Gas will likely reach $4/gallon during the spring despite HIGH supply levels.

I hope this thread will remain on going in order to help people reduce their reliance upon oil. Reduction is the only way to alleviate some of the cost pain until a new source is provided or the newer hybrids (Chevy Volt) start selling. The ONLY solution to seeing lower prices is for Americans to reduce their energy consumption in the short term. I can afford $4/gallon gas but most cannot and that is why even I am looking for way to reduce my dependence.

Please post your tips for reducing gas and energy usage.

$4/gallon prediction
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i5Tt ... AD8V1F8QG1

OPEC to cut supply in order to sustain current price levels for oil
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/art ... 264642.htm

14 year gas supply high leads some to believe oil prices will lower
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5i5Tt ... AD8UVU4I00

a used diesel and a wvo conversion kit.

1) Check gasbuddy.com - This will not help you reduce fuel but it can save you up to 20 cents per gallon if you plan your next gas purchase.

2) Switch your high used incandescent light bulbs to compact florescent bulbs or even LEDs

3) Replace your dirty furnace filter!

4) Plan your errand routes! Combine four or five errands that you must run in one trip instead of making single errand runs.

5) If you drive long distances then negotiate a work schedule that will allow you travel before or after rush hour traffic.

6) If you own two vehicles then use the vehicle that has better gas mileage to travel longer distances.

1. Quit driving like an idiot. I STILL see giant trucks peeling out. What is up with that?

2. Increase your tire pressure. The only negative is a firmer ride. You will enjoy better handling AND fuel economy. I put mine solidly b/t the door jam recommendation and the tire sidewall max. (note: I am not getting into an internet argument on if this is safe or not. Search the web for the previous million arguments on the subject and you will find that it is safe under normal driving conitions.)

There are a ton of other tips, but those are two quick and easy ones.

Ian

Not an option for everyone, but if you can work at home even one day a week instead of commuting it can help.

I work at home fulltime, and a tank of gas usually lasts me at a month or more. But that's also because I live in a city with good public transportation; I only use the car in town when I need to buy something that's too large to lug around on the bus or Metro, or when I'm in a big hurry to run local errands. For going downtown, public transportation here is actually faster than driving, as you don't have to deal with traffic or parking.

Another option that's becoming interesting is telework centers, sort of a halfway compromise between working at home and working in an office. You pay a modest monthly fee for desk space in a telework center that's close to your home. Again, this doesn't work for people who really need to be onsite, but many jobs can be done remotely now. I work as a writer and editor for a consulting firm and have gone as long as three years without setting foot in the home office (although I like to go at least once a year to remind people that I exist).

Scooters! 100 MPG! Fun Times!

Weeeeee

I considered this option myself as I worked nearly 2 miles from my house. I left the job though and now work 22 miles from my house.

I would recommend a scooter for those that work 4-5 miles from your house. Why buy a large vehicle when a small one can get you there just as quick?

I agree with the above poster to drive the speed limit and don't tailgate as both will save you gas.

Anyone have additional tips? I am always looking for different suggestions to reduce my oil usage.

Suck it up and pay for it.

I HAVE to be at work in person and have zero flexibility in the hours I work. The train would add 1.5 hours to my day and actually not save me any money. Sure it would be great to pay less but $4 a gallon is still cheap compared to many other countries.

Commute by bike. If it is less than 10 miles each way it should be a pretty reasonable ride.

1) Check gasbuddy.com - This will not help you reduce fuel but it can save you up to 20 cents per gallon if you plan your next gas purchase.

Speaking of... what is the deal with ARCO? They are typcially .20 cheaper than other places. The only real downside is they only take cash. Also, their signs say "EC unleaded" and I have no idea what the "EC" is all about, so I'm a little nervous about that....

OUCH these gas prices hurt.

I know this may seem basic but driving style is the most important consideration. It is probably not viable for most people to buy another vehicle (even a scooter).

I will offer a few things.

1. Driving style - accelerate slowly VERY slowly. The slower you accelerate the better off your car is. Also plan your braking so that you don't accelerate when you don't have too. Try and drive smoothly. If you have to downshift to pass you pushed down too hard on the accelerator...
2. A/C versus sunroof and windows down. This will be more important later but at speeds OVER 50mph windows cause more resistence then the drag of A/C.
3. Tune/up and Tire Pressure - Run your tires at 32 (or the max for your tire) you will get less drag. Change the Air filter (8 bucks) and spark plugs if over 50K you will see gains.
4. Use regular if possible. Higher grades do not "help" your engine nor keep it any cleaner.... Even if your car "requires" top octane I believe it MUST still operate properly on lower octane fuel. I believe the computers in today's cars will back the timing off to allow no damage to occur. That is my understanding but feel free to double check me. At these prices I would think that getting regular and paying 1 dollar for octane booster if your car required it would be better anyway....
5. WASH and WAX your car. Believe it or not a dirty car is less fuel efficient, stream lined, etc. Plus a clean car WILL get better service.
6. In cold weather do not let your car "warm" up for minutes in the morning. 60 seconds is really all that is required. And letting the car idle for prolonged periods of time is not an efficient way to warm your car up anyway.
7. Use cruise control when possible.
8. Cut the car off when possible. I believe that a wait of more then 1 minute means less wear and tear and more fuel efficiency on a modern engine then idling.
9. Car Pool - this doesn't just apply to work...going out too...

These are the automotive tips... things like light bulbs, putting on a sweater, or programable thermostats, etc are possible but not as relevant for this discussion.

Don't do that! I was talking to my wife on the phone and $4/gallon won't kill us as we own only one car and fill up once a week. However, the markup on everyday items (OJ, Milk, Bread, Meat, Coffee, Creamer) that will kill my budget.

Dozens (thousand and millions) of people who don't believe they can make a difference and thus foolishly use energy means that EVERYONE has to pay higher gas and product prices.

Lets keep the suggestions coming! Some of them may not be ideal for most people but if everyone is able to implement a few changes to reduce energy consumption then as a whole it will add up to millions of barrels of oil saved.

well... not exactly. there is a certain torque band where engines are more efficient at producing acceleration. it is not at low rpm. it's more in the middle range.

just accelerate reasonably. don't drive like a grandma and hold up traffic behind you, causing *everyone* to idle their engines longer and actually waste *more* gas waiting for your slow behind. don't drive like a nascar wannabe either. get up to speed reasonably and coast when you can.

First of all you need to realize that while oil and gasoline are related the two commodities do not move in parallel. This has been evidenced the the past few years when we had $80 oil and $2 gasoline in 2006 and then $60 oil and $3 gasoline in 2007. The two rely on completely different infrastructures and are susceptible to different pressures causing separate market speculation.

The bigger markup on you everyday items comes from using less oil not more. All the corn, soy, etc to produce ethanol, bio-deisel and other alternative fuels is coming out of the food supply. This is driving up the cost of almost all food products. Its much more expensive to buy feed for chickens and cattle so meat and poultry increase. Almost everything has some corn, soy, or wheat in it so this causes breads, cereals, and almost any sweetened product to go up in cost.

Sure save some oil, save some energy.....just do it for yourself, not some misplaced view of bringing product costs down.

??? This post defies the principles of supply and demand.

Regardless, additional ideas?