Don’t Let the Price at the Pump Drain You
Some things you do for your car can increase the gas mileage your car gets. There are some warning signs and things you can do if your gas mileage starts to go down. Some maintenance and even a trip to the garage or service station may be in order if you notice your gas mileage go down.
Maintenance on your car and keeping it tuned up is one of the best ways to keep your gas mileage down. It is something you can do with your car and not have to change your driving habits or go out of your way to do. Take your car to the shop to get it tuned up.
Air filters are the most common cause of fuel injection or carburetor inefficiency. And yet putting a new air filter in your car is as simple as replacing a furnace filter. Check your car owners manual for the interval of replacing the air filter. A new air filter can add up to 10 percent savings or as much as 22 cents a gallon.
A fuel filter simply cleans debris out of the gas as it heads to the engine. A new one will catch more junk before it goes through the fuel injectors or carburetor. Changing out this small device is very simple on most cars and only costs a few dollars yet can add up to the savings.
The oil change is something that you can do at so many places now a days that you can go to your favorite super store and shop while your car gets its oil change and even tune up. Change oil every 3000 miles and your car will run better. When you change the oil have the oil filter changed at the same time. It helps keep the oil clean and should be done when the oil is changed.
Tire inflation is something we probably ignore unless we get a flat. Properly inflated tires are an important part of handling and car stability. They also add to gas savings by having the properly inflated pressure by as much as 3.3 percent. Rotate your tires regularly and they will wear evenly so replacing them will have to be done less often. Have the tires rotated when you get your oil changed.
Those emissions test can be more important than you think. An oxygen sensor on a fuel injected engine can add some 50 percent to your gas mileage by not working correctly. That is something that a tune up or emission test will catch. A tune up and an emission test will catch these kinds of things and add to the savings when you get the problems corrected.
Bad fuel injectors, dirty ports, failed sensors, bad wiring and improper settings all add to your fuel efficiency going down and a tune up can fix all of them. Your car is a complex machine and requires routine maintenance to keep it running properly.
Fuel injection engines are better on gas mileage and run better by the fact of how they work. Less gas is used when the car is running by a computer adding only the amount of gas the engine needs at any given time. This is more efficient than a manual device, the carburetor, adding how much gas by pushing on the pedal.
If you have an older car with a carburetor, you can have the carburetor cleaned and checked to make sure its settings are correct and it is working properly. This should be done with a tune up and is an important part of fuel economy in older cars.
There are some other things besides taking your car to the shop that you can do to increase gas mileage, yes it’s time to talk about changing your driving habits. Speed kills, we’ve all seen the commercials, but it also adds to gas mileage. If you drive the speed limit you will ad to your savings by simply going slower.
For every 5 mph you drive over the speed limit of 60 mph you add 5 cents per gallon. Gas mileage after 60 mph drops due to things like air and tire resistance and simple mechanics of engines. Keep your speed down and you will save.
When you push on the pedal you are using gas, if you speed up to the next light only to have to wait for the light to change you will be adding to your gas mileage. Sudden starts and hard accelerations add as much as 5 percent savings when you quite doing them. It is also safer for you and others to drive sensibly.
Avoid excessive weight in your car, remove those sand bags or added weight for winter driving and pack lighter when you can. Adding extra pounds in your car will decrease gas mileage. An extra 100 pounds can add as much as 2 to 3 percent to your gas mileage.
When going on those shopping trips plan ahead and get all the things done you can without having to return to that part of town later in the week. Think ahead and make less trips out when you can. You will not only use less gas but save yourself time when you combine trips and have to go out less often.
Find out from other members of the family if they have some shopping to do or someplace they need to go and combine that with your trip out, it will save on gas if you combine them into your shopping.
Commuting just makes sense, find out where others at your job live and see if you can combine the ride into work. Even if you do this only a couple of days of the week if you have plans for after work it will add to yours savings and any others you commute with. You can alternate who uses their car and save a bundle on gas as well as wear and tear of your car.
When planning a trip for a vacation use common sense and keep things off that roof. Adding stuff onto a roof rack will increase drag on the car and will reduce fuel economy by as much as 5 percent. Use that trunk and pack better it will save you money to rough it a little and leave those luxuries at home.
Some simple and easy to do things can add to your fuel economy can help cost you less at the gas pump. Just a little thing like driving slower can add to your savings and make your day easier for everyone.
