Fuel saving tips

Some good fuel saving tips from KVEU Austin:

• Don't top off the tank. Overfill can slosh out of the tank and waste gas.
• Consider filling up at cooler times. Gasoline can expand in the heat and overflow.
• Gravel and dirt roads can cut fuel efficiency by 30 percent. Urban pot holes can have the same effect, but try to keep your route smooth.
• Keep your car clean. One government study finds a clean car can get up to 7 percent better fuel efficiency. "The amount of dirt and grim that we keep on our car increases something called the coefficient of friction between our car and the atmosphere," said Summer Smith, with The Science Place. It's the same principle that makes tire pressure so important. I like to use the $4 touchless wash. I use it in the morning and it doesn't take more than 4 minutes to wash my car.
• Minimize idle, for example when you goto the drive through look inside first most of the time the line inside is smaller and you probably need the exercise.
• Park in the shade. A/C compressors tax the engine and lower efficiency.
• Try to park so you don't have to back out. Reverse maneuvering uses more gas.
• Tip number eight dispels a myth about keeping the windows rolled up. Turning off the air conditioning and rolling down the windows does not save fuel. In fact, at highway speeds the drag can cut fuel efficiency by ten percent. However, if it is cool enough just to run the vents ten shut the air off and use the vents.