Fuel saving tips!

**Anon_1990** · 04-13-2010 08:25 AM

We all know fuel is getting expensive, with diesel being £1.21 per litre here, thats ($8.37US) per Gallon.

What do you guys do to help save the pocket? In England you can legally use 2,000 litres of vegetable oil to run a diesel per year without paying a penny tax. I would reccomend only doing this in an old "chugger". Add a little white spirit for boost and make sure there is more diesel than oil.

Apart from driving in the correct gear, using correct acceleration, carrying less weight and keeping tyre pressures right, what do you all do?

**Little** · 04-13-2010 09:09 AM

Gasoline in my area hovers somewhere between $2.50 a gallon and $3.00, which if you look at the past 5 years and nationwide, is super-low ... but I get only about 15 mpg (that's about 6.5 kilometers per liter) in my old Blazer. Diesel is significantly more expensive, though as I don't drive one, I don't know the exact specifications. Ethanol is already added to regular gasoline at the pump ... basically the older your vehicle is, the worse the ethanol is for it since it wasn't built to use it. But gas with ethanol is much cheaper. Conundrum.
The best thing I can do for myself is to live close to the places I have to go. I don't live so close that I could walk, but very nearly. Work and groceries are within 10 minutes. Not a lot of people are that lucky, though.

**maverick** · 04-13-2010 10:37 AM

Gasoline in my area is around $2.80/gal and diesel is about $3.00. Both are trending upward as they always do this time of the year in the U.S. I have both diesel and gasoline powered vehicles. Mixing veggie oil with diesel is not such a great idea. The viscosities are not the same and they don't mix well. Veggie oil also will gel at a much higher temperature than petro diesel. A better choice is to use biodiesel. It is made via a chemical reaction with veggie oil. (Google it and you will find tons of info.) If you have a source of waste veggie oil... such as a restaurant that uses deep fryers... you can make your own for nearly free. Some people do use waste veggie oil directly, but it requires starting the engine on diesel, heating the veggie oil, and switching over to veggie, then back to diesel to shut down. Kind of a pain and two fuel systems are required.

But assuming that you do not want to get into the fuel-making business: Buy the most fuel-efficient vehicle that you can afford (one of our cars is a Prius). Take it easy on the acceleration (very important with a diesel). Drive as if there is an egg between your foot and the accelerator and try not to "break" it! Consolidate trips. Instead of separate trips to the drug store and the grocery store, plan one trip to accomplish both. Take public transporation whenever possible. (If memory serves me correctly, England has a great system of subways and trains... much better than the U.S.) And keep your vehicle well-maintained. One thing that is frequently overlooked is the air filter. A partially blocked air filter can wreak havoc on fuel mileage. And tho' it may not be a fun way to drive, keeping your speed down helps too. The faster you go, the more fuel you will burn per mile/kilometer.

BTW: I'm not sure what "white spirit" is, but if you are referring to alcohol, you definitely do NOT want to put that in a diesel as it can be detrimental to the engine, seals, and gaskets.

**Anon_1990** · 04-13-2010 11:00 AM

Only in cities. Public transport generally sucks! In 2008 we were paying $12.00 a gallon in England! And I just use a mix of about 70:30 diesel:veggie and it works fine! Completley standard diesel with no modifications! White spirit is turpentine, works a treat , a capfull will be fine.

**WildChild** · 04-23-2010 06:33 PM

My work truck gets much poorer mileage than my car, regardless of what I'm driving I plan my trip to do as much in one run as possible. If I know I will be going to a certain part of town for a job, I'll look at what errands I can do along the way. When I can I use the car and locally try to walk. Also calling stores ahead to make sure they have what I want or to get info has saved me many trips.

**Anon_1990** · 04-23-2010 06:46 PM

Mine is TERRIBLE at 20mpg! My old car got about 50!

**Anon_1990** · 05-20-2010 03:54 PM

Now its a bit warmer you can use a bit more veg! Sluggish but cheap

**sourpuss** · 05-20-2010 04:33 PM

I ride my bike or walk. My car gets about 30 mpg but I usually only need to fill up about every 6-8 weeks. In the summer I rarely ever drive, I think I can get through the whole summer on maybe and tank and a half.

**lilylavendar** · 05-23-2010 03:23 AM

i'm waiting for horse and buggy days to return

just kidding, i try to complete all of my errands, shopping, etc....in a well planned out route and time. i usually pay bills on-line, and grocery shop at night when there is less traffic to be sitting in. and we have cut down on our out of town trips. finding things closer to home to do, like bicycle to the park. buying a swim pass to the pool. we live in town, so it is close to work and school. when i save on utilities, i put that money to the side for when fuel goes up again. it helps to off set. we keep our lights to a minimum, and set our thermostat and leave it alone. i hang up clothes outside when the pollen itsn't too bad. we are using CFL's now in the light fixtures. especially the ones we use the most. i'm sure we could probably do better, but it is a start. we recycle our plastic and cans/cardboard. we are growing some vegetables, i wish i had the space for more. sometimes cutting back on other expenses loosens up the money for fuel when you need it the most. like getting to work, school, or the doctor. if it was truly safe, i would allow my kids to ride their bicycle to school, but it isn't. we've cut back to cutting our lawn once a month. and that was hard for me. i like to keep it in order. well i keep going on and on. i take good care of my vehicle. keep the oil changed on time, fuel filter replaced as needed, buying new tires next month.
maybe the small businesses will make a comeback. for people who can walk to them. instead of driving to the next town to the mega mart