Everyone that drives today has to consider the fuel consumption of their vehicle. Even the person driving the most fuel efficient car has said, "Damn!" at the pump at one point or another. I know that most of you that are reading this know enough about cars to take care of them. A well tuned vehicle will give the best performance, hands down. We've all read tips on tire pressure and how to maintain it; on how removing dead weight like junk in the trunk reduces the load on the vehicle; how better gas stretches your MPG's. That's all really good advise, but what about the driver?

The human element of the MPG equation is always over looked. There are drivers that race to every light and stop sign at full throttle only to find themselves braking hard to stop; or the driver that is running late and thinks driving fast and carelessly will change that; or the driver that...well I could go on all day. The fact needs to be addressed and I'm starting here with you. I want every member if this site to be a good and safe driver. Not because I'm care about the environment, cause I'm not that extreme, but because we all put a lot of time and money into our vehicles and we should all get the best from them and ourselves.

Driving habits are hard to break. It seems like once they're ingrained into your mind its hard to change but when you start seeing more money in your pocket, like I did, the change will come easier.

Some things start saving you money before you even start your vehicle. Like planing your trip. For example, I live in the sticks about 25 miles north of town. If I had to go to town and back every time I needed something I could easily put 100 miles in just commuting back and forth. To help with that I plan my day around the things I want to do, I make a route and if on my way home I forgot something I have learned to leave it till next time. Also I take the most full efficient vehicle available at the house when possible. My fiancee's Scion XB is the work horse of the house and gets used most of the time.

Another tip is to take it easy on your car. What I mean by that is don't drive it like you stole it. If you can feel every shift of your automatic tranny back off the pedal a little. Over acceleration uses up more fuel than linear smooth acceleration. This also keeps you from having to slam on the brakes to come to a sudden stop. If you know that there is a stop sign or a red light up ahead, coast as much as you can then start slowing down.

Here one that I see all the time. Your on the expressway and there is an exit coming up. You, yourself, don't plan on using it cause your going farther down but the fool coming up behind you is. So what does he or she do? Do they begin to slow down to the proper exit speed and stay behind you while they exit? No. They jump into the inside lane, slam on the gas, then cut you off to make the exit because their 1987 Chrysler New Yorker isn't the Formula One race car they imagine it is. (No disrespect to owners of 1987 Chrysler New Yorkers but lets keep it real.) Take your time and pay attention. If you missed the exit, get the next one. Its your fault for missing it so don't make the other guy pay for it. That's just common sense and good driving etiquette.

There are more driving tips that I could sit here all day and give, but the best one is common sense. If you have it, use it. If you don't, get some. It's free and can save you money. Remember your driving habits are the biggest factor to the performance of your vehicle and impact MPG's the most.

Later

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