Gas Mileage Tips When Alternative Isn’t An Alternative

OK… we’ve heard of all the alternative fuel car answers. You know… hybrids, corn, water… whatever else.

The fact remains that the vast majority of us still own the same type of engine in our cars that we always have and just aren’t in a position to with these other alternative fuel vehicles just yet and purchase a new car.

So, until that time comes, if you’re like me, you do want to get the most you can out each gallon of gas your vehicle consumes.

Lately due to the steep gas prices, there has been a rise in the popularity of how to get more for each gallon of gas… mostly dedicated at changing or modifying your driving habits.

There are still some tried and true maintenance tips that you can use that will also help you squeeze every inch out of your gas mileage as well.

So if your going to stay with your older car a while longer… and zero payments, here are a few gas allowance savings tips.

Bad, inefficient spark plugs are source of fuel guzzling. Spark plugs that are old and not firing properly can rob you of as much of 30% when it comes to fuel efficiency. So, don’t skimp on cheap plugs… get the higher rated plugs… gas is too expensive to not set fire to.

Your car needs air to run. If your air filter is getting a bit long in the tooth and becoming clogged… there goes another possible 10% of your gas mileage. If your air filer is looking a little grey and dingy… then your car may be gasping for air and losing gas mileage.

Keep the fuel system clean. Over time the internal working components of your fuel system will accumulate gunk and deposits. Using a fuel additive once about each time you change your oil will help keep this gunk in check and allow your engine to run more efficiently and healthy.

With gas prices as high as they are, there’s no need to empty your wallet without fighting back. By implementing just the 3 tips above you’ll keep more money in your wallet and make fewer stops at the gas pump.

Hypermiling or New Car Payments - What is The Cost?

Gas prices these days… to say the least have gotten our attention. Well… okay… a gross understatement.

Aside from the rising costs of everything in our lives that oil prices have been rapidly pushing upward lately, let’s take a look at a popular term these days called “hypermiling.”

Squeezing better gas mileage out of your car by modifying your driving habits isn’t anything new… it’s just that up until a few months ago gas prices although high, hadn’t really slapped us across our collective faces. Now they have… and currently there’s no upside in sight.

Even today as it was back in the 70’s with the oil embargo, national interstate speed limits of 55 miles per hour (yes, I got a few tickets under that useless program), and lines at the gas stations; the tactics of hypermiling and squeezing more mileage out of your car hasn’t really changed. But with a whole new generation of drivers that weren’t yet around to experience the 70’s (when gas jumped to over $0.75 per gallon) these driving techniques have resurfaced and are indeed a hot topic.

Before I get into some of these hypermiling driving tips and habits that will help save you some cheese, I’d like to share with you for the sake of cranial stimulation so numbers to take a look at.

This though occurred to me as I watch all the 0% financing being offered these days by the various car dealers… and as I drive by my local dealers and see the growing inventories of SUV’s and lower gas mileage vehicles beginning to pile up for the used car managers of the world.

If you’re having panic attacks about the price of gas these days and are seriously considering taking the plunge on these tempting new beauties… perhaps a look at the actual numbers would be helpful.

Car buying of any kind is an exercise in mental gymnastics to be sure. If you’ve taken the a moment or two to jog through my website, you no doubt know that I’m really about the numbers and the research. I like and teach that if you take the time to put together some solid numbers you can eliminate much of the emotion and drastically reduce stepping in it when you buy a car.

So let’s take a look and gas prices, mileage, and how they relate to a possible new car payment.

Let’s say for the sake of easy math and brevity that you currently don’t have any car payments left on your car. That’s the good news… and maybe better than you even think.

But, like all of us… these gas prices are getting on your nerves and in your wallet, and you’re thinking about stepping up to a more fuel efficient car.

Okay here’s the numbers on our scenario give a 15,000 mile per year driver.

Miles Driven Per Yr 15,000
Price Per Gallon $4.05
Your Current Miles Per Gallon 17
Yearly Fuel Consumption 882

Annual Cost $3,573.53
Monthly Cost $ 297.79
Weekly Cost $ 68.72
Daily Cost $ 9.79

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Miles Driven Per Yr 15,000
Price Per Gallon $4.05
Your Current Miles Per Gallon 27
Yearly Fuel Consumption 556

Annual Cost $2,250.00
Monthly Cost $ 187.50
Weekly Cost $ 43.27
Daily Cost $ 6.16

Okay… if we do the math in terms of a monthly savings… since that’s the number most people have in mind when they buy a car (and of course, being a student of my site you know that the monthly payment number is NOT to ever be disclosed to the salesperson); you’ll note a savings of about $110.29.

Now… here’s where the 0% financing and all the shiny new deals come in.

If you end up signing the papers on a new car that gets 27mpg over your current car that gets 17mpg and your bottom line financing is $20,000 - your monthly payments would work out to $333.33 per month.

Subtract your monthly fuel savings from your $333.33 per month car payment and your net monthly cash out-flow is still about $223.04 over not having a car payment.

Similarly you sign the papers on the new car for $15,000 the your monthly payment would = $250.00
and for $25,000 you monthly’s would = $416.66.

So, given our first average scenario where do we break even?

At 15k miles per year with a difference of 17 mpg’s versus 27 mpg’s when gas hits $12.00 per gallon you’d effectively be saving a monthly fuel cost of about $326.80 (or roughly that new car payment with 0% financing).

Yes, gas prices infuriate me just as much as anyone… and yes we all should be doing what we can to conserve fuel and adjusting our driving and lifestyles to do so and hypermiling is certainly an area to re-visit…. but the harsh truth is we’re not going to be able ‘conserve’ our way to lower oil prices any time soon. Much more drastic changes will have to unfold. But that’s a whole new topic of discussion and debate.

My purpose here was to just to try to illustrate to you some of the numbers and calculations you should be doing before any type of car buying decision. This was but a small scenario and everyone has their own budgets and family situations… just be true to yourself and look at the numbers.

Oh yeah… on the hypermiling tips… my apologies… I’ll get to them for you next.