Beat the Gas Price Blues

With today's high gas prices, many of you may be thinking this could put a damper on your travel plans. But with a little planning and diligence, you can cut your gas bill by 10% or more taking some of the ouch out of these higher prices.

Pay less for gas
When you're on the road in unfamiliar places, it can be difficult to discover the lowest price gas in the area. Next time, check out www.gasbuddy.com. This free website is a non-profit organization that helps you find the cheapest gas in most areas of the United States and Canada. All you have to do is click on the map and choose the town or city where you are or enter a zip code and a list of gas stations comes up, starting with the lowest priced.
Properly inflate your tires
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), about 30% of vehicles have one tire that is at least 8 psi underinflated. Underinflated tires can cut fuel economy by 2% per pound. So if your tires should be 90 psi and they're actually at 80 psi, then your fuel economy is down by 20%. Check your owner's manual or the tire manufacturer booklet for tire inflation recommendations.
Drive slower
Vehicles experience the best fuel economy at slower speeds. Every five miles over 55 mph you drive reduces your fuel economy by about a mile per gallon. Also, if you're in the habit of accelerating rapidly after a traffic light or stop sign, you're wasting gas. Take it easy with steady acceleration and you'll save yourself money. Maintain a steady speed when driving up inclines, if you're trying to go too fast, you may be pumping more gas into the engine than necessary because the vehicle only has the horsepower to perform at a certain level and the excess of the gas cannot make it exceed that level.
Avoid traffic
Sitting in traffic wastes gas. If you're able, plan your schedule to avoid metropolitan areas at high commuting times.
Lighten your load
This applies mostly to RVs. The heavier a coach is, the more fuel it takes to move it. If you mainly travel from campground to campground and always have full hook-ups, don't fill your fresh water tank to capacity. You won't need it and since water weighs 8.3 pounds per gallon, a full tank of 100 gallons will cost you a lot of fuel economy. Also, if you usually tow an auto behind, you may want to consider leaving it behind this summer because the added weight does affect your mileage per gallon.
Avoid using the air conditioning
Using air conditioning, whether it's chassis or generator air conditioning, makes your engine work harder and can reduce your fuel economy by as much as 10-20%. If you can't leave it off all the time, try to turn it off when you're driving up hills or mountains and the engine is already working harder than normal.
Keep up on engine maintenance
This is the biggest contributor to poor fuel efficiency. A blocked air filter can result in a 10% reduction in fuel economy.
Don't bother with high-octane gasoline
Many vehicles are designed to run with 87-octane (regular unleaded) and using high-octane fuel doesn't result in better performance or fuel economy. Check your owner's manual for the manufacturer recommendation before you spend the extra money on premium gas. Diesel-powered motorhomes are also designed to run on regular diesel Number 2. Some stations offer a premium-grade diesel, which can make your motorhome feel like it has more horsepower, but it doesn't offer any extra fuel-economy for the extra money you spend.