AAA Shares 5 Ways NJ Drivers Can Save On Gas Amid Pump Price Increase

NEW JERSEY — The price of gasoline for New Jersey residents appears to have dropped a bit — albeit slightly — from an average of about $4.33 a gallon last week to $4.29 a gallon this week, according to the latest AAA report.

AAA has attributed the reduction to the falling price of oil, which is currently about $110 a barrel, down from the $123 the same quantity cost shortly after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"If this trend holds, it may remove some of the extreme upward price pressure consumers have found at the pump, but not all," AAA said in a statement.

But it's still unlikely that New Jerseyans will see the approximately $2.94 a gallon they were paying one year ago anytime soon. $4.29 is well past the “tipping point” of $4 a gallon that most drivers AAA surveyed said they would be willing to pay before they started rethinking how much time they spend behind the wheel.

Therefore, Patch asked Robert Sinclair, Jr., AAA Northeast's senior manager for public affairs, to share ways that drivers of most cars, SUVs and small trucks can get the most out of their gasoline budget.

Slow Down

An ideal speed limit for most cars, SUVs and small trucks is between 50 and 55 mph, even if a highway sign indicates it is legally acceptable to go faster, according to Sinclair.

“Most vehicles that travel faster than that require more energy on the part of the engine to overcome the increased wind resistance at higher speeds,” he said.

Sinclair also advised drivers to gently reach these maximum speed limits and to emerge slowly from stop signs and red traffic lights.

“We used to say in the 1950s in the 1960s, step on the gas like you've got an egg between your foot and the gas,” he said. “That will monitor your driving style.”

Check Tires Regularly

About 30% of the energy that most cars, SUVs or small trucks use comes from the work that the tires do. Therefore, tires vehicles that are at their recommended pressure level will lead to greater fuel efficiency for the car, according to Sinclair.

As simple as a recommendation as it might seem to follow, many drivers do not follow it, he said.

“A lot of us are driving around under-inflated tires,” Sinclair noted. “That increases the rolling resistance, so the engine has to work harder and thus the vehicle gets poor fuel economy.”

When ascertaining a tire’s proper inflation level is, drivers of most cars, SUVs and small trucks should look at the sticker inside the driver’s side door jam, he said, adding “it’s a huge mistake to look at the information on the side of the tire” since matching tire pressure to this latter amount increases the risk for tire blowouts.

Tire pressures should be checked at least once a month to ensure it matches the sticker on the inside of the driver side door jam’s recommendation and more frequently during cold weather spells, Sinclair said.

Keep Vehicle Windows Up

Drivers of most cars, SUVs or small trucks will likely get better gas mileage when they keep their vehicle’s windows completely up, according to Sinclair.

Admittedly, this was not always the case, and thus, some drivers of these vehicles may not realize that the design of cars has changed, he said.

“Air conditioning used to have a compressor that was operated by a belt that was attached to the engine and so when the air conditioning was turned on, that compressor came on and created an extra drag on that belt and the engine,” Sinclair explained.

Most vehicle manufacturers now encourage drivers to put the air conditioning on, put it in circulation mode and keep their windows up, since doing so will increase the vehicle’s aerodynamic capabilities, he said.

Run All Errands In One Trip

Drivers of most cars, SUVs and small trucks can also increase their vehicle’s fuel efficiency by completing their errands in one trip or perhaps doing them on the way home from work, according to Sinclair.

By doing errands this way, drivers will not be starting a new trip every time they need to get something from the store or to run another errand, he said.

“Let’s say you go to work, you come home, then in the morning you head to the supermarket,” Sinclair said.

Economically, and especially if the supermarket is on a driver’s way home, it makes more financial sense to “stop in and get your groceries on the way home from work rather than making a whole new trip on another day,” he said.

Lighten The Vehicle’s Load

Drivers of most cars, SUVs and light trucks should travel with as few passengers as possible, Sinclair advised.

“Putting two or three 200 pounders in your vehicle is great for your passengers because they are not using their vehicles at all,” he said. “But the owner of the vehicle is working against his or her fuel economy.”

---

I live in Pennsauken and want to know what matters to other South Jerseyans. Email me your story ideas at janel.miller@patch.com. Get Patch local and statewide news alerts sent right to your phone by downloading our new app.