Improving personal fuel economy: Real-life examples
In this sectionReal-life examples Driving tips to Maintenance tips to Transportation
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Example 1: Roof racks | Example 2: Commuting options
Example 3: Fuel-efficient tires | Example 4: Vehicle speed
Leaving an out-of-season roof rack on your vehicle wastes energy. Ski racks, bike racks, empty rooftop boxes and empty luggage trays all eat into your gas mileage. This example assumes a fuel economy decrease of 10 percent, although the loss varies by vehicle, rack type and speed.
Given that some racks are used for 1 percent of the vehicle’s miles but left installed for 100 percent of the mileage, the amount wasted may be as much as four times higher than the numbers below.
Rated MPG |
Fuel cost per year without rack |
Dollars wasted |
|
| 08 Chevy Suburban 4x4 | 16 |
$2,250 |
$113 |
| 08 Subaru Outback | 20 |
$1,800 |
$90 |
| 08 Ford Focus | 28 |
$1,256 |
$62 |
Assumptions: 12,000 miles per year, standard city/highway MPG ratings, gasoline at $3 per gallon, 10% fuel economy reduction with rack left on year round = amount wasted by not removing rack for 6,000 out-of-season miles.
Some days, a car is essential for a productive day. But a commitment to using an alternative at least one day per week can yield savings.
Public transit | Telecommute | Carpool
For a commuter traveling 25 miles each way to and from work, taking public transit, carpooling, or telecommuting just 1 day per week can save $300 per year.
Assumptions: 50-mile round-trip commute, driving a 25 mpg vehicle, $3 per gallon gasoline. The savings also applies to oil changes, tire wear and other maintenance.
Example 3: Fuel efficient tires
Replacing tires on 1 passenger vehicle or small SUV with fuel efficient tires could save an estimated 75 gallons of fuel, or about $225, and over 1,400 pounds of CO2 emissions over the life of the tires.
| Standard MPG | FuelMax MPG | Fuel saved | Dollars saved | |
| 2005 Ford Focus | 25 | 26 | 75 | $230 |
Assumptions: 25 mpg baseline, 26 mpg with Goodyear Assurance FuelMax tires, 50,000 mile tire life. (treadwear warranty is 65,000 miles).
Goodyear FuelMax chosen for example purposes only. Other brands of fuel efficient tires, such as Michelin Energy A/S and Bridgestone Ecopia, are estimated to have similar results. The average price difference for these tires is minimal and in many cases is cheaper than competing tires. Price differences range from $30 more to $130 less per tire than tires of the same size.
Lowering a vehicle’s highway speed by just 5 mph can improve mileage by 7 percent or more. It’s the easiest way to improve fuel economy in normal driving.
55 mph |
65 mph |
75 mph |
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| Lexus RX350 V6 | 30.9 mpg |
27.4 mpg |
23 mpg |
| Mercury Mountaineer V8 | 23.8 mpg |
21.1 mpg |
17.8 mpg |
| Toyota Camry | 40.3 mpg |
34.9 mpg |
29.8 mpg |
Source: Consumer Reports Cars Blog