Fuel Saving Tips

With the price of gasoline rising everyday many people are starting to look for ways to improve their consumption. So what can you do?

The most practical thing you can do is to keep your vehicle properly maintained.

Check and replace the air filter regularly, a dirty air filter can cause a significant decrease in fuel mileage, some reports say as much as 10%.

Keep your tires properly inflated and aligned. This will reduce the rolling friction, in other words your vehicle will roll much easier which will help to decrease fuel consumption.

Check and change all fluids as needed such as engine oil, transmission fluid, etc.  Clean fluids reduce wear caused by friction between moving parts and also removes harmful substances. Change your fluids as recommended by the manufacturer.

Keep your vehicle tuned. Studies have shown that a poorly tuned vehicle can increase fuel consumption up to 20% depending on your vehicle’s condition. Follow the recommended maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual, you will save fuel and your vehicle will last much longer.

Avoid those fuel saving gimmicks, most provide very little if any fuel savings and in some cases may even harm your vehicle. Here is a link provided where the federal government has tested a lot of these items already for you and their results. http://www.epa.gov/otaq/consumer/reports.htm

Remove excess weight from your trunk. Avoid carrying unnecessary items around in your vehicle. 100 lbs can decrease your fuel mileage as much as 1 to 2%.

Use your cruise control when convenient. This can help you maintain a steady speed which will in turn increase fuel mileage, in most cases as much as 1 to 2 mpg.

Drive more efficiently. Avoid unnecessary idling, turn off your engine if you anticipate a lengthy wait. Anticipate driving situations, in city driving 50% of your energy needed to power your vehicle goes toward acceleration, if you avoid tailgating and unnecessary braking and acceleration you may increase your fuel economy 10 to 15% .

And last but not least stay within the posted speed limits, driving at 75 mph instead of 65 mph can increase fuel consumption as much as 25%.