Driving Tips To Save On Gas Mileage
If you don’t want to buy a hybrid automobile and can’t wait two years for electric vehicles to hit the market, you’re probably looking for ways to improve the gas mileage on your current car. Luckily, there are some ways to improve your gas mileage simply by changing the way that you drive.
Cut down on how much you drive. Move closer to your job, carpool, use public transportation, ride your bicycle, or walk instead of driving.
Drive less aggressively. Jack rabbit starts and hard stops wreak havoc with your gas mileage. Gradually ease onto the gas and brake pedal instead.
Drive the speed limit. Most vehicles operate at optimum gas consumption at around 60 miles per hour. Every five miles per hour you drive over 60 mph reduces your gas economy.
Use your cruise control as much as possible. Maintaining a constant speed on the freeway increases your fuel economy.
Draft other cars on the highway. Travel in packs of cars on the expressway to reduce air resistance rather than driving solo. If NASCAR does it, you can too.
Travel in the slow lane on the freeway. You generally won’t have to change your speed or take your car off of cruise control.
Reduce idling. Don’t run your car’s engine while doing things like waiting to pick up the kids from school. An idling car gets 0 miles per gallon and ruins your average gas mileage.
Take the junk out of your trunk. A hundred extra pounds of weight can reduce your gas mileage by up to 2 percent.
Keep your car tuned up. One mechanical problem can seriously reduce your gas mileage, sometimes by up to 40 percent.
Minimize the use of your air conditioning. A/C decreases fuel efficiency. Often rolling down your windows will keep you cool enough.
Avoid driving during peak traffic hours such as rush hour. You’ll idle more in heavy traffic and kill your gas mileage.
Combine your errands. Turn three trips per week to the grocery store into one big trip.
Plan your driving routes. When running multiple errands, plan your trip so each stop is close to the next one to eliminate excessive driving.
Walk between driving stops. Instead of driving from store to store during errands, park your car in one central location and walk to all of the stores on your list.
Park in the first spot you find. Don’t waste gas driving around looking for the best space.
Time traffic lights. Don’t speed and then get stopped by every light. Usually lights are timed so vehicles driving the correct speed limit will hit the fewest red lights.
Using just a few of these tips will increase your gas mileage and save you money. All it involves is paying a little more attention to the way you drive. Getting better gas mileage isn’t just good for your wallet; it’s also good for the environment.
