You Don’t Need to Drive Less to Save Money on Gas – Drive Smarter!

Since driving less isn’t really an option for most people, and we’re pretty much at the mercy of whatever they want to charge at the pump, what can a person do to save some money on gas without resorting to a car that needs to be plugged in every night? Two answers – regular auto maintenance and better behavior – as a driver, that is! People don’t have any idea just how much these two things can change both their mileage – and the number of dollars in their pocket!
• Keep your car tuned up you’ll improve gas mileage by about 4 percent.
• Keep your tires properly inflated – it improves your mileage by 3%.
• Replacing air filters on time improves gas mileage by 10% on newer cars, and 14% on older cars.
• Keep the gas cap tight; a damaged, loose, or missing gas cap lets gas vaporize into the air.
• Park in the shade; heat vaporizes gas too.
• Drive the speed limit; over 60 and it goes down quickly.
• Don’t let your car idle. Newer cars (less than 10 years old) just don’t need to “warm up” anymore.
• Drive smoothly; starting and stopping quickly will lower gas mileage 33% on the highway, and 5% in the city.
• Consolidate errands, get everything done in one trip if you can. Three short trips use twice as much gas as a longer multi-purpose trip.
• Don’t haul around unnecessary weight. Every extra 100 pounds you haul reduces your fuel economy by 1 to 2%.