Four Fuel Saving Tips
Whether you drive a one thousand pound hybrid, or a six thousand pound SUV, you can always squeeze out a few extra miles per gallon. In the long run, this could save you hundreds of dollars per year if you do it correctly.
1. Slow down. One of the best things you can do to save bas is to stop going so fast. Fifty five miles per hour is the best speed for your gas mileage. This is what kills people when they commute to work. Everyone has this “ten miles per hour over the speed limit” mindset, which kills gas mileage. Make sure you stay to the right of all the traffic though, it will save a lot of headaches.
2. Tire pressure. Tires that are under-inflated are the most commonly over-looked reason of bad miles per gallon. You need to buy a good, reliable tire gauge that way you can check your tires at least once a month; or as often as possible. Remember, tires lose around 1 psi every month and the less amount of air in them, the more resistance you are getting while driving on the street.
3. Check the air filter. The air filter in your car is what feeds the air directly into your engine. If your air filter is dirty, you are hindering performance which could cause your mile per gallon rating to go down to a miserable level. Air filters are extremely easy to check and just as easy to change. To check if your air filter is ready to be changed. What you need to do is take it out of the car and hold it up to the sun light. If it restricts most of the sun light from coming through, it’s time for a new filter. If you are ready for a change, I suggest investing in a K & N air filter. This will save you a lot of head aches because these are permanent filters. All you have to do is clean them and they are ready to go again. Not only will this save you money, but the K & N filters also help you get one or two miles per gallon more; which saves you money on gas in the long run.
4. Accelerate slowly. Even though the guy in the Dodge Charger is revving his engine next to you and eyeballing the stop light, there is no need for you to race him. There is no point in accelerating quickly at a stop light because it wastes endless amounts of fuel. If you have a car with an automatic transmission, accelerate slow enough to where your transmission will shift you up into higher gears quickly. If you drive a car with a manual transmission, shift early to keep the RPMs down but not low enough to where it would lug the engine. Keep an eye on the road for potential slowdowns because if you accelerate up to a spot where you could slow down and you need to brake hard then you’ve just wasted acceleration which means wasted gas.