Save gas by coasting

There are a lot of ways to save gas when you drive. In the past I’ve talked about it here and here. (And there’s also a handy Google gadget to get the cheapest local gas prices.)

One more way to save gas is by coasting. I learned this when I first started driving, and I know it works because everytime I’ve let someone else drive my car for a couple of days, they’ve used more gas than I do to make the same trips. Here’s how it works.

Most drivers are always either pressing the accelerator or the brakes, which wastes gas. Think of it this way: when you accelerate, you’re using up gas. Whenever you brake, you’re canceling the use of that gas – wasting it, in a sense. Obviously, you have to stop sometimes, but the less braking you do, the better gas mileage you’ll have. Here’s how to do that.

• As soon as you see a stop ahead, let off on the gas and coast. If you’re on level ground, you’ll be surprised how much you slow down by just not accelerating. You may even find the light turns green or the traffic clog clears before you reach it, so that you never have to use the brake.
• When you accelerate, do it minimally. Press just a little on the pedal, instead of your usual amount. You won’t be taking off from lights at Speed Racer speeds anymore, but you’ll be surprised how little gas it takes to get you into the flow of traffic.
• While you’re moving, combine both of the above: accelerate minimally, coasting as much as you can. Our tendency is usually to accelerate enough to get to a safe distance behind the guy ahead, and stay there by keeping the accelerator down and braking when that person brakes. Instead, accelerate gently to get into position: you’ll find it takes much less gas to get there than you think (and no, you won’t look like Grandma Slowpoke – you’re doing exactly what you normally do, except with less gas). And when the guy in front of you brakes, you coast before you hit the brakes. Sometimes coasting alone is enough, and you can drive for miles behind someone who’s breaking every 30 seconds without ever using your own brakes.

You’ll have to experiment to see what works for you, your car and your terrain. If you have a lot of hills, then you’re going to use your brakes and accelerator more than someone in a more level area. If your car is old and slow, then it may take more gas to run it. If it’s high-performance – 0 to 60 in .4 seconds, or whatever – then you’re going to have to use your breaks more than the rest of us. Whatever the case, these tips should get you started on saving some gas mileage.

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Posted in Frugal, Going Green on March 14, 2008