Author: Stephanie A. Mayberry
When it comes to costs on the road, fuel actually comes in around fourth place after lodging, food, payment for the vehicle, and vehicle maintenance. When you are in an RV, your lodging costs are not an issue since your vehicle is your lodging. In fact, you can avoid a lot of travel costs like hotel rates and airfare which tend to rise as fuel costs increase. In the long run, RVing actually cuts your travel costs considerably, so let’s take a look at some ways to further decrease your travel costs, particularly when it comes to fuel.
A heavier rig decreases your fuel efficiency. Don’t top off your fresh water tanks or purchase other camping supplies until you get to the campground. Anywhere you can find to lighten the load a little will help you save on fuel costs.
Make sure your RV is properly maintained. This means keeping it tuned up and the RV tires inflated properly.
Cleaning your air filter can boost your fuel economy by as much as 10 percent. Properly inflated tires will give you around a 3 percent boost.
Don’t take your rig out for local jaunts. If you can’t bring a RV tow car with you, bring along some bikes for sightseeing or exploring the area.
When you are on the road use only the dash AC and only when it is absolutely necessary will save you a lot on fuel.
Using overdrive when possible decreases your engine speed which, in turn, saves fuel.
Slow down. You pay an additional 10 cents per gallon for every 5 miles per hour that you exceed 60 mph. This means that is you are cruising the interstate at 75 mph you are paying an extra 30 cents per gallon.
Cruise control helps because it keeps your speed steady, but don’t exceed the 60 mph or you’ll negate the strategy. Rapid acceleration and speeding cuts your fuel economy as much as 33 percent.
Avoid idling for a long time. If you are going to sit for more than five minutes or so, turn off your engine.
Watch your emissions. A bad oxygen sensor or poor emissions can hit your fuel economy to the tune of about a 40 percent reduction.
If you have credit cards, look for ones that offer rewards. Many credit card companies offer cash back for fuel purchases. Certain fuel cards offer discounts on fuel purchases.
Install the GasBuddy app. It will tell you where the cheapest fuel is in your area.
There are a lot of gas companies or stores that have rewards programs; many are national companies. Check out gas stations in your area to see what is available.
Know how many miles you get to the gallon. The way you can see how much your fuel saving efforts are saving you.
Fill your fuel tank
Record the odometer reading
Fill your fuel tank again the next time you stop
Divide the miles traveled between your fill up by how many gallons of gas you purchased at your second stop
This will give you how many miles you get to the gallon.
You can’t control how much you will pay at the pump, but you can take some fuel saving measures to get the most out of the fuel you put in your tank.
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