13 Ways to Save on Gas and Improve Mileage

1. Stay within posted speed limits. The faster you drive, the more fuel you use.

2. Use overdrive gears. Overdrive gears improve the fuel economy of your car during highway driving.

3. Use cruise control. Using cruise control on highway trips can help you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, reduce your fuel consumption.

4. Anticipate driving situations. If you anticipate traffic conditions and don't tailgate, you can avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration, and improve your fuel economy by 5 to 10 percent.

5. Avoid unnecessary idling. Turn off the engine if you anticipate a lengthy wait. No matter how efficient your car is, unnecessary idling wastes fuel, costs you money and pollutes the air.

6. Combine errands. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.

7. Remove excess weight from the trunk. Avoid carrying unneeded items, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk reduces a typical car's fuel economy by one to two percent.

8. Keep your engine tuned. Studies have shown that a poorly tuned engine can increase fuel consumption by as much as 10 to 20 percent depending on a car's condition.

9. Keep your tires properly inflated and aligned. Underinflated tires cause fuel consumption to increase by six percent.

10. Change your oil. Clean oil reduces wear caused by friction between moving parts and removes harmful substances from the engine.

11. Check & replace air filters regularly. Your car's air filter keeps impurities in the air from damaging internal engine components. Clogged filters can cause up to a 10% increase in fuel consumption.

12. Buy only the octane level gas you need. Remember, the higher the octane, the higher the price. Check your owner's manual to determine the right octane level for your car.

13. Own a fuel efficient vehicle. The difference between a car that gets 20 MPG and one that gets 30 MPG amounts to $1,500 over 5 years.

14. Get a good Gas Card. You can get from 10% to 5% cash back from your gas card i.e. atleast saving 15 cents per gallons. (This is added by me :-) )

source : http://www.pumpandsave.com/

Judge Sa'ab I'm not Guilty!!!

Here goes my experience with US municipal court for driving offences. I had already pleaded not guilty for the offence I did. I had to do it because if you plead guilty you would just end up paying the fine and won't get a chance to defend yourself in front of the judge. I was very confused about the preparation I need to do before going to the court. Few of my friends even suggested to hire a lawyer but I was very hesitant to do the same and after reading few forums I was sure I don't need them.

As soon as I entered the court I saw quite a few offenders over there and I felt good to know that I was not the only one to be caught. We were directed to talk to prosecutor before talking to the judge. As per my offence I was supposed to get 4 points and a fine of around $110 but the prosecutor offered me a fine of $430 and convert my offense to a zero point offence i.e. I was just driving couple of miles per hour more than speed limit posted. Even though I was losing a bit of money I was more than happy to accept the offer else I would have paid atleast double the amount in a year to my insurance company and that too for next 3 years. Also I saved money by not hiring a lawyer ;-).

My piece of advice to everyone whoever gets a traffic ticket do take court's appointment by pleading not guilty and court is always ready to work out a deal with you!

Where was Shashank?

After a break of 74 days am back into blogging. A lots of things happened in these 74 days and I have tons to write about. So I would start writing in chronological order of time!