Realtors! Save Gas While You Drive

We're all desperate to save money on gas these days. We shop for the lowest prices, follow the news, combine trips, walk more. But for many of us, especially Realtors, dealing with the gas crunch is unavoidable. Not every house you sell is going to be in your neighborhood, not every house a client wants to see is down the street. They want the city, they want the suburbs, they want to see that charmer in a neighboring town. So if you're a Realtor that wants to sell houses, you do what you have to do - you drive. Fortunately there are four simple ways to make your gas go farther while you motor around.

Four Simple Ways to Save Gas While you Drive

1. The single best way to save money on gas is so simple you probably haven't even considered it.

It's this: SLOW DOWN

Slowing down and (gasp) driving the speed limit is the most effective way to get maximum fuel efficiency from your traveling tin can. It simply takes more energy to travel at a higher speed. Increased wind resistance and inefficient fuel consumption are two ways that speed eats into your gas tank. The additional wear and tear on your car also eats into your pocketbook. So if you don't want your car to be an obnoxious gas guzzler, just drive the speed limit. You might get flack from drivers that want to speed like they're on the autobahn, but you'll save on gas and avoid flack from police cruisers, speed traps and your mom.

2. Keep it Steady. While you're at it, you might also try to keep going at a constant speed as much as you can. Keeping it smooth, or even better - keeping it on cruise control will save you big bucks on flat terrain. The ole "hurry up and wait" accelerate/brake combo takes a lot of energy and will cost you in the long run. Look well ahead when you're driving and prepare to slow down in advance. The gradual reduction in speed paired with a gradual increase will use less fuel. Gunning it on green lights is not fuel efficient.

3. Get a tune up and keep your tires inflated. Spark plugs that don't spark, filters that don't filter, and sensors with no sense all lower your gas mileage. Have your car tuned up regularly and check your tires while you're at it. Poorly inflated tires need more push from the engine to get where they're going. A little air goes a long way.

4. Choose the path of least resistance. Depending on where you live, you may not be able to avoid bumpy winding roads but if you can, you should. You can loose up to 30% of your gas mileage on a gravel road and even more if it's one of those beautifully scenic winding ones that require lots of turns and gas pedal/brake pedal maneuvers. Save these for vacations and take the highway.

Of course, if you're a really serious driver these days, you're probably thinking about switching to a hybrid - the next logical step for people who simply can't part with their cars. While you're shopping around for the right one, however, you might want to do it slowly.