News You Can Use
How to maximize gas dollars as prices soar
University Relations
News Bureau (662) 325-3442
Contact: Kenneth Billings
June 10, 2008
STARKVILLE, Miss.—As gasoline prices daily reach new heights with no relief in sight, motorists, especially those with longer commutes, are feeling financial pains each time they pull up to the pumps.
With $5-a-gallon predicted to be a hard reality by July 4, electrical and computer engineering professor G. Marshall Molen of Mississippi State says there are a few no-nonsense steps that can help stretch gas dollars while improving vehicle economy.
Molen should know, since he's the adviser for the university's two-time winning student team in the national Challenge X fuel-efficient vehicle competition. HIs suggestions include:
- Regularly changing motor oil and filters, and maintaining recommended tire pressures to ensure peak operating efficiency.
- Easing off the gas pedal and reducing the average driving speed to lessen the energy-consuming aerodynamic drag; driving 75 mph, as opposed to 55 mph, increases aerodynamic drag by 150 percent.
- Trimming the fat by removing excess weight and vehicle storage components to also reduce drag; eliminating an unnecessary 100 pounds may improve fuel economy by as much as 2 percent.
- Minimizing family drive times by pre-planning daily routines to include fewer trips and more carpooling whenever possible.