Smart Car Gas Mileage
94Smart Car Gas Mileage
Smart Car Gas Mileage
You may have noticed a change at some of your local car dealerships lately. You've seen some funny looking small cars on their lots! Reminiscent of the 70's oil crisis?
These cars get excellent gas mileage at around 40 MPG, and they weigh 700 pounds less than almost any other American car. They're also cheap! At $12,000, almost anyone can afford a new one.
But is it safe?
Actually, they're among the safest cars on the road in the compact category. Now, how safe is the "compact category"? It's always better to be bigger in an accident. If one of these smart cars goes head long into a Hummer, the Hummer's going to win. It's the price you pay for having all that protection. The gas mileage, the insurance, the cost of the vehicle itself, the maintenance, the cost to fix it were it in an accident, etc.
So, are you better off buying a Smart Car over keeping your 1998 V8? Well, it depends on your goals. If it's to try to save the environment, don't forget that making a Smart Car still costs the environment quite a bit in time, energy, and resource consumption. It costs the environment more in resources for you to buy a brand new Smart Car than the amount of gas you'll save by switching. If you're thinking that you'll just buy a used one (since it was already made, you're not impacting the environment), but would you really want a used Smart Car? It's more of a disposable car (which is worse for the environment!)
Improve Your Own Gas Mileage
What are some ways to avoid dropping twelve grand on a car you might not want to be caught dead in? (No pun intended)
Well, start by improving your own gas mileage! Try the following steps to improve your gas mileage:
- Increase your car's tire pressure (up to maximum manufacturer's recommendation)
- Get your alignment checked (and balanced while you're there)
- Don't buy heavily treaded tires (if you needed to change your tires)
- If you do buy new tires, splurge and get the metal valve stems
- Change your air filter
- Get a high performance (reusable/washable) air filter
- Reduce wind resistance (install truck bed "tonneau" covers)
- Reduce weight in your vehicle
- Drive less aggressively
- Use a gas additive
- Change your oil
So, the number one and easiest/cheapest way to increase your gas mileage is to check your air pressure. On the door frame of most vehicles, there's a sticker that tells you the recommended air pressure. Choose the higher number unless you're driving from a cold environment to a much hotter one. A higher pressured tire makes your engine work less. If you're trying to navigate a beach or a muddy road, lose your tire pressure, but if you're trying to navigate a highway, higher tire pressures are the way to go.
Again with the tires, make sure your alignment is properly checked. An improper alignment makes your engine work harder, and ruins your tires! A double-whammy.
The third tire remark (you're probably thinking that using proper tire techniques is important) is the amount of tire tread. Brand new tires have a lot of tread, and this is a good thing for safety. However, unless you're going muddin', don't purposefully get the heavily treaded tires. The bigger the tire, the more this is a factor in your gas mileage. Also, if you've decided you need new tires, pay the extra money for the metal valve stems. I'm not sure why, but I opted for this extra feature, and my tires seem to hold the same pressure from month to month, whereas before, they would slowly deflate over time.
Change your air filter. If your air filter is clogged, the engine needs to use more gas to compensate. Giving your engine lots of air is a big plus.
Use a high performance air filter. A lot of them are washable and last for tens of thousands of miles (before they need cleaning even). The fabric and/or foam that they use for these performance air filters allow more air to pass through them than the paper air filters. And, as previously mentioned, the more air the better for engines.
Your vehicle is probably about as air flow efficient as you're going to get it. After all, car and truck manufacturers spend money putting your car in wind tunnels to see how it'll perform. However, if you've added accessories to your vehicle, or own a truck with a bed, you may consider trying to mitigate the air resistance these items generate. There are bed covers that snap to the bed of your truck that helps the air flow. Don't try to just drop the tail-gate, as this actually makes your gas mileage worse, and is a safety factor (as well as attracting possible tail-gate damage). Believe it or not, the bed of your truck creates its own circular pattern of air that actually makes the truck bed less wind resistant (a good thing). However, a truck bed cover eliminates this problem altogether.
Reduce the weight in your vehicle. If you're carrying tools, water jugs, or anything else that weighs 50 pounds or more, and you don't need them everyday, you might want to consider keeping those things in your garage or shed.
Drive less aggressively. A heavy foot is often the cause of accidents as well as wear and tear on your vehicle and engine. It also consumes an enormous amount of gas! Just ask anyone who has owned a high performance vehicle or truck/SUV owner. If they punch the gas pedal and try to burn rubber, a lot of times they can see the gas guage move before their very eyes!
Slow down! If you drive over 60, you may be using more gas than you need to. The faster a car goes, the more wind resistance it creates. It's actually exponentially more air resistance. You may think that you go more miles in a shorter period of time, and thus use less gas, but it doesn't work like that, only because of the air resistance.
Use a gas additive. There's been a lot of devices and gas additives on the market that "guarantee" better gas mileage, but the truth of the matter is, that they don't do much at all. However, there is a gas additive that has been approved by the EPA for use in vehicles and does indeed increase your gas mileage, but only for bigger engines. The more gas efficient your car is, the less this product will work. I doubt it'll do anything for a Smart Car or Hybrid car, and is not recommended for those applications.
Change your oil. You should be doing this anyways for many different reasons, but, again, the harder your engine has to work to get you wherever you want to go, the more gas it will consume, and dirty gunked up oil doesn't help your engine's efficiency (or its longevity). Also, use the manufacturer's recommended weighted oil. A thicker oil than you need also makes your engine work harder, translating into more gas consumption.
Summary
In summary, there's quite a few things you can do to improve your gas mileage, and most of them are cheap and cost effective, and you should be doing most of them anyways to improve your vehicles lifetime usefulness.
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Comments
Thanks for sharing, and great tips!
I don't know. They're not that ugly. They fit better in a European or Asian setting.
Okay, you're right, I probably wouldn't want to be seen in one either.
Thanks for the info-- very timely. You obviously have some expertise in this area-- and i'm sure a lot opf people will want to hear your reccomendations.
Thank you very much for your comment, Rochelle!
Having seen the Smart car in Switzerland several years ago, I think they are absolutely darling! I would love to own one to bop around town in! lol
We have very many tinny cars in London, including all different versions of Smart. The only reason I would never choose one of them is a road safety. These cars are simply far too dangerous in any possible road accident. Driving knowledge of population is simply too low, amount of drugs, alcohol and other substances people are taking regularly is simply to high to sell my own life too cheap in those little cars. Even through, I've been driving for a very long time, I haven't got a road accident, yet but I have been assisted in many 'nasty' ones. However, I simply don't want even to think to drive a car, which I am not sure in its safety in the event of a road accident.
Someone at work has a Smart Car. It's kind of cute.
Once guys get over the "whose is bigger" attitude about cars I think they'll take off :)
UWriter, this is America, do you think that attitude will ever go away? <grin> Thank you for your comment!
I own a larger vehicle myself, solarshingles. I once backed into something I couldn't see (a smaller post protecting a bigger post. Well, I saw the bigger post!) My insurance company was supposed to cover a rental car while it was being fixed. They gave me $18/day! I asked them if they even had rental cars that cheap.
To make a long story even longer, they did! They put me in a Geo Metro. Now picture a guy that's used to a full-sized truck in a Geo Metro. If I put my feet down, I'd be touching the pavement (which is what I had to do to stop the thing).
Thanks for your comments, solarshingles!
My company's headquarters is in Switzerland. Over time, most of the people I work with have been invited there, but they have never invited me! I think they're scared I would create an International incident. <grin>
Thanks for your comment, In The Dog House!
Great article, jimcrowthers. The price of gas just keeps going up and up and up! (sigh)
All my friends from Switzerland drive Mercedes (not A class, but E, S..), BMW, Saab, Volvo. It is about safety and feeling comfortable. If I don't feel comfortable, I simply don't want to drive. However, I need to admit that they all drive TDi or similar versions of engine, because the consumption of patrol (diesel) is much, much lover and it pays off and it is environmentally much more friendly.
I just want to say it, if you don't mind, solarshingles...Turbo Charged Direct Injection systems...
Thanks for the comment, Andy Xei! Yes, I don't see it coming down any time soon.
Jim,
The appeal of the smart car is the look and the convenience of getting into small places, similar to the Mini Cooper or even a golf cart. I understand safety issues are paramount too, but I like living dangerously. lol (I used to drive a convertible Corvette, even though it was bright yellow, nobody ever saw me on the freeway when they were changing lanes. I guess I was always lost in their blind spot.) Sometimes just driving defensively can help....Now on the other hand, my husband travels the freeway everyday for a great distance, I would NEVER want him in the Smart car! (Although his life insurance is higher than mine....lol J/K) I would be worried everyday...He drives a full size truck (diesel, yeah, like that was smart huh? Diesel is more than gas right now!), so he is definately safe as he is much "higher" (it is lifted) than the other cars on the road...in fact he might be able to drive OVER the Smart car and not hurt it. lol J/K
As I remember from riding in one, they are actually quite roomy inside aren't they? Also, don't they have parts that are fairly easily changable if you have a little fender bender...alieviating high repair bills... There are definately some advantages to the car.
Enough rambling...the car is HOT, what more can I say! lol
Hah! Okay, I give in. You win, In The Doghouse!
Bright Yellow Convertible Corvette, huh? Hmmm. <grin>
Great article!!!
Great article! We've had Smart cars here in Greece for years and they're really cool for running around town. Aside from the milage, they're easy to park, LOL.
Great article, and great tips! I saw a MythBuster's explaination of lowering your truck bed to try to save gas. They said it was better to leave the tail gate up.
Great article, are they comfortable?
this is great, your article tells much about saving gas. here in Philippines transport strike is always an event because of oil prize hike. if only our people will think and be informed in saving gas it will lessen the problem.also i noticed that most of us owns second hand vehicles which is not properly maintained and the consumption of the gas is higher than the new ones. if only proper vehicle maintainance is paracticed maybe it will help a lot.
very nice....I am about $.25 per gallon away from leaving my Expedition on the highway with a "take me, beat me, burn me" sign on top.
Just spotted one of these in a cool yellow color over the weekend. They parked beside my VA Beetle and wow - -I'd thought my Beetle was small! Cool cars :)
air pressure going up today! thanks for the gas savings tips.
I'd love to visit Greece, Big Mike. Aside from reading a lot about it, sounds like a great place to visit.
I haven't test driven one yet, air suspensions. Gotta drive by their lot soon and see for myself!
You're right, chickenstar, I'm guilty of not keeping my truck maintained, and sometimes lapse on checking the air pressure (but I pay for it at the gas station).
Hah! funnebone, we're trying to convince management to let the office workers work 4-day weeks or work from home occasionally, but they don't seem to be too receptive.
esocial, I didn't notice any brightly colored ones at the dealership, but will drive by and look again (not that I want a bright yellow Smart car). <grin>
Paul, I kept having a tire that was running consistently low (but not so low that it was noticable). A colleague pointed out a nail or something in it, so that's what I did this weekend, and took my tire off and pulled a screw out of it. I then plugged it, and put it back on. It now seems to maintain pressure pretty good. I definitely recommend you just let a tire shop patch it for you. What a bit of work that was on a truck! Of course, I kept doing it in shifts. Loosen the lugs, take a break, jack it up, take a break, take the lugs off, take a break...you get the picture. <grin>
Thank you everyone for all your comments!
I'm going to add metal valve stems as a way to keep air pressure in for those who have already read this hub...
I think I'll have mine painted in "Cow Milk" colors.
Thanks for the tips on saving gas. Interesting about the tread. I guess that makes sense that muddin' tires don't make for fuel efficient street driving.
Great post!
LOL those little cars are awesome! great hub...ty for the info
Thanks, dirverslicense! Let me know if you've test driven one. I'd like to hear your experiences with it.
Thanks for the comment!
Good advice, thanks for sharing.
Great hub regards Zsuzsy
I've been working on trying to find a sound energy (and enviromental) strategy for this country, and I hope it won't require many sacrifices, while still being more energy independent and increasing our national security.
Thanks a lot for your comment, Zsuzsy Bee!
I see a lot of Smart cars rolling around Bellingham and Vancouver, BC. I just wonder what happens if they get kicked off the freeway by an 18 wheeler.
Good info. I agree, smart cars aren't smart at all. 40 mpg to drive a casket!
I know I'm playing both sides of the fence, but Smart Cars are built to be safe. However, there's only so much metal that surrounds you. Smart Cars actually sacrifice gas mileage to be safer. These are the types of decisions you must make yourself.
Thanks for the comments, Bueller's Way and RyanRE!!
BTW, the local gas mart wouldn't let me fill up my tank with one go, as the pump stopped at $75, so, my gas tank was short a few gallons. After filling up my tires (I had a hole in one of them that I patched up a weekend or so ago), and driving a lot less aggressively (coming off a red light with barely pushing on the pedal), I'm now getting some incredible gas mileage. I don't think I've seen this kind of gas mileage except maybe when I'm driving down the highway. I'm getting almost 400+ miles off of 22.5 gallons (almost 18 MPG, whereas I'm used to 16 MPG). I'll let you know when I finally have to fill up again what the final verdict is.
I think I saw some of those cars on the road locally.
Great article. And for what it's worth, metal valve stems are better because they are mounted from the inside. They have double seals, one in and one out, and are locked down with a nut on the outside. Rubber valve stems are simply stems with a bulbous bottom. The bulbed portion has a groove or indented mid-section, rather like a figure-8. To install them the tire tech just pulls them through the hole until the top portion of the bulb squeezes through the hole in the wheel/rim. While this is a pretty decent seal, it's not as good as the seal set up of the metal valve stems.
Also, your readers should not be fooled by rubber stems with metal sleeves on the upper stem. They LOOK metal, but they still have the rubber bulb type seal. If you don't see the washer/nut set up tightend on the metal threads, it's not a "metal valve stem."
I may have missed something, but what is the name of the gas additive?
Thank you very much for the comment and information, Shadesbreath! I thought it was the new tires I bought (new as in three years ago), but I've always had to fill the tires when I had the rubber valve stems. With the metal stems, they pretty much stayed the same from month to month.
Banadux, I have not tested the gas additive yet, so I can not yet recommend it. I'm waiting to do tests first, then I will provide a link to it. I'd hate to advocate something without testing it myself! Thanks for the comment!
Banadux, there are lots of gas additives ranging in quality from garbage to way-more-than-you-need. There are some really good commercial quality ones, like BG's 44k or Wynn's Powercharge, that you can get from your local garage (assuming they don't buy the cheaper ones) or you can just buy some Techron at your local Chevron filling station. Keeping your fuel system clean is the main point anyway.
Most of the cheapie stuff you get from parts stores is junk and formulated for the least amount of risk, meaning, the manufacturer doesn't want to take a chance that your system is old and neglected. Putting good chemicals in abused systems might mean liability, so, over the counter stuff is almost always crap--no matter what the lable says.
I have not seen any on the road yet, mikeking. I think I'm going to try to concentrate on trying to improve my truck gas mileage before I seriously think about investing in a smaller car. You might only save $500/year (maybe a little more), which, for the safety factor, IMHO, isn't really worth it yet. That's about how much you'll lose in the market value for the car anyways!
Thanks for the comment, mikeking! Let us know if you've had a confirmed sighting! {grin}
Great page! ty for the info
Thanks, carauctionsonline!
If anyone's following, I said I'd get back with my gas mileage by following some of these tips myself. Remember, I checked the tire pressure (the one with the screw embedded, then plugged, needed around 15 extra PSI), and started driving much less aggressively. I just filled up tonight, and they took all of my money, at $3.85/gallon at 25 gallons, it cost me around $94! But, the good news is, I went 424 miles on 22.5 gallons of gas. That's almost 19 MPG; with city driving and a full sized (Toyota Tundra) truck! (Remember, the one that can "haul" things).
To add to the list of ways to improve your gas mileage - work from home. I'm sure glad I'm not doing the 3 hour commute twice a week anymore.
I saw my first Smart car in Brussels (well actually quite a few of them) 5 years ago. They are cute. I have a picture of one pulled up next to a table in Grand Square (is that what it's called?) Just like a bicycle.
I've been driving my '96 VW Golf since I bought it new in '96 and it's a small car, but I never felt unsafe on the highway. I wouldn't hesitate to drive a Smart car around town but I wonder how safe I'd feel on the highway with all the gigundo SUVs and trucks speeding by.
That's a great suggestion, lavenderstreak! I think most of the gigundo SUVs and trucks have scaled back on their speed and aggressiveness because of the gas that behavior consumes. Hey, maybe road-rage incidents will be cut down significantly due to this "gas crisis".
Thanks for your comment!
I have seen these SmartCars around. Plus, in 2 weeks, I have watched the gas prices at one local pump rise from $3.98 to $4.29!! 2 weeks! We really need to change our perceptions of how we get around, when we drive, how fast and more. I wish I could dump my old car and get one of these. My kids and I (and groceries) would not all fit though! Great for commuting.
Not that I drive as much now because I work from home, but one important tip I heard about is to fuel up in the morning or late at night when its cool because gas expands in higher temperatures and you pay by volume. And another tip is to try and fill up on Wed. before they raise prices for the weekend.
New Day, yeah, the car is just too small for families. Thanks for the comment!
1travelpro, thanks for the tips! It's great that you can work from home and avoid these gas prices. Who knew they'd get this high?
Hey fantastic hub full of useful and insightful information thx... i to work from home and don't have the problem of high gas prices.
Very Good Article. Keep it up. cheers
We all need smart cars with the price of gasing going insanely high.
Thanks for sharing man.
It was so windy today, my Smart Car belw away
Several years ago a former neighbor, usually frugal, imported a Mini Cooper, which naturally wasn't the cheap way to go. His was the only one in town at the time. After several months and several near-accidents due to other drivers gawking instead of minding their driving, he sold it for much less than he paid for it. HUGE mistake. Now there are several dozen in town, and nobody pays any attention to them. They seat 4 adults comfortably, according to a friend whose son bought one.
As for Smart Cars, they ARE cute and can park where other cars can't. I might get one for around-town. Probably wouldn't use it for road trips, tho.
But no flavor of 4-wheeler is going to survive a highway accident with an 18-wheeler. The best defense is give them and yourself plenty of room, or as a trucker friend says: 'Give everybody a place to go'.
Great article! And according to this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_EV there's even an electric version (coming soon). I bet that would save on gas :)
I would think parking alone would be worth the funny looks and blank stares :)
Those smart cars are pretty neat, and I am surprised they are so safe. Thanks for the post!
Great hub
Smart Cars are very cute, but I'd worry about being in an accident in one - you'd have no chance.
They don't seem comfortable. Looks like you would have to drive with your knees to your chest.
Thank you for the comments!
I saw one of these vehicles begin to pull out of a parking lot onto a busy street, and guess who was coming right at them in a full-sized truck going all the speed limit had to offer? Me! It scared the crap out of me, because if he really did pull out in front of me, I guarantee my truck would have some bumper damage, but his body would have some serious internal damage! (Swapping his Wendy's burger with a steel sandwich). If everyone were driving around in Smart Cars, safety wouldn't be a worry, but reality dictates a different story.
Niche Content, I agree. Riding back from lunch, I saw a guy driving a Smart Car, and he was either too tall for it, or the car was too small for him. I made fun of my co-worker, who was driving a souped-up 'stang, when the guy in the Smart Car beat 'im to the red light.
I'm seeing more and more of these vehicles on the road. I would MUCH rather see these on the road than more Hummers. I can't help but to feel a bit of anger towards people driving Hummers. I feel sorry (or is it "empathy"?) for people who drive Smart Cars, though. <grin>
Something that irked me recently was a couple of guys from work recently went just outside of town, and got some great deals on some V8 full-sized trucks. They told me they get better gas mileage than my 6 cylinder! How is that possible? It was weird to pull into the parking lot and see two brand new trucks in it, especially in a time a inflated oil prices. The price of oil/gas has come way down since then (only a few weeks ago), so they will probably be called geniuses!
This car should be getting 70 mpg or get lost. Comes up way short. Too little and ugly. when it gets at least 65 mpg I would consider. I could then deal with people making fun of me driving that golf cart with bad mpg.
it's look too small for me.but thanks for sharing
I would buy it for $3000, but not 12
Those are some sound economizing tips, there's a large collection of conservative driving tips collectively called HyperMiling that can save more gas http://ecomodder.com/forum/EM-hypermiling-driving-
Some hot rod types have put high performance motorcycle engines into Smart Cars, turning them into screaming deamons, with marginal gas mileage.
Also, don't forget car pooling. If you only drive every other day, that helps the environment and your gas mileage as well.
Vintage cars are the cars that are dreamed by the entire world and are sharing the highest popularity after the Limousine cars. They are the master pieces of creation of older times.
Other Better Gas Mileage Tips
- How To Get Better Gas Mileage for Your Vehicle
Gives tips on best pratices for achieving better gas mileage.
John R. Fitch says:
2 years ago
Great article! I've seen those ugly looking cars out on the dealer's parking lots.