Have you seen how much the cost of gas has risen in this year alone? We can’t ‘put a brake’ on global oil prices but there are ways to get more mileage from our gas. Here are some great habits that will help you stretch that full tank. You’d be surprised at how little things, like the way you drive and the air in your tires, can help you save a lot of money.
Drive slowly
Driving within the speed limit can help you save on gas because every time your speed goes up, your fuel economy goes down at an exponential rate (and you also drive safer).
It’s also better to keep at a steady speed than to constantly change speeds. If you need to accelerate do it the smart, fuel efficient way. For automatic cars, accelerate at a moderate speed so that the car transmission can easily move to a higher gear. For manual stick shift cars, shift early on to minimize revs but don’t lug the engine. A lot of it also has to do with being observant and seeing what lies ahead on the road. Don’t accelerate when you know you’ll have to brake almost immediately, you’re practically throwing away gas (and money!)
And if you see a big truck, you may want to stay behind it: trucks tend to follow a steady pace, so you benefit from following them instead of the idiot on the road that brakes, speeds, brakes speeds, and forces you to adjust to his crazy driving.
Keep the tires inflated
One of the easiest ways to get the most miles per gallon is to check your tire pressure. Tires gradually become under inflated because of the wear and tear of travel, plus drops in temperature. But since under inflated cars have what car experts call ‘rolling resistance’ the car now needs to work doubly hard (and burn more gas) just to keep going.
You can invest in a good tire gauge so you can inspect your car tires regularly (car experts recommend once a month). You can also have them checked at the gas station, but bear in mind that as the car travels along the road the air expands, which may lead to a wrong reading. It’s best to check tire pressure when the tires are cold.
Clean your air filter
Check, remove and change air filters regularly, If they are clogged or dirty the air flow within the car becomes restricted, and this also forces the car to work harder. You may also want to invest in a permanent air filter which you can clean, since this is more friendly on the environment than disposable air filters.
Photo from www.mongreled.com
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