(c) photo copyright Carrie Boyko 2010

Hybrid Happiness

No More Gas Guzzler for Me!

Doing the pedestrian thing is great if you live in the city. An urban environment is set up for locals. Unfortunately, much of the U.S. population is either rural or suburban, leaving us wondering how we’ll get everything done if we walk everywhere.

After pondering the possibilities of switching to bicycling as my primary mode of transportation, I quickly realized that far too many of my necessary destinations included either a passenger or a larger load than my backpack would accommodate. My solution? A hybrid vehicle boasting 50+ mpg is now sitting in my driveway.

Yet I still have to wonder what else I can do. When the automobile dealership offered a new owner’s workshop, to include helpful tips on saving gas, I was quick to sign up.

The gas-saving ideas, sourced from a Bankrate.com blog, were quite interesting. I’ll share a few of the ones you may agree are particularly helpful:

• Use the slower setting when pumping gas. I’m guessing this is because air takes up some space when the gas is pumped at a faster flow rates.
• Don’t top off your tank; the extra gas you pump, stays in the hose and never makes it into your tank.
• Don’t fill up when a tanker truck is filling the station’s tanks. The pressure of the flow tends to stir up sludge from the bottom of the underground tank, which could end up in your gas tank.
• Fill your tank during the morning, when temperatures are cooler. Gasoline expands in warmer temperatures, and is more dense when cooler. Therefore, a gallon in the afternoon will be somewhat less than a gallon in the morning.
• Be sure to tighten your gas cap. According to the Car Care Council, evaporation causes a loss of about 147 million gallons of gasoline each year.
• Keep your tires full of air. Underinflated tires cause a multitude of side effects, one being lower gas mileage.
• Cars that need a tune up will see a 4% increase in gas mileage after the work is done. Stay on top of your maintenance.
• Replacing dirty air filters can improve your gas mileage by up to 10 percent.
• Using the manufacturer’s recommended oil has been shown to improve your car’s gas mileage by one to two percent.
• Fill up your tank when it is still half full. Less air in your tank means a lower rate of evaporation during pumping.

Of course, none of this means that you can’t get out and walk. That’s always the best way to save on gas and burn calories instead of gasoline. Spring is almost here; time to tune up that bicycle for your warm-weather errands. Meantime, hope these tips help you out during our unusually cold winter.

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