There's nothing like gasoline prices at well over $1 a litre to get people thinking about ways to save money at the pumps. Motorists hate it when gas prices rise and many refuse to believe that it's simply supply and demand at work.

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Gas saving tips

It's almost a national sport — monitoring changes in the price of gas, hoping to time that fill-up to take advantage of the lowest available price. Most Canadians will drive an extra few blocks just to save a few tenths-of-a-cent per litre of gas.

If you pumped 40 litres into your car's gas tank every week, a savings of half a cent a litre would net you enough to buy a large coffee — in about two months.

Hurricane Katrina sent gasoline prices soaring to an average of $1.265 per litre in September 2005, shattering previous price records for the fuel. Almost a year after the storm, prices remained stuck at more than $1 a litre on average across the country, ranging from a low of 86.2 cents a litre in parts of southern Ontario to a high of $1.301 in Labrador City.

A milder-than-normal winter of 2006-07 sent the price of crude oil back below $60 a barrel. Gasoline prices followed the downward trend, at times dipping below 70 cents a litre in some markets.

But that was short-lived as the price of oil resumed its upward path for much of 2007. By Jan. 2, 2008, a barrel of oil fetched $100 for the first time. And gas prices kept rising. On Apr. 14, a litre of regular unleaded gas sold for an average of $1.185 across the country — the second-highest level ever.

Drivers will dutifully consult websites devoted to finding the lowest prices in their area and will then drive kilometres out of their way to join the inevitable line to fill up. It seems there are few things more satisfying than buying a tankful of cheap(er) gas.

Avoid jack-rabbit starts and hard braking

Several studies say driving without a lead foot results in the most significant gas savings of all. A European study cited by Natural Resources Canada's Office of Energy Efficiency found that rapid acceleration from stoplights and hard braking reduced travel time by just four per cent in city driving – the equivalent of just over a minute every half-hour – but resulted in a 37 per cent jump in fuel consumption and a five-fold increase in toxic emissions.

Edmunds.com, a U.S.-based automotive website, also put this tip to the test four times in November 2005 and found similar savings to be had. "Chances are you've got hybrid-style mileage in your gas pedal foot," the testers concluded. Their recommendation: "Stop driving like a maniac."

Slow down on the highway

The speed limit on most Canadian highways is 100 kilometres an hour. But motorists who keep to that speed find they are passed by most of the traffic. Tests show they'll also have better gas mileage. The Canadian Automobile Association and Natural Resources Canada say it takes 20 per cent more fuel to go the same distance at 120 kilometres an hour than it does at 100 km/h.

In their tests, Edmunds.com found gas savings averaged 12 per cent when they went 65 mph rather than 75.

Use cruise control

Testers at Edmunds.com said they hadn't expected cruise control to save much gas but were surprised when they saw the results. Their tests showed an average saving of seven per cent. Natural Resources Canada and Edmunds.com both say that cruise control doesn't save on steep hills. "In hilly terrain, it's more fuel efficient to let your speed drop going uphill and build it up again going down the other side," the Natural Resources Department says.

Don't idle excessively

"Excessive idling (like warming up your vehicle on a cold day) wastes a lot of gas and can be hard on your engine," the CAA says.

Natural Resources Canada agrees with that. It suggests that if you're going to be stopped for more than 10 seconds (except in traffic), turn off the engine. Edmunds.com found that when its testers drove a 16-kilometre route and stopped 10 times for two minutes each time, they used 19 per cent less gas when they shut off the engine rather than let it idle.

Minimize air-conditioning use

The experts part company slightly on this one. The CAA advises motorists to use their AC "sparingly." So too does Natural Resources Canada's website, which advises people to instead use their flow-through ventilation on the highway and open a window when driving in the city.

Edmunds.com, however, wasn't completely convinced. Its testers drove almost 100 kilometres in two cars at just over 100 km/h – one had the A/C on and the windows up, and one had the A/C off and the windows down. "The effect [of having the A/C on] appears to be fairly minimal in modern cars," it said.

Keep tires properly inflated

Natural Resources Canada estimates that each tire that is under-inflated by two pounds per square inch causes a one per cent increase in fuel consumption. "Check your tires' pressure regularly, especially after a sharp drop in the temperature," the CAA advises.

Edmunds.com agrees that proper tire pressure is important, but more for safety reasons than fuel economy. It found "no measurable effect" on the vehicles it tested.

Beware of gadgets, gizmos, or additives that claim to improve gas mileage

You've seen the ads. "Get 27 per cent better fuel economy with [fill in the blank]." A few years back, CBC's Marketplace took a look at something called the Platinum Vapour Injector that promised to save its users an average of 22 per cent in fuel costs – all for just $270. Marketplace tested the device and found it failed to live up to its billing. The federal Competition Tribunal agreed, and fined the company and its owners $125,000 for deceptive marketing practices.

It seems obvious that if there really was a $270 device that could lead to such gas savings that every carmaker in the world would install it as standard equipment. But many motorists fell for the advertising claims and paid up.

The Competition Bureau is pursuing cases against several other companies that also claim to have invented some kind of miracle fuel saver.

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