Improved MPG, 7 Simple Steps That Saves You Fuel
As fuel is getting more expensive every day those of you with a long commute or plenty of driving miles can feel the pain of piling gas bills.
Luckily there is easy ways to lower your gas bill and I'll list seven that are easy to do and does not require you to invest money in a new car or snake oil add-on kits. I'll show you seven ways that are commonly available and easy to do.
1. KEEP ECONOMIC TIRE PRESSURE
Driving with under inflated tires is not only dangerous as the tires could overheat, it also uses more gas than inflated tires.
Inflate your tires at least to the maximum allowed by the car's instruction manual, and check the pressure at least once a month using a reliable pressure gauge.
Many hypermilers inflate their tires more than that, to the maximum pressure printed on the sidewalls of the tires themselves. This is often as much as 60 percent more than what the car manufacturer recommends and it will give additional gas savings due to lesser rolling resistance.
This comes at the cost of a harder more uncomfortable ride though. I can't however suggest that you do this, even if it IS safe, as there is a risk of uneven tire wear in some circumstances.
2. GET RID OF SKI BOXES, ROOF RACKS AND TRAILERS
If you thought it's too much of a hassle to remove the roof rack or ski box when it's not needed, think again! It's the same if you drive a pick-up truck with no flatbed cover or if you tow an empty trailer with no purpose.
Anything attached or tied to the outside of the vehicle spoils the aerodynamics resulting in a reduction in fuel economy. Remove roof racks, ski boxes, bicycle holders and trailers when they are unused.
3. TURN OFF THE A/C
Even if some argue that the air conditioning unit does not affect fuel mileage, it actually consumes lots of energy. That energy is taken stright from your tank and from your fuel mileage. If at all possible, turn it off completely. If that's uncomfortable set it to a higher temperature as that will use less gas.
TIP: Park your car in the shadow, keep the doors open for a minute before going somewhere to cool off the interior of the car and, when you can, drive at night to avoid scorching temperatures and sunshine during the day.
Just keep in mind that driving fast with all windows open is worse for your fuel economy than turning on the A/C.
4. DEVELOP YOUR DRIVING
Your driving style is one of the biggest factors affecting your fuel economy. Avoid breaking by letting the car roll to a stop when you're not in the way of other drivers, maintain a top speed below 60MPH or 100KM/H and don't push the pedal to the metal when you accelerate.
5. WALK
Often if you're not going too far, walking or biking is a viable alternative, and it's significantly more economic than using the car. You'll not only save fuel but also the wear and tear on the car that can cost as much as the fuel itself.
6. FIX ANY FUEL LEAKS
Obviously if you have a fuel leak you will spill your hard earned gas on the ground costing you money and polluting the environment. Fix any fuel leak immediately.
TIP: If the gas cap is broken or missing gas will evaporate through the missing or broken cap and escape into the atmosphere.This is especially true in hot places and when parking in the sun. This can be a significant loss and it's bad for the environment.
7. CAR POOL
Sharing a car on your daily commute can be a fair amount of hassle compared to going alone but you'll save more gas and money than any of the other tips except for actually walking or biking.
Just adding another person to your car for the commute will save you half your monthly cost.
ADVANCED GAS SAVING TIPS
The above tips are some of the easiest, most widely available, low cost ways to save lots of gas. And that's my no gadgets needed bag of tricks.
There's many more ways you can save gas. You can get a more fuel efficient car (hybrid, diesel, smaller vehicle), improve your driving style, make adjustments to your cars aerodynamics, use tires with a low rolling resistance, plan your driving, adjust for extreme weather and a ton more that this article is too short to cover
There's also ways you could end up NOT saving gas, like if you install on of those gas saving gadgets toted everywhere. They usually cost a lot but give barely measurable improvements in MPG.
To keep track of your actual gas mileage you can use a handy online fuel mileage calculator
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