Kip Tips

6 Gas-Saving Myths That Simply Don't Work

[Editor's note: Our regular KipTips columnist Cameron Huddleston is taking a deserved vacation, but has solicited the help of her favorite personal-finance bloggers to guide KipTip readers in her absence.]

Gas for $4 per gallon is now a stark reality. And to make matters worse, some experts predict gas prices rising to $5 by the time summer rolls around. [See Kiplinger's own economic outlook for energy prices.]

Personally, I despise having to pay a lot for gasoline. I could go on forever about what should be done to lower gas prices, but that is another topic entirely. My focus in this article is what you should not do to try to save money on gas. There are a lot of real ways to save money at the pump, but the following six ideas will not help you at all.

1. Use engine additives. One trip down the aisle of an auto parts store will show you that there's an additive for just about everything you put in your car. The products promise increased fuel efficiency, longer lasting oil, and the list goes on. Don’t waste your money on any of them, especially the ones designed to give you better gas mileage. Look at it this way: If something existed that would allow oil companies to add something to their gas to improve mileage, wouldn't they be trying to sell it to you at the pump? If the oil companies haven't found a way, chances are that you won't either.

2. Keep your engine running. A common falsehood is that continually stopping and starting your car’s engine uses additional gasoline. This just isn't true. When you're not going anywhere, turn your car off. Most fuel-injected cars manufactured today don't waste gas when do you this. So the next time you’re waiting for a friend outside a convenience store, cut off that engine. It's better for the environment, too.

3. Turn off the AC. Because this idea reduces your home utility bills, it should also work for your car, right? Wrong. Running the air conditioning in your automobile uses a very small amount of additional gasoline. And if it's a hot day and you're keeping the air off, then I bet you have the windows rolled down. If so, this actually decreases fuel efficiency. Today's modern vehicles are built so aerodynamically that they are most efficient when they're sealed up. Driving with the windows down creates more drag and thus uses more gas. Keep the AC on and stay comfortable.

[Editor's note: Kiplinger.com channel editor David Muhlbaum, author of our popular Cars That Refuse to Die slide show and the valuable How to Save on Car Maintenance quiz, notes that the A/C-vs.-windows-down debate remains, ahem, "hotly debated."]

4. Use premium fuel. It is shocking to me that gas stations even offer premium fuel. I didn't think anybody used it anymore, but apparently I was wrong.

Believing that premium fuel will improve your gas mileage is completely off-base. The gas isn't any better; it just has a higher octane content, which has nothing to do with fuel efficiency. Now, don't get me wrong -- if your owner’s manual specifically calls for the use of premium fuel, then I would definitely investigate further. But in most cases, you should be fine with regular old regular.

5. Change the air filter. Changing your air filter is an important piece of your car's overall maintenance, but unfortunately it will not help you out too much at the pump. Research has shown that a clogged air filter does not necessarily reduce your fuel economy. Keep in mind, however, that changing your air filter is something that you can easily do on your own as part of DIY car maintenance.

6. Increase tire pressure. There is also the notion out there that by increasing your tire pressure above and beyond the recommended levels, you can improve your gas mileage. This is an absolute myth -- and actually, a dangerous idea. Excessively upping your tire pressure reduces your tires' grip on the road, increasing your chances of getting into a car accident. On the other hand, driving on under-inflated tires can reduce your fuel economy by 3.75%. So make sure that your tires are inflated to the levels specified in your owner's manual, but not any higher.

In closing, there are plenty of ways you can save on gas in your everyday life, but the ideas I listed above should not be among them. The basic premise behind saving gas is simply to drive less, which means walking or biking when you can, not going out if you don't have to, or consolidating your trips. For example, I try to arrange my schedule so that I run all my weekly errands in one outing. Give it a try.

Do you know of any other supposed gas-saving tips that actually don't work? Leave a comment.

David Bakke is a contributor for the Money Crashers personal finance blog, where he discusses financial topics like money management, getting out of debt, saving money, and utilizing technology.

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