Fuelly Tip

Accelerate a bit...sometimes

Though some people will tell you never to accelerate quickly, sometimes it's better to have a bit of a lead foot. Seriously. There are two main reasons for this.

First: your engine likely operates at a higher efficiency (i.e. burns more fuel that would otherwise be wasted by your catalytic converter and just go out your exhaust) at around 80% acceleration.

Second: Your car gets better MPG at higher speeds up to about 55-65 mph depending on your car. So as long as there aren't too many red lights ahead of you, it's best to get your car to the maximum legal speed as soon as possible.
by jjmatt33 on August 08 2008