The Great Fuel Experiment

With the recent increases in gas prices and with the dog days of summer causing everyone to blast the A/C, scientists and researchers having been telling us how to properly operate our vehicles to maximize fuel efficiency. The most popular recommendations to improve your vehicle’s fuel economy can be summed up in the following:

1) Reduced driving speed – cars are their most efficient at 55 mph, with anything faster succumbing to a ridiculously steep drag curve.

2) Proper tire pressure – cars with flat tires require more power to achieve top speeds.

3) Clean air filter – if clogged the engine must exert more power to create the proper suction through the filter.

4) Minimized accelerations – cars only need maybe 2-cylinders to provide enough horsepower for cruising speed, leaving the remaining cylinders for acceleration. More acceleration means more pistons firing and more gas consumed.

Yesterday I embarked on a mission to test these methods to estimate the potential cost savings associated with “smart driving”. I am determined to put each of these practices into use to demonstrate how one can easily save money with no increased hassle. My goal for this week has been to reduce my cruising speed from 70 mph to 60 mph, while being mindful of all accelerations. Over the weekend, I had my car serviced so my tires and air filter should be operating at their desired levels to achieve a higher fuel economy. I filled up my gas tank yesterday morning before the test began to give me a clean slate.

In a single day, I will drive 70-90 miles roundtrip to/from work. Almost all of that is highway driving, which will give me the best results of this experiment since city driving reduces your efficiency to begin with (from excessive idling and accelerations). After driving the same route to work each day, I have a good understanding of my car’s fuel performance and through this experiment I will be documenting and comparing and differences in my mileage or MPG to estimate any potential cost-savings.

So far, I have noticed what looks like an evident improvement in fuel economy; however, even after 200 miles, it is still too early to tell (since my car gets fair gas mileage to begin with). Some other benefits so far from experimentation include less brake strain (not having to brake as hard or as long to reduce speeds) and a more comfortable, less-rushed drive, resulting from less accelerations/decelerations.

The potential hassles to driving at such a reduced speed include increased driving time and possible conflicts with faster drivers. From my early estimations, the time difference between these two velocities from work to home is somewhere around 2 minutes. More data pending, this potential hassle might create the same setback one might encounter from a little extra traffic, and may not be all that significant. My greater concern has been the X-factor of other drivers who may or may not take kindly to slower drivers: the kind that will tailgate the hell out of you on the one-lane highways. It is definitely interesting to be on the other side of things – being on the slower side of things – but thankfully, I haven’t encountered many impatient drivers yet.

I have been thinking of doing this sort of thing for a while now, since I keep reading about the ways to improve fuel efficiency. The timing was perfect, so I embarked on this little quest, which I hope to learn something about my driving habits and also hope to take away something that I can share with everyone concerning the potential cost-savings available at the pump. So wish me luck as I head on out!