Saving money on GAS – You might say it’s in my genes, why? My grandpa, Stanley Olsen, won his Utah town’s race which was to see who could drive their Model “T” Ford the farthest on a gallon of gas.
Grandpa won, and so can you!
Have you seen the emails going around telling you how to save money on gas (fill-up in the morning, pump on the slow setting, keep a half tank to avoid evaporation, etc.) and then of course “forward this to everyone you know”. Some of these may have some truth, but the savings are miniscule at best.
If you really want to save money you have to do what grandpa did, here’s the story. Grandpa set his throttle on the lowest setting possible, every Model “T” in the race passed grandpa’s car, but they ran out of gas early and when they did, grandpa passed them.
Grandpa’s Model “T” went further than all the others because he: 1) Accelerated slowly, 2) Maintained a steady speed, and 3) Minimized braking.
How does this apply to you and me? How much can we save if we accelerate slowly, maintain a steady speed, and slow down without braking when possible?
“According to the U.S. Department of Energy website http://www.fueleconomy.gov/, "Agressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas." Changing our driving habits we can "improve fuel economy up to 33 percent at highway speeds and 5 percent around town.”
Watching the way we drive in MN, many of us could use this advice. What does this mean? Instead of going 0 to 60 in 10 seconds reduce that to a city street pace of 15 seconds. Leave a little early; drive the speed limit or 5 mile per hour under; cruise control can help you when traffic is pulling ahead, it reduces the impulse throttle pushing. Brake lightly to a full stop; these means watching for and anticipate slowing the car before you have to stop.
Is it worth it? The benefits are using 1/3 less gas, that’s like taking a $3.00 pump price down to $2.00; not to mention reducing my blood pressure.
So the next time you pass me...
Grandpa won, and so can you!
Have you seen the emails going around telling you how to save money on gas (fill-up in the morning, pump on the slow setting, keep a half tank to avoid evaporation, etc.) and then of course “forward this to everyone you know”. Some of these may have some truth, but the savings are miniscule at best.
If you really want to save money you have to do what grandpa did, here’s the story. Grandpa set his throttle on the lowest setting possible, every Model “T” in the race passed grandpa’s car, but they ran out of gas early and when they did, grandpa passed them.
Grandpa’s Model “T” went further than all the others because he: 1) Accelerated slowly, 2) Maintained a steady speed, and 3) Minimized braking.
How does this apply to you and me? How much can we save if we accelerate slowly, maintain a steady speed, and slow down without braking when possible?
“According to the U.S. Department of Energy website http://www.fueleconomy.gov/, "Agressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas." Changing our driving habits we can "improve fuel economy up to 33 percent at highway speeds and 5 percent around town.”
Watching the way we drive in MN, many of us could use this advice. What does this mean? Instead of going 0 to 60 in 10 seconds reduce that to a city street pace of 15 seconds. Leave a little early; drive the speed limit or 5 mile per hour under; cruise control can help you when traffic is pulling ahead, it reduces the impulse throttle pushing. Brake lightly to a full stop; these means watching for and anticipate slowing the car before you have to stop.
Is it worth it? The benefits are using 1/3 less gas, that’s like taking a $3.00 pump price down to $2.00; not to mention reducing my blood pressure.
So the next time you pass me...
I’ll just “Smile and wave!”
1 comment:
Awesomw pics. You did a great job with your blog. Thanks for sharing your life with us. We loved having you in Utah with us.
See you soon,
Nicole and Kevin
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