There is one driving condition that is the single biggest gas robber. You must constantly fight this gas robber to keep it from stealing your fuel. When ever you drive you experience this problem.

The number one gas robbing problem is idling. That is running your car when your car is not moving. This is the biggest single factor in preventing good gas mileage.

When your car is running and you are stopped, you are getting zero miles per gallon. I cannot emphasize this enough: you are getting ZERO MILES PER GALLON when your car is idling.

If you are on the freeway for 12 minutes and getting 40 miles per gallon, and all of a sudden traffic comes to a stand still and you find yourself idling without moving for 12 minutes, your average miles per gallon just decreased from 40 mpg down to 20 mpg. The greater your idle time, the worse your average gas economy gets.

There are several factors that contribute to conditions that cause you to waste fuel idling. The biggest culprits are red lights. Every time you stop at a red light, you are forced to idle your car and burn gas at a rate of zero miles per gallon. Please note that I am not advocating not stopping at red lights! I am just pointing out one condition causing idling.

The next factor contributing to situations of excessive idling is rush hour. During rush hour, with the high volume of traffic on the road, you are forced to drive slower and stop more frequently. Consequently you are idling more than in non rush hour periods.

The red light problem is increased during rush hour. Because of the higher traffic volume in the rush hour period, you spend more time at red lights. As an example, you may be able to make it through a red light within one cycle during normal driving conditions, but that same red light may actually require two, three or even four cycles to safely get through in the rush hour period. Your idle time is increased up to two, three or even four times.

This increased idling is robbing you of fuel economy, and lowering your average miles per gallon. Additionally there is one more major cause of increased idling time: the hated orange barrels. Road construction slows and stops traffic. This of course increases your idling time. Add rush hour to the mix and it exacerbates this problem producing even more traffic delays and more idling time.

How can you fight this excessive idling? The short answer is planning. You have to plan your driving trips to avoid as many idling situations as possible. I don't advocate not stopping at red lights but you can reduce your idling by planning your travel routes to minimize red lights. Avoid lights that you know have long wait cycles. Plan to avoid areas where you know there is construction. Avoid driving during rush hour if at all possible. Arrive earlier at work to avoid the heavy traffic or stay later at work. Try to stagger your work hours so your commute takes advantage of non rush hour times.

Minimizing the time you find yourself sitting in an idling car will help you maintain better fuel economy. Avoiding idle producing situations will go a long way towards achieving better fuel economy, thereby saving you money and saving you gas.

Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page manual of industry insider information on saving gas and dollars at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to learn how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage.

Article Source: http://www.therealarticles.com

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