Some ideas for Petropinching

Here are a few ideas for today:

• The most obvious one - Drive Less! Seriously, this is the fastest way to Petropinch. Be conscious of why and how many times you get behind the wheel everyday. Instead of going to the store twice in one day or going to multiple stores instead of one store, try to find everything at once. Also, as we have seen this past Memorial Day, more families are learning to enjoy "staycations" instead of vacations and camping out in your back yard can be a lot of fun. Just be aware, and you may realize that you are driving less. (Already we are seeing this, Americans drove 11 billion miles less this past year than the previous one, nice start!)
• Inflate your tires on a regular basis: under-inflated tires cut fuel economy by 2% per pound, so if your tires should be at 32 psi and you are riding at 27 psi, then you have reduced your milage by 10% (your recommended psi should be in your car's owners manual). So in this particular example, if gas were $4 per gallon and you inflated your tires, you would reduce your price to $3.60. Not bad! A tire gauge is only about $5 and air is free at some gas stations. I am going to buy my gauge tomorrow, hope you will too.
• Change your oil as recommended. Old oil increases friction which in turn decreases milage. I recommend no longer than 5,000 miles between changes.
• Keep an eye on your air filter, spark plugs, and oxygen sensors. I am no mechanic, but according to edmunds.com the above items can seriously affect your ability to Petropinch. A clogged air filter can reduce mileage by 10%, and a bad oxygen sensor can reduce mileage by as much as 40%!
• Reduce clutter in your trunk. This may not be a problem for you, but keep this in mind - an extra 100 pounds in your trunk can decrease mileage by up to 2%.
  
• Leave work earlier. If your usual routine is to get up and read the paper at home and then fight the commuter traffic, then maybe you should leave earlier and drive more effeciently. You can always read the paper when you get to work.
• Crack your windows instead of using the air conditioner. While I was driving to Syracuse today, I found myself subconciously running the AC. I looked at my outside temp gauge and noticed that it was at 66 degrees - the exact temp that I was running my AC. I cracked my windows and turned up my radio, and also Petropinched. Running the convenient AC not only burns more fuel, but also decreases drag on your vehicle.
• Use cruise control selectively. I love cruise control, and will therefore find this one hard to do, but I am going to try. I'll let you know how it goes.

Just a few ideas for now. Remember to start recording your milage and measure your results, it will make Petropinching much more fun.