Our Top 10 Fuel-Saving Tips By the Editorial Team With the current radical hikes of fuel prices, here are several ways for you to reduce the cost of driving. Some simply require a bit of attention to apparently insignificant details and habits. You know high gas prices are getting to North Americans when they start rethinking vacation plans and even consider visiting family less often. Yet, according to an insurance company survey, these decisions are being considered or made every day. In fact, more than half of the respondents to a recent poll said already-high gas prices would affect their summer vacation plans. Forty-three per cent of this group said that, if prices continue to rise, they would even cancel plans to visit relatives. Family gatherings wouldn't be the only casualties if gas prices continue to take a bigger bite out of our pocketbooks. Some 33 per cent of survey respondents would even put off non-emergency visits to doctors for preventive care in order to save on gas. Twenty-four per cent said they'd get to their health clubs and gyms less often. And don't think sports car buffs will be keeping pedal to the metal if gas prices keep going up. A survey of 397 people, led in April 2000, found 68 per cent of sports car drivers claim they're driving less, compared with 42 per cent of sport-utility-vehicle drivers. What to do instead of being behind the wheel? Fifty-five per cent of the survey respondents said they'd "spend more time on the Internet/computer" and 53 per cent said they'd talk on the phone rather than visit in person. Just over half said they'd use the time to watch TV or movies at home. Staying home isn't the only alternative, though. There are ways to maximize every single litre of fuel—and possibly keep your vacation plans "on the road." Here are some tips: Tip #1 - Regular Servicing Is Important Keep your vehicle well maintained with regular servicing to keep it operating at peak efficiency. An inefficient engine—with fouled spark plugs, for example—won't make optimum use of fuel. Be sure the air filter and the fuel filter are clean. Put in new ones if they're not. A new oxygen sensor alone can improve gas mileage by as much as 15 per cent, according to technical experts. Don't forget little things like the air in your tires, either. Having tires inflated to the maximum recommended pressure can improve gas mileage by as much as 6 per cent, while periodic wheel alignments can help improve fuel economy up to 10 per cent. And clean out that trunk and back cargo area. Take out unneeded items that only add weight to your vehicle. Extra weight decreases gas mileage. Every 100 kilograms of unnecessary weight adds 0.5 litre per 100 km to your vehicle's fuel consumption. Tip #2 - Be a Different Driver Change your driving style. Accelerate gradually, drive smoothly and with care and you could see as much as a 20 per cent gain in fuel economy compared with what you'd get with an aggressive driving style. Skip those jackrabbit starts and sudden pedal-to-the-metal manoeuvres if you want to save gas. Anticipate stops so you avoid sudden braking, and take a long view of the road ahead, coasting safely to an intersection in front of you where you see traffic stopped. Don't speed. A car moving at 90 kilometres an hour can get about 15 per cent better fuel economy than the same car going 105 km/h. Use your vehicle's navigation system, if you are so lucky to have one already, in your travels to new locales. This can save you from getting lost and wasting gas. Tip #3 - Drive Smart Don't stay idle too long. Don't waste fuel by sitting in that drive-thru lane at your favourite fast-food outlet. Park and go inside instead. Don't let your vehicle idle as you wait outside the elementary school to pick up your children. Idling uses more fuel than turning the engine off, waiting for your youngsters and then restarting the engine. In fact, letting your engine idle for more than 20 seconds burns more fuel than turning it off and starting it again, according to Transport Canada. When you're in slow city traffic, keep the air conditioner off, if and when possible. Roll down the windows and open the air vents to keep you and your riders comfortable. That air conditioner is a burden that uses fuel, and if you're tooling around town, you can see a "very slight" improvement in gas mileage by keeping it turned off, a Mercedes-Benz spokesman said. In contrast, it is better to use air conditioning if necessary, when travelling at higher speeds on the highway. Open windows increase aerodynamic drag and, inevitably, fuel consumption with it. Also, studies by Volvo and other carmakers have shown that a cooler, drier and quieter cabin can reduce fatigue on longer trips and help a driver stay relaxed and alert for longer. Not to mention the comfort of passengers, young and older. These tips should help in using your vehicle's climate control systems wisely. Tip #4 - Plan Ahead Combine your errands into one trip, rather than taking multiple trips from home. Organize your stops so they're near each other and so you don't retrace your path. You may even be able to park in one central spot and walk between some of your stops rather than driving and parking at each one. For large gatherings like family reunions and church picnics, organize a carpool. If the distance to these events is long, Budget Rent a Car Corp. suggests even renting a 15-person van to maximize fuel savings vs. driving a number of separate vehicles in these circumstances. Plan your trips so you go out during less-congested times of day. When there's less traffic, you're more apt to be able to drive smoothly. Use navigation aids on the Internet or in your vehicle to keep from getting lost—and thus wasting fuel—when you're headed to a new, unknown location. Tip #5 - Weather Effects Note that road and weather conditions have a role, too, in the fuel economy of your vehicle. Driving into a 30-km/h headwind can increase fuel consumption by as much as 6 per cent. Driving up a mountain road with a 7 per cent grade can cut fuel economy by as much as 25 per cent. Driving on gravel and in slush and snow requires a bit more fuel, too. Tip #6 - Other Modes of Transport Look at alternative transportation options—even if it's just for one or two days a week. Walk, bicycle, carpool or take public transportation and leave your vehicle at home. Cycling to work not only saves on gas, it is an excellent cardiovascular workout. And in some cases, commuters actually arrive at their destination quicker on a bicycle than they would via congested auto roadways. Tip #7 - An all-important label But the first and, likely, the most important measure in reducing your fuel costs is to compare fuel economy ratings when you shop for a vehicle. And the best way to achieve this is to take a careful look at the clear and comprehensive EnerGuide label: "All new passenger cars, light-duty vans, pickup trucks and special purpose vehicles not exceeding the light-duty gross vehicle weight rating of 3855 kg (8500 lb.)" should now carry this label in Canada. And EnerGuide ratings can also help you when shopping for a used vehicle. You can find the ratings on vehicles from previous model-years in the special booklets published by the agency or by looking them up on its Web site at the following URL: http://autosmart.nrcan.gc.ca Bear in mind, always, that bigger vehicles, bigger engines, four-wheel drive and lots of optional equipment add to a vehicle's weight and, as a result, increase fuel consumption. Even larger tires can have an effect. A tire with a larger "footprint" on the road that doesn't have a special rubber compound designed to improve fuel economy has more rolling resistance than a comparable smaller tire, and this can lower fuel economy: More so if it is improperly inflated. Tip #8 - Watch for New, High-Tech Solutions Check out the newest automotive technology. It's getting more mainstream with each passing year. The first gas/electric hybrid cars to be sold in Canada were the Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. The former is rated at 3.9 L/100 km in city driving and 3.2 L/100 km on the highway, thanks to a small, three-cylinder gasoline engine combined with an electric motor whose batteries never has to be recharged externally. In fact, interest in this vehicle has been so great that Honda has increased its projected order numbers by 50 per cent. Toyota's Prius and Honda's Civic Hybrid offer the advantage of a full, five-seat cabin and a normal trunk. They use hybrid technology in a different way, to prove that it can be used practically, for entirely normal, family driving needs. Even if you don't decide on a new-technology vehicle, you should carefully consider whether you really need a V6 or a V8 in your next car or truck. The Canadian Automobile Dealers Association advises consumers to test drive models with various engines in a range of driving conditions to determine what fits them best and to assess the tradeoffs. Tip #9 - Other Costs Affected Keep in mind you might pay a bit more for that next new car. Higher fuel prices during the first months of 2000 prompted General Motors Corp., Ford Motor Co. and DaimlerChrysler to raise the price of delivering vehicles to respective dealerships, so they all raised destination and delivery charges on new cars, trucks and vans, albeit very slightly. Tip #10 - An Eye to the Future Think about how your fuel conservation efforts benefit the Earth and future generations. Scientists say global warming and its projected disastrous effects on weather, rising sea levels and heat deaths are due, in part, to the burning of fossil fuels. So, every litre of gas you don't use can help ease global warming.