I used to think this way about my Jetta and now that I have learned how to achieve great FE, it will be difficult to replace. -There was a day when I couldn't get over 450 miles on a tank to save my life. Now I'm bummed out to not hit 525 and once I get my Green Diesel tune on the car, I fully expect to regularly hit 600 miles per tank. Once you really start paying attention to how you drive, you will begin to achieve better fuel economy. There really is an art to it.
-Limit your idling. Don't start your car until your seat belt is on and your things are situated in the car. I usually put it in gear about 30 seconds after I start the car.
-Plan your route and stops. For me, there are 3 ways for me to go to work. Once I changed my route a little, I saw an increase in mpg because of the other things that also fell into place.
-Look far ahead and anticipate. If you drive the same route to work, you will learn patterns. You will learn if you go x speed, you can hit the lights, or you will know that a red light will be coming up. Coast to the red light.
-Be 'that guy' who drives the speed limit and stay in the right lane so people can go around you. If you are coasting to a stoplight, let others go around you. Be ready for the dreaded stare at the red light, because you will likely see the person who flew around you at the stoplight sitting next to you.
-Unless you have a lot of downhills, the cruise control is your friend. Use it all of the time and learn how to play with it.
-Use drafts, let the car in front of you move the air.
-Keep your car in great shape. Some people will use the max psi on the sidewall of the tire, I just use the factory recommended PSI as indicated by the door placard. I also use 6-8oz of Power Service additive every other fuel up. Little air dams and such that tend to begin to sag need to be zip tied or screwed back up. Also, if it doesn't belong in your car, don't keep it in your car. Weight is key here and it all adds up.
-Use the meters in your car. The real time MPG and the average MPG I have found to be fairly accurate. I keep my display set to average MPG and try to get it as high as possible on every trip. I also reset my trip odometer at every fill up so I can watch my miles climb.
These things might not mean much, but they all add up and will cost you nothing to do. If you really pay attention to your driving, your MPG will increase and achieving better fuel economy will soon become a game. Also, keep track of your fuel economy on paper, fuelly, or an excel spreadsheet.
