every three miles you drive to find the lowest price gas station could be costing you more than $1.50.
If you have a 15 gallon tank that you would fill (assuming you were empty) to the top, you would have to find a price 10 cents lower than your usual station. Every three miles after that you would need to save another 10 cents. You can see that very quickly over a short distance the potential savings decreases and in fact if you drive too far you could end up spending more money.
The best way to find the lowest price stations is to do so during your normal daily driving routine. If you do that you will not be using any extra gasoline. Have a small notebook with you or in your car. When you see gas stations that have good prices indicate the location in the notebook.
Later, when you have time to compare prices in your notebook, you can decide where to stop for gas during your normal driving routine. By doing that you will find better prices but will save all the gas you would have used if you had driven around looking. You will have been able to take advantage of the best gas prices and will not have used any extra gas to do it! The result is a real savings on your fuel purchases!
2007年12月17日星期一
Lower your fuel costs to 89 Cents For A Gallon Of Gas Now!
89 cents was what one consumer paid, while $1.09 was what another paid for a gallon of gas. You can find out how buyers have cut their price of gas to crazy levels. They used the same strategy used when they purchased non gas items. This explains how.
Not long ago, Kellie Courtney of Cleveland paid only 89 cents per gallon of gas. Marion Charvat paid $1.09 a gallon. Marion filled her Volkswagen Jetta for only $12.45. How could they buy gas so cheap? They did it because they are smart consumers. Here's how they did it.
The reason that Kellie and Marion were able to purchase gas at such a low price is that they treated gas like it was any other item that they would go to a store to buy. They shopped around and they found a way to purchase their gas at the store that they found had the absolute lowest cost. They found a frequent shopper program that allowed them to lower their gas cost. They found it at a grocery chain called Giant Eagle.
Giant Eagle does business in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. Recently Giant Eagle added a new component to their frequent shopper program. It is called Fuelperks. It is a program that offers discounts on gas at Giant Eagle's own stations for shopping at Giant Eagle using their frequent shopper card.
Shoppers get a 10 cent price reduction per gallon for one tank fill up for every $50.00 of purchases in Giant Eagle stores. If one purchases $100.00 of items a 20 cent reduction is earned. $500.00 of purchases gets $1.00 off a gallon. If a consumer spends enough in the stores it is possible to get gasoline for free.
A large family that may buy great amounts of food every week could find itself with big discounts in just a few weeks. The price of gas for them will be much lower because of the discount they earned. Giant Eagle grocery prices are competitive as are their gas prices so the savings are real.
You have to buy groceries somewhere; you might as well buy it a store that gives you a substantial discount on gas while you are at it. That is one way to beat the gas pump. You don't have to do business at Giant Eagle to find low prices like this. You can do it anywhere.
Treat gas like anything else that you buy. Look for the best deals. Look for frequent shopper programs in your neighborhood that allow you to build up discounts you can use towards gas. Look for gas discounts and incentives anywhere you see a gas pump. Look for stores that may be branching out into the frequent shopper area or stores that now sell gas that didn't before.
Many stores have started selling gas that never sold gas before. They need to do that in order to compete. Because of this new competition convenience stores that sell gas are beginning to use frequent buyer programs. Like Giant Eagle they realize that discounts on gasoline is an incentive to the consumer to shop in their stores. This helps you buy gas at a discount.
In the past year, 60% of newly built grocery stores included fuel pumps. That is up from 18% the year before. This is from studies done by the Food Marketing Institute. The more outlets there are the more discount programs that will be available.
The giant stores like Wal-Mart / Sam's Club are now a significant force in the fuel station industry. The VP in charge of fuel for Wal-Mart wants to create gas stations at every Sam's Club. That translates into lower fuel prices for you.
Treat gas like anything else you buy. Comparison shop all the time. Be on the look out for deals, and low prices. Find the stores that have the best program for you. Look for low gas prices at non traditional places like grocery stores or big box retailers. If you do your homework you might be able to buy that tank of gas for 89 cents.
Not long ago, Kellie Courtney of Cleveland paid only 89 cents per gallon of gas. Marion Charvat paid $1.09 a gallon. Marion filled her Volkswagen Jetta for only $12.45. How could they buy gas so cheap? They did it because they are smart consumers. Here's how they did it.
The reason that Kellie and Marion were able to purchase gas at such a low price is that they treated gas like it was any other item that they would go to a store to buy. They shopped around and they found a way to purchase their gas at the store that they found had the absolute lowest cost. They found a frequent shopper program that allowed them to lower their gas cost. They found it at a grocery chain called Giant Eagle.
Giant Eagle does business in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland and West Virginia. Recently Giant Eagle added a new component to their frequent shopper program. It is called Fuelperks. It is a program that offers discounts on gas at Giant Eagle's own stations for shopping at Giant Eagle using their frequent shopper card.
Shoppers get a 10 cent price reduction per gallon for one tank fill up for every $50.00 of purchases in Giant Eagle stores. If one purchases $100.00 of items a 20 cent reduction is earned. $500.00 of purchases gets $1.00 off a gallon. If a consumer spends enough in the stores it is possible to get gasoline for free.
A large family that may buy great amounts of food every week could find itself with big discounts in just a few weeks. The price of gas for them will be much lower because of the discount they earned. Giant Eagle grocery prices are competitive as are their gas prices so the savings are real.
You have to buy groceries somewhere; you might as well buy it a store that gives you a substantial discount on gas while you are at it. That is one way to beat the gas pump. You don't have to do business at Giant Eagle to find low prices like this. You can do it anywhere.
Treat gas like anything else that you buy. Look for the best deals. Look for frequent shopper programs in your neighborhood that allow you to build up discounts you can use towards gas. Look for gas discounts and incentives anywhere you see a gas pump. Look for stores that may be branching out into the frequent shopper area or stores that now sell gas that didn't before.
Many stores have started selling gas that never sold gas before. They need to do that in order to compete. Because of this new competition convenience stores that sell gas are beginning to use frequent buyer programs. Like Giant Eagle they realize that discounts on gasoline is an incentive to the consumer to shop in their stores. This helps you buy gas at a discount.
In the past year, 60% of newly built grocery stores included fuel pumps. That is up from 18% the year before. This is from studies done by the Food Marketing Institute. The more outlets there are the more discount programs that will be available.
The giant stores like Wal-Mart / Sam's Club are now a significant force in the fuel station industry. The VP in charge of fuel for Wal-Mart wants to create gas stations at every Sam's Club. That translates into lower fuel prices for you.
Treat gas like anything else you buy. Comparison shop all the time. Be on the look out for deals, and low prices. Find the stores that have the best program for you. Look for low gas prices at non traditional places like grocery stores or big box retailers. If you do your homework you might be able to buy that tank of gas for 89 cents.
2007年12月7日星期五
Gas Saving Tips For That Summer Driving Trip
Gas prices are setting records. You realize the cost of the driving vacation you had planned will be a lot more than you thought. The trip is going to be so much more expensive you are thinking of not taking it at all. You don't have to cancel your trip! You can travel and control your costs of gas by following some simple tips.
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.
An easy thing to start with is to lighten your load. Get rid of all the extra things you have in your trunk. Take out that 60 pound bag of cat food you bought three weeks ago. Remove your surplus tool kit. Run that box of paper to the recycling center right now, instead of leaving it your car for another few weeks. 100 lbs of weight reduction from your vehicle will save you around 1 to 2 percent of your fuel usage. If you can reduce your load by 200 lbs then your savings is 2 to 4 percent. The lighter your car is the more fuel efficient it 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. This is a very important tip. The wind resistance created by loaded luggage racks will drop your fuel economy a lot. Try and pack your travel gear inside the car. The wind resistance of a loaded luggage rack will get larger and larger at higher speeds. That means any freeway or highway driving will have a big impact on the fuel efficiency of your vehicle if you are using racks.
On the turnpikes and freeways use your cruise control. The more you can maintain your vehicle at a constant speed, the more gasoline you will save. Your cruise control will do a much better job of keeping a fixed speed than you can maintain manually.
By following these simple suggestions you will be able to take that trip without upsetting your gas or travel budget. These few tips will let you control your costs and take that driving vacation in spite of the cost of gas!
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.
An easy thing to start with is to lighten your load. Get rid of all the extra things you have in your trunk. Take out that 60 pound bag of cat food you bought three weeks ago. Remove your surplus tool kit. Run that box of paper to the recycling center right now, instead of leaving it your car for another few weeks. 100 lbs of weight reduction from your vehicle will save you around 1 to 2 percent of your fuel usage. If you can reduce your load by 200 lbs then your savings is 2 to 4 percent. The lighter your car is the more fuel efficient it 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. This is a very important tip. The wind resistance created by loaded luggage racks will drop your fuel economy a lot. Try and pack your travel gear inside the car. The wind resistance of a loaded luggage rack will get larger and larger at higher speeds. That means any freeway or highway driving will have a big impact on the fuel efficiency of your vehicle if you are using racks.
On the turnpikes and freeways use your cruise control. The more you can maintain your vehicle at a constant speed, the more gasoline you will save. Your cruise control will do a much better job of keeping a fixed speed than you can maintain manually.
By following these simple suggestions you will be able to take that trip without upsetting your gas or travel budget. These few tips will let you control your costs and take that driving vacation in spite of the cost of gas!
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