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Beat high gas prices
Fuel prices may be going up, but you can keep your automotive costs down.
September 25, 2003: 9:56 AM EDT

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Fuel prices this year have been at the highest levels in 20 years. But there are some things you can do, short of buying a different car, to reduce the impact of high gasoline prices.

Don't buy what you don't need. Premium, high-octane fuels aren't necessarily better for your car just because they're premium, high-octane fuel. Such fuels don't provide any greater fuel efficiency. In fact, many cars are designed to use regular low-octane fuel. Check your owner's manual to see what your car requires and stick with that.

Smooth and steady. Plan a route that lets you travel at constant speed and bypass congested areas. Use your gas and brake pedals gingerly. Slamming on the gas or the brake lacks a certain grace, but more than that, hard acceleration and quick stops waste fuel. When you see brake lights coming on up ahead, ease off the gas right away and depress the brake pedal gently to come to a slow, steady stop.

If your car has cruise control, learn to use it. By keeping your car at a steady speed, cruise control helps save gas. It can save you a lot of money in speeding tickets by preventing the pernicious "speed creep" that can happen during long, boring highway drives. That's the tendency to unconsciously increase your speed, bit by bit, the longer you drive.

Speed and your gas tank will bleed. The faster you drive, the more fuel your car consumers per mile. If you drive at 70 miles per hour instead of 55 mph, you'll lose 17 percent of your car's fuel economy, Jim Kliesch, a research associate at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy. Driving 65 miles per hour isn't much better either. You'll lose nearly 10 percent in fuel economy.

Be cool about keeping cool. If you really must park in the sun, don't jack up the air conditioner as soon as you get back in the car. Drive for a bit with the windows down to let out the excess heat first. Once you're at highway speeds, though, driving with your windows down actually consumes more fuel than using the A/C because it creates so much aerodynamic drag.

Lose the junk in your trunk. For every 100 pounds of excess weight in your trunk, your car loses 1 percent of fuel economy, Kliesch said. So pack light. And clean out the any extra "baggage" that may be riding around in your car simply because you haven't gotten around to taking it out yet.

Pamper your four-wheeled pet. Keeping your tires inflated is a quick way to insure you get the best gas mileage. For every 3 pounds your tires are below their recommended pressure, your fuel economy drops 1 percent, Kliesch said. And the harder your car has to work, the more visits you'll make to the gas station. That's why it's always smart to have your car's oil, transmission and spark plugs checked before a road trip.

Pamper yourself. If you're taking a vacation road trip, consider a destination that doesn't require that you drive everywhere once you've arrived, William suggested. Pedestrian-friendly locations are worth considering, as are cities with good public transit options. Otherwise, you'll spend more money on gas, a lot of energy in traffic, and less time getting the rest you need.

This article was originally published in August, 2002. It has been updated.  Top of page




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Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.