Five Great Ways To Save On Gas

 

1. Clean Out Your Trunk

Trunk storage is handy but heavy items can weigh you down.We all know smaller cars get better gas mileage — but if you're weighing down your car with a set of golf clubs or an emergency water supply in the trunk, it'll take a toll on your fuel efficiency. A loaded roof rack, similarly, will increase weight but also cause aerodynamic drag, cutting mileage by up to 5%.

Every extra 100 pounds is estimated to cut a vehicle's mileage by 2%.

2. Keep Windows Closed

The more aerodynamic your vehicle is, the more open windows will cause a drag and impact your gas mileage's bottom line — up to 10%, a study found.

But, if you're moving at less than 45 mph, wind resistance shouldn't make a significant difference.
Can you compensate for closed windows with the air conditioning? Consumer Reports found a Honda Accord at 65 mph lost 3 mpg in gas mileage when running the A/C. Since you'll lose out either way, it may be a matter of opinion which luxury to go without.

3. Fill Up Your Tires

A reminder to keep up with routine maintenance carries more weight when it will save you money — and a stop by the air pump will do just that. Keeping your tires filled can improve gas mileage by 3% or more.

4. Drive a Steady (and Modest) Speed

Once you break 60 mph, you're losing fuel efficiency — 10% for every additional 5 mph.
Accelerating and hitting the breaks will eat up fuel as well, so if possible, avoid the road during rush hour or other times when stop-and-go traffic is likely.

5. Don't Buy Pricey Gas

It's been thought that premium gas gives cars better gas mileage, but it's untrue. Save money on gas by purchasing the grade that is recommended for your car — you won't benefit by spending more.
Additionally, avoid the gas station on days when prices are higher. If you’re running on empty, you may not be able to wait, but what if you could predict if gas prices will rise or fall tomorrow?

Fuelcaster™, the latest tech from Esurance, is the industry’s first gas price predictor. Enter your zip code on fuelcaster.com to see if gas prices will rise or fall tomorrow, as well as locate the cheapest fuel in your neighborhood.

Fill up when prices are low and you'll save money in the long run.

Credit to Mashable.com

Great Apps That Will Shorten Your Long Commute

We all know that Traffic Technology is evolving at the speed of light. Also, the moment you drive off the lot you might find out that some insane new technology just came out! For this reason, we’ve compiled the best apps you can download to help you save time on your work commute. It will help you avoid, accidents, traffic, police stops and radars or basically anything that will prevent you from getting home fast.




Garmin Street Pilot 

This expensive software with photo- realistic mapping and right-now prompts, which worked well even when you are cruising through rural areas without a cell signal. That detail and immediacy are the result of maps that live locally on your smartphone, not in the cloud. Another distinguishing feature is Garmin's awesome mass-transit database. The app can route you to the nearest parking garage and it will drop a virtual pin on the map to help you remember your car's location. It even knows the bus schedule and will help you find the nearest Bus/Metro/Ferry stop. Live traffic information is provided by Here and augmented by crowd sourced data.





Waze

Recently purchased by Google we still need to say, it's not Google Maps with added directions. The maps and routings are built by 50 million worldwide users. Traffic data in the U.S. is based entirely on the progress of "wazers" currently driving. These generous volunteers provide information on speed traps, accidents, and other road events, which fellow wazers confirm and update. But Waze needs an internet connection; lose service and most of the info is unavailable. The police and traffic warnings are highly reliable, and points-of-interest searches are augmented by larger databases such as Google, Yelp, and Foursquare. This is basically a game-changer in the Traffic Apps of the world.




Scout

This product comes from mapping- and traffic-service provider Telenav, so they know what they are talking about.In case you don’t know who they are, they are the inventors of In-Car Mapping systems. We like the layers of information that come with directions, such as weather forecasts. Two other features stand out: OnMyWay texts contacts that you're en route, and the Meet Up function lets multiple users see the others' progress in real time. Scout also acts as an event guide, with listings of movie times, concerts, and so on. In-app upgrades include speed traps and speed cameras. Like Waze, Scout's prompts may be a beat slower than those of Garmin's StreetPilot, but, hey—it's free! We also love that you can choose a monster truck as the icon for your car. Basically, this is a very contender! Don’t miss out on it.




Trapster 

Directions and traffic alerts aren't the only ways to improve your commute—apps can also help you steer clear of cops, drive green, or find a charge. For those averse to tickets and fines, Trapster uses voice prompts to flag red-light and speed cameras along with known speed traps. Data is crowd sourced from 20 million users, and accuracy is solid.

Five Ways To Make Your Old Car Feel New

The best thing about your old car is that you've already paid for it. Most of us grow tired of our used cars long before they're used-up cars. But money is tight for just about everyone, so why throw away a car that's running well just because it's feeling worn down, looking beat up and has lost some of its athleticism? Cars built in the last 10 or 15 years can go 200,000 or 300,000 miles if given the right care. And there are some simple ways to spice up your long-term automotive relationship without using up whatever is left on your home equity line of credit. What it takes first is the determination to re-commit.

 

1. Electronics - Even if your car is only a couple of years old, it's almost certainly got an outdated sound system. Trading an old radio head unit for one that integrates with an iPod, iPhone or satellite radio, and includes a Bluetooth connection for a cellphone, will shoot your car or truck into the present. You might also consider an Electronic GPS navigation system.

2. Let it breathe - Aftermarket intake systems and air filters don't work miracles, but they can open up an older engine's inhalation system and kick up output by a few horsepower.

3. Paint - Generally speaking, it's best to use touchup paint sparingly and carefully. However, you can easily remove plastic trim pieces on your car's exterior and repaint them with a spray can. It particularly makes a big difference on black parts that have weathered to a dull gray.

4. Revitalize the A/C - Your car's AC can suffer buildups of mold, mildew and bacteria. To clean out the system, first make sure the air coming into the system isn't first passing through leaves, dust or other accumulated grime in the air passageways. Then change or clean any filters in the system. Finally, use an air-conditioning deodorizer to finish things off.

5. Clear the lenses - Vehicles built during the last couple of decades usually have plastic composite headlamps that weather and dull over time. You can pick up a headlight restoration often for under $30, and they're easy to use. It only takes a few minutes to turn a dull, yellowed headlight clear—which makes your old car look nicer and instantly improves illumination.