Forbes: How to drive green without buying a new car
I think that most of us want to make a difference and save some pollution to our planet. The problem comes when we look inside our wallets and we realize that we can't really buy a car now. While tips on green driving aren't a new thing here at AutoblogGreen, it's always a good thing to have a list. Sometimes, we can even learn a thing or two:
- Be light on the gas and gentle on the brake.
- Don't accelerate too much at speeds between 55 and 75 mph.
- Choose the right oil. Only products marked with the symbol "ECII" by the American Society of Testing Materials is guaranteed to be energy-conserving (remember to check for the right viscosity).
- Lose some weight in your car: get rid of all that unnecessary clutter in your trunk. Forbes even quotes our own Sebastian Blanco about keeping the gas tank half full.
- If you feel geeky and have some pocket money, buy a Scangauge, which is plugged into the On-Board Diagnostic port and keeps track of your car's fuel usage (keep this in mind, though).
- Make your car more aerodynamic - Nope, don't buy that spoiler, just remove your ski or other roof rack. Something people in my area tend to ignore because it shows a certain status.
- Replace/keep clean air filters.
- Keep the car's wheels aligned.
- Keep tires properly inflated.
- Keep the engine tuned-up so a malfunction of the injection (or maybe even carburettor) won't harm your car's performance and emissions.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
TX CHL Instructor 1:21PM (4/03/2008)
I just bought a yearly e-pass, good for all public transportation in the DFW metro area. Although it adds some time to my daily commute, the financial gain was tremendous -- the cost of the e-pass will be paid back (compared to my former weekday round-trip on the Bush Tollway) the 7th day I use it (the cost was subsidized by my employer).
The extra time required for the trip to and from work can be used reading or watching videos on my iPhone, or dealing with e-mail, etc. None of which are possible while driving, so it's basically a wash. And rush hour is no longer an issue.
So, there's a way to "drive green" without buying a new car; drive a lot less.
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Kevin Nugent 9:14PM (4/03/2008)
Seems like basic knowledge
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Dario 7:13AM (4/04/2008)
Yeah but isn't that for TrainBlog, or something?
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Alex 6:17AM (4/05/2008)
Paris Hilton NAKED again:
http://celebritiesvidz.com/videos.php?v=Paris_Hilton
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chuckl 7:13AM (4/05/2008)
Every time I read this, I go bonkers: "Be light on the gas and gentle on the brake."
Be light on the gas, yes, but braking hard has NOTHING to do with gas mileage. You can stand on the brake pedal, or tap it lightly, and either way, your gas mileage won't change one bit. In fact, quick stops will save a tiny bit of gas. Once you have taken your foot off the gas pedal, the engine goes into compression deceleration. The sooner you can get through that, the less gas is wasted in deceleration. Since the injectors pump very little fuel during this period (just enough to keep the engine running) this waste is miniscule. But again, hard braking only wastes some brake pads, but NOT fuel.
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Edsel Ford 7:32AM (4/05/2008)
Wax your car; It will go 10 mph faster.
Spray WD-40 all over front of your car, It will make it really slippery.
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Camille O. Hoffmann 8:37AM (4/05/2008)
Response to #5. I believe the article means that we should not race to a stoplight and then jam on the brakes. If we see a red light ahead, it is wise to remove the foot from the gas and coast up to the light slowly---we will then need only gentle pressure on the brake to stop. The suggestion has nothing to do with the brakes as such.
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jyl 9:08AM (4/05/2008)
Yes, this is all common sence, but remember some people either refuse to use it or don't have it! My daughter is young and she doesn't get it yet.
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Al Shumate 10:20AM (4/05/2008)
The ideal about keeping tank half full sounds good but a bad ideal. Not keeping it full allows condensate in the form of water to collect and will eventually get into the fuel lines. If you live in cold areas there is nothing like froozen fuel line to start your morning with. You should always keep your tank topped off.
Al Shumate
Dublin, VA
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stew 10:01AM (4/05/2008)
8. Yes, this is all common sence, but remember some people either refuse to use it or don't have it! My daughter is young and she doesn't get it yet.
Posted at 9:08AM on Apr 5th 2008 by jyl
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she doesn't get it? who pays for her gas???
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Tony 10:07AM (4/05/2008)
I put a Turbo on my air intake from www.flotechturbosystems.com on my SUV and I get better millege plus it runs better. I know most of these things don't work, but this one does.
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Kristy 10:10AM (4/05/2008)
Response to #5 & #7:
I think what they mean by 'light on the brake' is if you see a red light up ahead, let off on the gas and let your car slow down gradually and by the time you get up there, the light may have changed and you won't have to accelerate as much, thereby using less gas.
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jenn 10:28AM (4/05/2008)
Response to #13 I'll keep my gas tank topped off when you pay for it!!!!
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dkrudop 10:30AM (4/05/2008)
Yes, this is all common sence, but remember some people either refuse to use it or don't have it! My daughter is young and she doesn't get it yet.
Posted at 9:08AM on Apr 5th 2008 by jyl
It's seems to have nothing to do with age. Most people don't get it. The DOE estimates that the average American driver wastes about 15% of the gas they buy because of speeding and aggressive driving which is being heavy on the gas pedal, etc.
In 2004, we purchased 186 billion gals of gas. Assume 100 billion was for cars. That means 15 billion gals of gas were wasted. At $3.00 per gal, drivers in the U.S. were willing to give "big oil" an additional $45 billion dollars voluntarily.
This doesn't even address the low mileage cars we choose.
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t-tops83 10:57AM (4/05/2008)
YOUR CAR WILL GET BETTER GAS MILAGE IF IT CAN BREATH BETTER. REPLACE THAT QUIET RESTRICTIVE MUFFLER IT WILL MAKE ALL THE DIFFRENCE IN THE WORLD.I PUT A THRUSH GLASSPACK ON MY 92 CUTLASS PICKED UP O CONSISTENT 3.5 MPG THE CAR ALSO HAS BETTER PERFORMANCE AND PEOPLE AND ANIMALS ARE AWARE OF AN ONCOMING VEHICLE.
"LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES & GAS"
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charles hedbring 10:59AM (4/05/2008)
Want to improve gas mileage? Ditch passengers.
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Green Go 11:22AM (4/05/2008)
Stop eating junk food and ride a bycicle, not only will you lose weight and feel better, your car will get better mileage because it doesnt have to carry the spare tire around your mid section if your a guy and that extra junk in your trunk if your a gal.
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Paul 11:26AM (4/05/2008)
I'm surprised the article didn't mention using cruise control. I always get about 5-10% better mileage when I pop on the cruise control.
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Michele 11:36AM (4/05/2008)
I say we need to thumb our noses at Iraq and let them keep their damn oil. What we need is E (energy)stations to power up electric cars. Fuel and emissions problem SOLVED.
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Jennifer Ward 11:42AM (4/05/2008)
Ive got a tip on how to save gas.....DONT GO ANYWHERE...works everytime..lol
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