Tips: How to increase your gas mileage

Have you seen the gas prices lately(Check out the cool tool to find Gas prices around the US: USA National Gas Temperature Map)? Of course you have, otherwise you probably wouldn’t have clicked into this article.  Unfortunately with no price relief in sight there isn’t too much we can do. However, we do have some options, such as riding a bicycle… or in-line skating, skateboarding, walking and jogging to work!

Well, if those options don’t really apply to you because you live in the real world, and you are stuck driving like most of us, here are a few tips to help you conserve some gas. Most of these are obvious, but hopefully this list when help a little. Please comment on anything else that should be added to this list, as I know I’ve probably missed a lot.

Buying Gas

1. Purchase the correct octane rated gas for your car. Simply to check your owner’s manual for which octane to use.
2. Buy gasoline during coolest time of day – early morning or late evening is best. During these times gasoline is densest. Gas pumps measure volumes of gasoline, not densities of fuel concentration.
3. Choose the brand of gasoline carefully. Simply the brands which “seem” most beneficial.
4. Avoid filling gas tank to top. Overfilling results in sloshing over and out of tank. Never fill your gas tank past the first “click” of the fuel nozzle.
5. Record all gas purchases by keeping your receipt, as you might be eligible for tax deductions.
6. Tighten up your gas cap. Gas evaporates.

Staring and Idling

1. Do not start and stop engine repeatedly and needlessly.
2. If you are going to leave your engine idling for more than a minute or two, it’s better to shut it off.
3. Avoid reving the enginelly just before you switch the engine off, or while you are idling.
4. Avoid prolonged warming up of engine, even on cold mornings.

Driving

1. Traveling at 55 mph ca give you up to ~ 20% better gas mileage when compared to ~ 70 mph. Do not exceed the legal speed limit.
2. Shift into high gears(for Manual cars) as early as possible lets you “nurse it along”. However, be careful not to shift too early and bog down the engine.
3. Keep windows closed when traveling at highway speeds.
4. Avoid rough roads whenever possible.
5. Put gear into neutral position(primarily for Automatic cars) when idling at long traffic lights and other places, to reduce transmission strain and allow transmission to cool.
6. Avoid reverse gear maneuvers/backing up. Park car so that you can later begin to travel forward.
7. Avoid accelerating while on hills. If possible, accelerate while approaching the hill.
8. Avoid accelerating towards stop signs and red lights. Cruise towards them. There probably isn’t a need to get to red light as fast as possible.
9. Drive steadily. Slowing down and accelerating wastes fuel.
10. Use cruise control on the highway to help maintain a constant speed.
11. Use overdrive gears.

Other

1. Keep tires inflated at maximum PSI.
2. Periodically rotate and balance tires.
3. Keep wheels aligned.
4. Remove excess weight from car. During cold weather watch for ice frozen to car frame. A lot of weight can be quickly accumulated, and ice can cause wind resistance.
5. Keep the air fiters clean. Replace if needed.
6. Keep the A/C off if possible. The more strain on the engine, the more fuel that is wasted.
7. Change your oil! Check the owner’s manual for recommended oil change intervals.
8. Don’t skip over regular tune-ups. Check owner’s manual for recommended maintenance intervals.