HOHIMER

When I was going to school, I drove a 1934 Ford coupe with suicide doors and mechanical brakes, actuated via metal rods. These rods were prone to breaking or detaching themselves from one end or the other and dragging on the ground with lots of sparks. Being low on time(I worked full time) and finances, I would wait until all four rods had disconnected before fixing them. This meant I was driving most of the time with only one or two of the brakes working.

Sometimes, I drove that car with no brakes at all! I was always looking way ahead trying to see what was going on and adjusting my speed accordingly so I would not need to stop.

If I had to stop at a light I would judge the distance, turn off the ignition to stop the motor from rotating. Then, coast while in a low gear, use the clutch, with the dead motor as a brake, to slow the forward movement of the car. If I misjudged the distance, I would sometimes end up short of the mark or in the middle of the intersection. When the light turned green, I would simply restart the motor and drive on. Or, if the battery was dead, I would push it to get it started again. Try that with suicide doors!

I also stretched out my gas mileage in that car by pushing in the clutch(or putting the gearbox into neutral) anytime I was off the gas (Called FREE WHEELING). Then I used the technique above to slow or stop if the brakes were not working.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Years ago, a friend bought a VW Beetle, and she said that it got 30 mpg. That was impressive at the time.

sippyjug104 Loc: Missouri

Nothing saves more energy than turning something off. I tried to explain this to my wealthy uncle who left his estate to me when he was on life support, however, I could tell by the look in his eyes that he really didn't care about the electricity that would be saved.😁

Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

My 2020 Subaru Outback has a ridiculous "feechur" that shuts the motor off if you come to a stop under certain conditions. It will automatically start it up again when you hit the accelerator or let off the brake. I asked the dealer if there was a way to turn the feature off permantly and he said there wasn't and that most people hate the feature. They do provide a 'button' on the display panel that will turn it off for your current trip but it will turn it back on when restarting the engine after a stop. So every time you get in the car, you have to remember to turn off the feature. Reason for the feature?? They save a little bit of gas with it and if they want to advertise their mileage using the feature, they have to make it permanent.

badapple Loc: Twin Lake, Michigan

Many years ago I was taking a night class about celestial navigation. The instructor I thought was brilliant. As we left class one winters eve I was removing ice from my windshield and the instructor parked next to me laughed saying he never runs his heater so the snow doesn’t melt and freeze on a warm window. Whatever works for you 🙄.

JBRIII

I have had that feature on three cars, after 40,000 miles it says you saved maybe 1+gallons!! Maybe in city driving it would save more. Of course multiply this by millions of cars and it looks good. It doesn't bother me except for wondering about the wear and tear on the starter.

Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

Supposedly they 'beefed' up the starter for this but between the wear and tear and the fact it's possible that the engine won't restart at a critical moment, I do not want this feature.

LDB415 Loc: Houston south suburb

And then there are studies that have proven driving with the windows open and the increased turbulence and wind drag uses more fuel than running the a/c. I tend to believe that one.

Want to save money and gasoline? Stay out of drive-throughs. Park, turn off the car, walk your lazy butt inside to do your business. Saves fuel and money and also saves the planet.

Equus Loc: Puget Sound

Really want to save gas: don't drive, walk or run.

Makes sense but hardly practical if you live far from things like grocery stores.

There are a lot of things that we can and should do but some ideas really don't measure up to making sense even if it does save cents.

therwol Loc: USA

Makes sense until you get old and can't get around easily without some assistance like a car.

Equus Loc: Puget Sound

I am in that category. But not into a wheel chair yet. So I guess crawling is the new alternative.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

The best way to save gas is to not drive at all! Ride a bike. As for me and my house: we will drive our car!

Merlin1300 Loc: New England, But Now & Forever SoTX

I have a hybrid. So with light braking, the energy is fed back into the battery.
Even so - my foot comes off the gas 1000 feet before a stop sign or red light.
However - the Tucson is like pushing a shoebox through the air. Even with hybrid technology, at speeds over 45 MPH you'll only get 25 - 30 MPG. THAT really STINKS !! Can't get a foreign plug-in hybrid in Texas, and trying to buy one in kolorado or kalifornia - dealers add on a $15K "market adjustment".

Bmarsh Loc: Bellaire, MI

Buy a Subaru... I'm getting about 31.5 on each of two of them.

RodeoMan Loc: St Joseph, Missouri

Saving on gas is both about saving money for yourself and helping the environment. Considering just the saving money for yourself part of the equation, the car you choose to buy in the first place is an important factor in how much money you will spend for gas. Lets say that you have a choice between a car for $10,000 that gets 20 mpg and one for $30,000 that gets 40 mpg, how many miles will you have to drive the economy car before you get that $20,000 difference in cost back? I have an Impala that doesn't get that stellar of performance for miles per gallon, but have put less than 25,000 miles on it in the over eight years I've been driving it.