Bill Harlan, Journal staff | Posted: Thursday, May 17, 2007 11:00 pm
|
This spring, two or
three times a day, customers come to Cory Brown with this question:
How can they get better gas mileage?
Brown is manager of
the Tires Plus store on Haines Avenue, north of Interstate 90. He
says the highest gasoline prices in Rapid City history - up to
$3.219 per gallon - have focused local attention on the details of
efficient motoring.
A tune-up can help,
Brown said.
So can clean fuel
and air filters and accurate tire alignment.
Many experts,
including Brown, say low tire pressure hurts mileage, and most
drivers can remedy this problem themselves, with an accurate gauge
and access to an air hose. (Your owner's manual will give you the
correct pressure.)
However, a
car-buying Internet site called edmunds.com tested a number of
gas-saving tips and found that low tire pressure made little or no
difference in mileage. (But everyone, Edmunds included, agrees low
pressure increases tire wear.)
Ken Hopfauf,
manager of the Firestone store at Fifth and Main streets in
downtown Rapid City, a tune-up and new spark plugs can increase
mileage.
Hopfauf says some
motorists are considering "performance packages" that also can
increase mileage, but they can cost $300 to $400 or more. "It might
get you a mile or two per gallon, but you have to ask yourself how
fast will you make that back."
So-called
"synthetic" motor oils also can help, Hopfauf said, by reducing
friction in the engine.
Put all those small
measures together and some motorists might get as much as an extra
4 miles per gallon, Brown said.
But Hopfauf said a
customer who comes in with a big SUV that gets only 18 miles per
gallon may have to accept the fact that 18 mpg is "as good as it's
going to get" - that is, without a change in driving
habits.
Mark Madeja, a
spokesman for AAA South Dakota, offered some additional tips to
motorists:
* Combine errands
to minimize the number of trips.
* Avoid rush hours
and construction zones. (Edmunds.com found that eliminating
unnecessary idling can save up to 19 percent in fuel
costs.)
* Accelerate
slowly, and drive at lower speeds. (Edmunds says reducing
"aggressive" driving to "moderate" driving saved an average of 31
percent in the company's test.)
* Don't use the air
conditioner, or use it less often. (The Edmunds test debunks this
tip, saying open windows increase drag and offset small mileage
gains.)
* Use cruise
control. (Edmunds agrees. Cruise saved an average of 7 percent in
the company's tests.)
* Get rid of extra
weight in your trunk or in the bed of your pickup.
If you've done all
that - and if high performance air filters, exhaust systems and
ignition systems are not in your budget - maybe you can join a
carpool.
Or call RapidRide,
Rapid City's bus service, at 394-6631 for a more radical
option.
Contact Bill Harlan
at 394-8424 or at bill.harlan@rapidcityjournal.com
