With soaring gas prices, growing concerns about oil dependence and increasing efforts to go green, taking small steps to save gas can go a long way. Invest a little bit of time and energy now to learn car maintenance, driving and trip planning techniques that offer huge savings for your wallet and your planet.
Save With Maintenance
Regular maintenance can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Dirty air filters and misaligned tires are two common culprits. Poorly aligned tires force your engine to work harder to drive straight. A dirty air filter restricts the flow of air into the engine. Free flowing air results in better fuel economy. Check both regularly to save on gas. While you're at it, check your tire inflation and your gas cap. Properly inflated tires deliver better gas mileage. A loose, broken or missing gas cap can allow fumes to escape from your gas tank. Avoid pollution and improve fuel mileage by tightening or replacing your gas cap.
Save While Driving
Slow down. You will reduce fuel consumption by traveling at slower speeds. On the highway, stick close to posted speed limits. Travel under 40 mph on side streets to reduce wind drag and increase fuel efficiency. Practice smooth driving. Avoid jerky movements, constant lane changes and jack-rabbit starts and stops. Use cruise control when possible to support driving at steady speeds. Lousy driving can add as much as one-third to your gas bill. Lay off the brakes. Riding with a foot on the brake pedal not only wears out your gas pads but will increase your gas consumption significantly. Avoid accelerating uphill. When approaching an incline, build up speed in advance, maintain speed on the way up and then coast down.
Lighten your load. Remove ski, bike and luggage racks from your roof when they are not in use. Roof racks cause air drag and decrease fuel efficiency. The same applies for vinyl tops. Inside your car, remove extra tires, back seats and any other unnecessary heavy car parts. Take inventory of your trunk. If you don't need it, don't lug it around. For every 100 extra lbs. your car carries, your vehicle loses 2 percent in fuel efficiency.
Carpool to immediately cut your gas bill in half. Plan trips in advance and combine several errands into a single trip. Determine the most efficient route to save gas and time. Do your homework. Instead of shopping around to compare products, use the web, newspaper or phone book to comparison shop. Then, drive only to the place you need to go. Travel at off-peak times to reduce trip length. Avoid dirt and gravel roads that can cost you of up to 30 percent of your gas mileage.
Invest in a GPS unit. It will pay for itself in time and gas saved very quickly. Before turning off your car, turn off your electronic devices. Starting your car with radios and air conditioning turned off puts less strain on your engine and translates into better gas mileage. Shut off the air conditioning, and open the windows. Using air conditioning can lower our fuel economy by up to 20 percent.
Alternatives to Driving
Save on gas by choosing an alternate form of transportation. Your tax dollars already support public transportation systems in your neighborhood; you might as well get your money's worth. According to League of American Bicyclists, 40 percent of all trips are within two miles of home--90 percent of those trips are by car. When traveling short distances, choose to walk or bike. It's not only an environmentally and economically sound choice but a healthy choice as well.
