Fact Or Fiction? 6 Tips About Conserving Gasoline

The United States has been enjoying a trend of dropping gasoline prices throughout 2011. Between 2007-2010 many people held off buying a new car and kept their old car during the thick of the deep recession. Now, people are driving more and sales of new cars and SUVs are on the rise. Read on for six tips about conserving gasoline so you can keep more of your hard earned money in your pocket.

Government Forces Higher Fuel Efficiency Standards
New legislation passed under the Obama Administration is raising the bar on minimum fuel efficiency standards. DailyDollar will share more about this later in the week. Car makers are rolling out new models that meet or exceed current miles-per-gallon standards.

Fact Or Fiction? 6 Tips About Conserving Gasoline
1. Fact Or Fiction? Only small cars get good fuel economy.
Fiction. Advanced technologies are allowing standard sized vehicles to be very fuel efficient. For the 2011 model year, 6 of the top 10 most efficient vehicles are midsized cars according to a government website that tracks the costs of fuel.

2. Fact Or Fiction? You burn more gasoline starting up a vehicle than if you let it idle.
Fiction. Idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour. To save money, turn off your engine when your vehicle is sitting still for any time longer than a traffic light.

3. Fact Or Fiction? You should let a vehicle warm up before driving.
Fiction. Today's vehicles can be driven within seconds of being started. However, if you are experiencing extreme weather such as sub zero temperatures, the engine should be allowed to fully warm up.

4. Fact Or Fiction? As a vehicle gets older, its' fuel economy decreases significantly.
Fiction. A vehicle that has been maintained according to the manufacturer's guidelines will maintain a consistent level of fuel efficiency for many years.

5. Fact Or Fiction? Modern fuel injected engines automatically adjust their fuel to air ratio.
Fiction. Changing a filter will not increase fuel economy, but might improve the vehicle's performance.

6. Fact Or Fiction? Using premium (or 'super'), high octane fuel improves fuel economy.
Fiction. You will not likely experience any benefit from using premium fuel with two exceptions. First, if your vehicle was specifically designed for premium fuel (like a high performance sports car) and second, if your car or truck engine knocks severely with regular fuel.

Understanding all six of these myths will help you save money on gasoline.