FOOL PROOF way to improve your gas mileage!

Man, I have to admit I drive way too aggressive. I just HATE going slow on the HWY or even streets. I have no idea why. I don't driver crazy or speed crazy limits over, but I do go anywhere from 5-10 over depending on how empty the HWY/FWY is. in Utah, the FWY is 70mph, so I can easily be going 80 mph to and from work which is a 20 mile commute for me. And I am always flooring it on green. Seriously at a stop and go, I get up to 4500 RPMS. Utah has a lot of drivers similar, so I don't want to be slowing people behind me down. I have no idea why I am in such a hurry, its like I get claustrophobia if I drive too slow and soft. I REALLY need to change my ways.
6inch Fabtech lift, I am getting about 13 mpgs. The last two weeks I have been trying to do better and have been getting about 14.5. I seriously need to be doing way better than that.
Anyway, good read. Thanks for sharing, I am going to try to keep it under 2500 rpms and under 70 mph the rest of this week, if it doesn't kill me, to see just how much it helps

 

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Good is relative. I'll take my 21-22mpg city gladly for a truck. My previous Chevy Colorado, similar but 4x4 instead of 2wd, got 15mpg best case.

I bought the Ultragauge and probably picked up 1mpg just not driving so fast all the time.

 

I was towing a little ATV trailer Southbound through Utah, out in the middle of BFE when my fuel light came on, this was before the days of consumer GPS so I CB'd to my buddy and got permission to draft behind his Chevy 3500 & 43 foot 5th wheel toy hauler. I was probably 2 feet off his trailer when we passed Utah's finest black & white. He literally dropped the clipboard he was using to issue a ticket & ran back to his cruiser to catch me. He caught up to me a few miles down the road as I was putting the fuel nozzle into my truck. Wrote me up right there, in the gas station, for tailgating.

Lesson for the kids: do it if you want, just don't get caught

 

So this is true, but don't think that driving around with your windows down is a good substitute for using your AC.
The drag created from all your windows down is actually proven to be WORSE for gas mileage than keeping them all up and using AC.
Another tip is don't use the "recirculate" function all the time, even though it does blow that sweet, sweet cool air a little harder.

I've lived in Arizona for 12 years. Ask me how I know about AC and gas mileage...

 

I drive a gas tanker.....Please don't tailgate a gas tanker. If you need gas mileage, slow down. Get your foot out of it between red lights, but don't tailgate. I wanna see my family everyday.

 

Some years back I convinced a local Goodyear dealer to align my 2003 Mustang Cobra to my specs, which called for a lot of camber and maximum caster. The tech told me it would increase tire wear and negatively affect fuel economy. I told him if either of those were significant concerns I would be driving a Corolla...

 

Ya, I think it's around 45 mph when the window drag is more than the AC running, at least years ago that was the speed, it's probably less than that now.

 

You just took all the fun out of driving!

Supercharge it for the win!

 

Food for thought.

 

I had an '85 Corolla 4-door (last of the RWD Corollas) I bought new, 5-speed with a whopping 74 HP.

With the side windows down it would not go over 92 mph, flat out. With the windows up you could get it up to 105 or so...

 

Video doesn't like my country or some shit, but I remember them proving tailgate up, and I think even no cover if I recall. But I would question this with the shorter beds and bigger cabs now, is it the same?

 

They got the best mileage with the a net instead of tailgate. Cover on bed, no tailgate were a wash and gate down is still the worst.

 

If I'm taking a long trip, I'll air my tires up to about 36 psi. It's a little slappier on the highway but reduces rolling resistance. I believe this gets me about one more mpg.

 

Roll through all stop signs. No need wasting gas parked in the street

 

How do you know about AC and gas mileage?

 

I'm a fool, and demand proof!

 

I have driven a car in 122 degree heat. More than once.
Lacking AC is... not an option.

However, upon further reflection the shitty wind resistance or drag on a mid-sized truck like a Tacoma probably doesn't matter if the windows are up or down.

A Prius would definitely be an interesting test subject to see how drag with with windows down affects efficiency...

Anyways, do what OP says.

http://www.slate.com/articles/healt..._lantern/2010/08/natures_air_conditioner.html

 

I get about 19 mpg and I am satisfied with that. Previous vehicles (1) got 12 to 15mpg, and (2) got 26 mpg. I think 19 is really good for a Taco, I was expecting less when I bought mine.
I always thought the A/C one was a myth: A/C doesn't use gas.
I do most of the tips suggested by the OP, but I don't plan on changing much either. When I pull up to the station, I put in my credit card and fill up. Don't pay attention to how much it costs, and pay my cc bill at the end of the month.

 

http://zidbits.com/2012/01/does-driving-with-the-ac-on-actually-use-more-fuel/

Air-Conditioner Operation
When you turn the AC on in your car, it uses energy supplied to it by the alternator. This energy is coming from the engine, which is using the fuel in your gas tank. The AC won’t run properly without the car started because the belt that engages the compressor (which is used to compress the coolant and make it cold) will only run with the engine started. This is the same belt that is responsible for running the alternator and charging your battery.