How To Lower Your Gas Consumption With Gas Prices Climbing
Date Added: November 26, 2007 06:10:09 AM
Oil prices seem to climb every day and now near $100 per barrel and gas prices well into the $3 range as I write this article. I drive a smaller SUV that gets about 20 miles per gallon, so I am not too happy about the escalating pricing situation. It has caused me to look into driving in ways to lower my gas consumption.
I would say that poor vehicle maintenance is probably the largest factor in decreased fuel efficiency. You must keep your automobile running well by tuning it up regularly with scheduled maintenance to get good fuel efficiency. A simple maintenance item in your car like a dirty air filter can reduce your mileage per gallon by as much as 10 percent.
It is also good to avoid a lot of starts and stops while traveling. If you can keep a steady speed you can avoid wasting as much as a third of your fuel. That means at $3 per gallon you would save as much as $9 per 10 gallons of gas. Use your cruise control when you can to keep a steady speed and save fuel when you do.
Most people have several routes they can choose from when traveling so choose the one that is less trafficked to avoid all those starts and stops. It also will help you avoid excessive clutch wear if you have a manual transmission.
Something that most people do not think about when refueling is the temperature. If you purchase the fuel in the morning or late at night when it is cooler you will get more when fueling your car which will save you money.
Driving with your windows up when on the highway will help your avoid drag from the wind which wastes gas. That drag impedes the aerodynamic design of the automobile and increases the force needed from the motor to push your car along.
Air conditioning is another feature on your auto that will waste more fuel, so only use it when necessary. And then only sparingly on the lower settings to keep the energy needed to run it at a minimum.
Try not to allow your car to idle while waiting for anything more than a minute. Shut it off because anything longer than a minute means you use less fuel in just restarting the motor. This is a major fuel waster that most people do not think about.
Take a hard look at your trunk and get rid of any unnecessary clutter in there that is just weighing you down. That extra weight takes extra fuel to move and wastes gas.
Tires should always be properly inflated for best fuel economy so check them often. If your tires are not properly inflated it will make a big difference in the amount of fuel you use and the amount of cash you spend at the pump.
