Tips to Improve Your Fuel Economy

I know that I will be driving a lot this summer and as this is common for many people this time of year I figured I would share some gas saving tips that I've learned over the years.

1. If your car recommends premium gas, use it! You will end up saving money! Sounds crazy at first right? Before I purchased a new car 3 months ago I had a 1993 Nissan 240sx with around 175k miles on it when I switched from regular to premium. I had been getting roughly 240 miles on a 12 gallon tank when driving 99% highway. When I switched to premium I was getting roughly 300 miles per 12 gallon tank when driving 99% highway. So I went from 20 mpg to 25 mpg! If you consider that premium is usually 20 cents more than regular I was paying $2.40 more per tank to get premium (which is equal to less than 1 extra gallon of gas). Due to the increase in mpg I was getting the equivalent mileage increase of 3 gallons (60 more miles at 20mpg), so I was basically getting 2 free gallons of gas (when compared to what I paid for before). My dad also did this switch with his 2001 mustang and noticed a benefit.

The reason I got a better mpg rating was because the octane level on premium is higher (octane level is just a measure of the energy content of the gas-higher octane=more energy=less volume is burned for the same output as a lower octane). This works particularly well on older cars as carbon get built up in the cylinders and the higher octane premium gas will burn hotter and help to burn off some of this residue. The next time you fill up, try to wait until your tank is almost empty so your tank will be mostly all premium, then note the mileage you get for similar driving conditions/situations.