Website Calculates How Much You Can $ave on Gasoline

[kloa]

The Alliance to Save Energy has created a unique, interactive Drive $marter Challenge website (www.drivesmarterchallenge.org) with extensive money-saving gas tips in English and Spanish, resources, fuel efficiency mythbusters, and discount vehicle maintenance coupons.

On the website, you can enter your specific vehicle data information (make, model, year, cylinders) and by taking six fuel-efficiency steps, figure out how much gas you can save in gallons, dollars and metric tons of CO2

The goal of the Drive $marter Challenge is to help drivers lower their gas costs and use, and simultaneously improve the environment by improving the air we breathe, our respiratory health, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

[some_other_dave]

The "six steps" are, as I figured they might be, things we already know about on here. (Tires, weight, oil, driving style, miles driven, etc.)

Apparently they look up the EPA figures for your car, assume you drive X amount per year, then knock off a percentage for "doing things right".

It's a cute little flash app, but nothing revolutionary I'm afraid.

-soD

[HemiSync]

Sorry, but I am always a little suspect when a first time poster, with no additional info in their profile, last activity was the time of the one & only post, posts about another website. Is this the equivalent of a Forum Lobbyist?

Note after checking it out:
I have to admit the flash challenge does not impress and takes way to long to load on Firefox 3 with a 20mb downstream, but there are a lot more than 6 tips if you go to the link for the Money Saving Tips. And they support a lot of what we try to educate about here. For those that don't want to click the link here they are:

Driving Tips

• Curb road rage. Speeding, rapid acceleration (jackrabbit starts), and rapid braking can lower gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds. Drivers can save up to 80 gallons of gasoline, or up to $255, by driving sensibly on the highway. If you don't have a "lead foot," your savings may be closer to 10%.
• Drive sensibly. Around town, sensible driving can save 5% – up to 30 gallons of gasoline and up to $100.
• Cut Miles. If you can cut your vehicle miles traveled by just 5% through combining trips, walking, biking, or taking public transportation, you can save up to $100 per year on gasoline costs. Walking and biking are good for your health too!
• Choose the Right Vehicle. If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets better gas mileage whenever possible. If you drive 12,500 miles a year, switching 10% of your trips from driving a car that gets 20 mpg to one that gets 30 mpg will save you more than $65 per year.
• Turn Down the Air. Operating the air conditioner on "Max" can reduce mpg by 5-25% compared to not using it.
• It‘s a ”drag.“ Avoid carrying items on your vehicle‘s roof. A loaded roof rack or carrier increases weight and aerodynamic drag, which can cut mileage by 5%. Place items inside the trunk whenever possible to improve your fuel economy.
• Ditch "junk in the trunk." An extra 100 pounds in the trunk cuts a typical vehicle‘s fuel economy by up to 2%. You can save up to 12 gallons of gasoline per year – up to $40 – by removing an extra 100 pounds of unneeded items from the trunk.
• Decrease Your Speed. Speeding costs! Gas mileage usually decreases rapidly above 60 mph. Each five miles per hour over 60 mph is like paying an additional 20 cents per gallon for gas.
• Avoid idling. Idling gets 0 mpg. Cars with larger engines typically waste even more gas while idling than cars with smaller engines.
• Combine errands/trips. If you combine errands into one trip, you drive fewer miles and use less fuel. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer, multipurpose trip when the engine is warmed up and efficient.
• Use Overdrive Gear. If available, use your vehicle‘s overdrive gear to reduce engine speed, which will enable you to save gas and reduce engine wear.
• Use Cruise Control. Cruise control cuts fuel consumption by maintaining a steady speed during highway driving.
• Consider other transportation options. Investigate options for getting to work and other places — public transportation, carpooling, biking, walking, or ridesharing when possible. Check the American Public Transportation Association‘s website for local information.
• Carpool. Using the average U.S. work commute of 12.1 miles, commuters could save about $260 a year by carpooling twice a week with two other people in a vehicle that gets 20.1 miles per gallon – assuming the three passengers share the cost of gas.
• Telecommute or Stagger Work Hours. If your employer permits, avoid sitting in traffic and wasting gas, especially during peak rush hours. A worker who telecommutes twice a week would save about $390 a year in gasoline costs.
• Request the Right Rental. Request a vehicle that gets better fuel economy, and remember to fill up the tank before returning the car to the rental company, which charges much higher gas prices – and perhaps even an extra gas surcharge.
• Buy Smart. When buying a new or used vehicle, think high gas mileage. Check out the U.S. Department of Energy's Web site or look for a SmartWay© certified vehicle on EPA's Green Vehicle Guide for information on fuel-efficient vehicles.

Maintenance Tips

• Inflate Your Tires. Keeping your tires properly inflated is simple and improves gas mileage by around 3%, saving up to 20 gallons of gasoline, or up to $65.
• Tune up. Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4% —saving up to 25 gallons of gasoline and up to $80. Fixing a faulty oxygen sensor can improve mileage by as much as 40% — saving up to 250 gallons of gasoline or up to $800.
• Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged or dirty air filter can improve your car‘s gas mileage, and a clean filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine.
• Select the Right Oil. Using the manufacturer‘s recommended grade of motor oil, including re-refined motor oil, improves gas mileage by 1 to 2%, resulting in annual savings of up to $40. Motor oil that says ”Energy Conserving“ on the API performance symbol contains friction-reducing additives. Also, change your oil to extend the life of your vehicle, and remember to recycle used oil which can be re-refined, to save even more money.

This might have been a "drive by linker" to their website, but not necessarily a bad one.

[A024523]

This site is seems to cover the basics for the average person. But I had to laugh because it said that I could potentially save $314 annually and I am actually saving gas at 4 times that rate! My only criticism is that they need to add a Tip #7: "Go to CleanMPG.com for more advanced techniques."

PS - Kinda strange to see ExxonMobile on the list of "featured partners"

[HemiSync]

Originally Posted by A024523

This site is seems to cover the basics for the average person. But I had to laugh because it said that I could potentially save $314 annually and I am actually saving gas at 4 times that rate! My only criticism is that they need to add a Tip #7: "Go to CleanMPG.com for more advanced techniques."

PS - Kinda strange to see ExxonMobile on the list of "featured partners"

Like I said it does cover lots more, except the CleanMPG link, on the more tips page. I especially like how they list Curb Road Rage & Drive Sensibly as the first two items. Both dealing with the driver, rather than some vehicle modification. I almost makes me think that whomever wrote those tips must have visited this website. Surely they couldn't have come up with some of those on their own.

It said my potential savings are $227 a year, if that were true I would go back to my Buick..... NOT! I am saving 8 times that. But maybe that is only if you use just the 6 tips and not the potential of using all the extra tips there also.

Hey, at least it is a step in the right direction.

[xcel]

Hi Larry:

___If the ASE is a member of the Walmart sponsored site, it was indeed a drive by from Kloa as he or she is an employee.

___I see this stuff and just imagine what people think when they put up this kind of basics without any accountability? $100 to $300 per year when they should be saving that much per month let alone they do not promote actually measuring the FE one is receiving.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[HemiSync]

Originally Posted by xcel

Hi Larry:

___If the ASE is a member of the Walmart sponsored site, it was indeed a drive by from Kloa as he or she is an employee.

___I see this stuff and just imagine what people think when they put up this kind of basics without any accountability? $100 to $300 per year when they should be saving that much per month let alone they do not promote actually measuring the FE one is receiving.

One of the sponsors, The Wal-Mart Foundation.

I agree about promoting the basics without telling people how to measure their FE, but at least it is something. Like they say even bad publicity is good publicity, if it gets people to think about it. What was it that one producer said about the Howard Stern show, half the people come because they like him and half come because they hate him, what do we care why they come as long as they come. Same is probably true about the visitors to CleanMPG, some probably come just to see the loony hypermilers, but if you convert any of those then you are making huge strides. Much more than helping those that want help, but lets not take that the wrong way.

P.S.
No fair! Your signature is working but mine is only half there this morning!

[xcel]

Hi Larry:

___Sorry for going OT but you probably know we upgraded to the new server late last night and early this morning. There are still a few glitches but Sean is working on it

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[HemiSync]

Originally Posted by xcel

Hi Larry:

___Sorry for going OT but you probably know we upgraded to the new server late last night and early this morning. There are still a few glitches but Sean is working on it

Yes I know, I was just giving you a hard time.