Gettin' the Most out of a Tank

No, not an M-1 Abrahms........the gas tank in your car.

Well, everyone seems to have their own home rememdy for a particular ailment......and a lot of folks seem to have their own "systems" for gas mileage.

With the price of gas what it is today, I tought I'd share a few things that seem to have worked for me over all these years.

First, the fuel itself. "Uncle Joe's gas-for-less", at a nickel less a gallon, really isn't a bargain if you don't get the gas mileage you might get with one of the major brands.

Yes, we've all heard the stories and even seen the major brand trucks topping off the vats in the cheap stations, but it's not the same fuel-----not really----my late uncle Dean used to deliver fuel over in Oregon, and a LOT of "major brand" fuel came from the BOTTOM of THEIR tanks....not really clean enough for THEIR standards, but they could still sell it CHEAP enough to get RID of it to the cut-rate stations. RODE with him. Saw it myself.

When I used to tune cars up for friends of mine, I would occasionally pull RUST-coated sparkplugs out of cylinder heads, and would always ask, "what are you burning in this?"

The answer always seemed to be one of the "el cheapo" stations. And what the PLUGS look like, is what the VALVES look like as well. So, you might be payng LESS per gallon, but if it isn't BURNING as clean as it should, you won't get the mileage you should, and the money comes out about even. Actually, you do MORE than just "break even" on the money------because if the FUEL burns cleaner, your engine lasts longer.

A dirty air flter doesn't allow your engine the "breathe" as it should, and THAT's worth a little fuel consumption as well.

Tire pressure. A BIGGIE! Tires that are low on air, spread more tread on the road, thus creating more drag against the motor. Only takes a few minutes. Saves a lot of gallons in the long run.

Got A/C? On warm days when a couple of windows rolled down is just as comfortable, DO IT! When you "spool" that compressor up, it DEFINITELY puts some drag on the motor.

SPEED. Probably the number ONE factor. "I get better gas mileage at 80 than I do at 60!"------------ever heard THAT one? So have I & it ain't so. You hit a point on the speedometer where you really start PUSHING a lot of wind. The faster you go, the more wind resistance and the more pedal you have to FEED it.

Try this for yourself the next time you're out on a lonely stretch of open highway:

When you're cruising around 60-70, take your foot off the gas, and notice that it only comes up about an inch or two. There is STILL at least anoth 3 inches to the floor.

Now, if you're getting 60....from an INCH of pedal, "mathematics would indicate that 3 MORE inches of pedal would get you about 240 mph!

TRY it! As you approach 100 (if you car will go that fast), you start running out of pedal at an alarming rate!

Wind resistance.

Most of the cars I've owned in my lifetime, seem to have gotten their best gas mileage at 55 to 65.

"THAT'S TOO SLOW......I HAVEN'T GOT ALL DAY!" you say...

At 55 mph, it's about 46 minutes to the Boise Town Square Mall from here.

At 80.....it's about 32 minutes. Ok, you saved 14 minutes but you also burned more gas, put more stress on your engine, and if there's a cop out there with a QUOTA to make........now you ARE gonna be late, and the ticket will be worth at least TWO tanks of gas. (it's also been my experience that a BLOWOUT at 80, is a little tougher to control than a blowout at 60).

IN-TOWN. I've learned over the years not to try to set the world on fire from a stop-light, and if you have the option (when there's nobody in front of you) and you're cruising down---let's say----American Legion.......the light is red at 10th, I never go roaring up to that light and then slam on the binders. If it's red when I see it, I can pretty much figure out when it's due to change, so I'll slow down to 20---maybe 15----and when it changes I can just gently give it a little gas and cruise right on through......which takes CONSIDERABLY less fuel then coming to a COMPLETE stop, and then have to "launch out full weight again from a dead stop.

I "cheat" a bit too....but "safely". One of my routes to pick up Donna for her lunch break is up past the golf course, past the Police Station, then up on top of the hill, before swinging down into Wally-World....................

...............it's posted 25. Doesn't turn to 35 until just after you've passed the entrance to the jail and have already started up the hill. Accelerating when you're already INCLINED, takes a few more squirts of fuel and "lugs" the motor a bit.

IF however you're ALREADY at 35 (or so) when you're still level, and hit the little hill "runnin", it takes very little "pedal" to maintain it to the top.

So looking as carefully as I can, and trusting my luck that "Buford T. Justice" isn't hiding somewhere, I'll ease it up around 35 (or so), and already be DOING 35 when I pass that sign, and just ease right on over with the LEAST amount of pedal.

(DO THIS AT YOUR OWN RISK). I've been lucky so far.

LONG-DISTANCE: This is where you usually make your best gas mileage, and if the freeway is clear and fairly level, and your car has Cruise-Control, it is a lot steadier than your human foot.

Having SAID that, I have also found that on trips out across rolling hills and curves, if you have good throttle-technique, you can actually BEAT your cruise-control. Fact.

Cruise control-------when you're headed DOWNHILL, it immediately senses that and slows you down to the programmed speed. When you head UP the next hill, it does nothing until it "senses" that you're inclined again, and than starts pouring gas through your carburetor (or fuel injector), and you "slug" your way back up to the top.

FOOT CONTROL......on a good enough grade, you can easily maintain your highway speed with VERY little pedal (or no pedal at all on some grades going downhill, and usually hit the bottom with enough momentum to give yourself a running start going back up the other side. So when you hit the bottom, give yourself anough pedal to hit the UPGRADE at a fairly decent clip, and you can often just ease it up a little as you approach the top, without straining the motor.

Again-----watch out for the cops if you try this.

Undertand----I do NOT advocate breaking the speed laws, this is just for "information only". But it HAS worked for me.

One other little longtrip tip-------if you are more concerned with time than you are with gas mileage, I've always found it safe to "USE" the "leadfooters". If the speed limit is 70,and you really "need" to go 75 or 80......just chill......and wait.

INVARIABLY, some dude who has more "foot" than sense, will come blowing by you at 80-85. Great. Just pace with him fast enough to keep him in sight. Don't try to overtake him. If there's a cop down the road, your "BUDDY" who just flew around you will make a "hotter target" on the cop's radar than YOU do. The hotter the target, the bigger the ticket. Let HIM take what you WOULD have gotten!

Did I say that? Nope, don't remember it!