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Tips to Improve Your Gas Mileage
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Tags: gas, mileage, tips, how to, improve, fuel, fuel economy, car, truck, van, suv, save money
Here are some tips you can follow to help improve the gas mileage in your car, truck, van or SUV and save money.
| 1. | Drive sensibly – fuel economy benefit: 5-33%. Aggressive driving, such as speeding, rapid acceleration and braking, wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money. |
| 2. | Observe the speed limit - fuel economy benefit: 7-23%. While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. |
| 3. | Remove excess weight – 1 to 2% per 100 pounds removed. Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones. |
| 4. | Avoid excessive idling. Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines. |
| 5. | Use cruise control. Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas. |
| 6. | Use overdrive gears. When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear. |
| 7. | Keep your engine properly tuned. Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent. |
| 8. | Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent. |
| 9. | Check & replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. |
| 10. | Keep tires properly inflated. You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer. |
| 11. | Use the recommended grade of motor oil. You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5 percent. |
| 12. | Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives. |
| 13. | Planning and combining trips. Combining errands into one trip saves you time and money. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. |
| 14. | With a little planning, you can avoid retracing your route and reduce the distance you travel as well. You'll not only save fuel, but also reduce wear and tear on your car. |
| 15. | If you can stagger your work hours to avoid peak rush hours, you'll spend less time sitting in traffic and consume less fuel. |
| 16. | If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets the best gas mileage whenever possible. |
| 17. | Consider telecommuting (working from home) if your employer permits it. |
| 18. | If possible, take advantage of carpools and ride-share programs. You can cut your weekly fuel costs in half and save wear on your car if you take turns driving with other commuters. Many urban areas allow vehicles with multiple passengers to use special High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. |
Lister:
ListAfterList Wiki Contributors
Source:
Fueleconomy.gov
Other lists of interest:
Current list rating:
3.33
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Thanks for the info!
Comment by: itzjoeymac keeping the correct psi in you tires is really important!! Great list!
Comment by: thundrks These are great tips.
Comment by: jennit548
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