A quick look at some rather simple ways for you to increase your car's gas mileage.
With the recent drop in oil and gas prices, I’m sure many of us have forgotten the good driving habits we learned when we were paying $1 more a gallon of gas. It’s amazing how quickly we forget to pay attention to our gas mileage when our gas bill is cut by a third.
Now that the summer’s ridiculously high gas prices are pretty much right around the corner, I figured it was time for a refresher course on the best/easiest ways for you to either not use gas or get better gas mileage when you do have to drive.
So, without further ado, here are the Top 10 Easiest Ways for You to Save Gas and Get Better Gas Mileage:
1. Don’t drive if you don’t have to. This one comes first because it’s simply the most obvious; if you don’t drive you’re going to save gas. If you can get away with walking or riding a bike to get where you need to go, by all means, do it. 2. If you do have to drive, try and car pool, ride share or mass transit. If you can get a whole bunch of people packed into a car or a bus, the total amount of gas used is going to be a lot less than if everyone took their own cars. Plus, if you can get someone else to drive, you’re going to save your own money!
3. Combine all of your small trips. Continuously starting and turning off your car is pretty tough on your gas mileage, not to mention all of the stop and go driving associated with short trips. Go ahead and combine all of those short trips and you should see an increase in gas mileage. 4. Use moderate acceleration. When the light turns green or it’s your turn to go, don’t floor it and try to get to top speed as quickly as possible. That being said don’t go so slowly that your engine is bogged down, because that’s just as bad for your gas mileage. 5. Try and drive near the speed limit. This one is a bit tricky because a car’s optimal gas mileage is going to vary by make and model, but for the most part, the slower you drive the better gas mileage you’re going to get. So, instead of driving 75 on the highway, go ahead and cut it back to 55 or 60.
6. Be a smooth driver - don’t tap your brakes and coast when possible. Much like using moderate acceleration, being a smooth and consistent driver once you’re moving will help you significantly improve your gas mileage. 7. Make sure you have the proper tire pressure. Under inflated tires tend to reduce your car’s gas mileage. To get the proper tire pressure, check either your car’s owner’s manual or the side of your tires.
8. Get rid of all the extra weight. For every extra 100 pounds you carry around in your car, you’re going to reduce your car’s gas mileage by up to 2%. That means you need to get all of the unnecessary items - golf clubs, CD cases, various sports equipment - out of your car. 9. Be as aerodynamic as possible - keep windows up and sunroof closed. Obviously, your car’s going to get its best gas mileage when it’s as aerodynamic as possible. Having your windows open will increase the drag on your car, thus reducing its gas mileage.
10. Reduce the amount of time you sit in idle. Surprise, surprise, when your car stops moving when your engine is running it’s gas mileage drops to zero. Avoid getting stuck in traffic, using drive thrus, etc., and only drive if you’re going to keep moving.
If you can incorporate some of these into your driving habits (or get reacquainted with them if you’ve forgotten), you’ll definitely see a nice increase in your gas mileage and a corresponding savings at the pump. It’s better to learn these habits now while gas is relatively “cheap” because there’s no telling how high prices are going to get this summer.
