The Best Ways To Save Gas

The Best Ways To Save Gas

The cost of gas makes people look for more ways to make their gas last longer. There are several simple tricks you can do to reduce overall consumption and improve your gas mileage. Using multiple tips can help you save the most gas week over week.

Top 10 Tips For Saving Gas

1. Keep Your Car Tuned Up

If your car is operating at peak performance, your gas consumption will be less. When engines become worn or dirty, more gas is used to keep it operating. Take your vehicle in for a tune-up at least once a year to keep your car and engine in optimal condition.

2. Check Your Tires – 2 Different Ways

The first thing that you want to check is your tire inflation. It is a myth that you get better mileage when you underinflate your tires. Properly inflated tires can increase gas mileage from .05 to 2 percent. That is potentially a lot of gas saved over time.

You also want to check the types of tires you are using. Tires with lower rolling resistance can increase your fuel mileage. A 10 percent decrease in resistance can increase fuel efficiency by two percent.

3. Use the Right Fuel

Every engine is designed to run on a specific octane of fuel. Most luxury cars, for example, require premium gas to run effectively. Other vehicles can run on regular gas for the best performance. If you are running premium fuel in a car that only needs regular unleaded, you are wasting money at the pump. Your car will not perform better and your mileage will not increase. The same applies to vehicles that need premium. If you run regular unleaded in these vehicles, they will run, but the gas performance will be poor.

4. Use the Right Oil

It is a common belief that engine oil is just engine oil, and it doesn’t matter what type you use in your vehicle. Wrong. Your engine has a specific type of oil it needs to use to work properly. Using a different oil weight can cause your engine to work harder, which means it will use more gas.

5. Don’t Use Your Trunk For Storage

Adding extra weight to your vehicle will cause it to consume more gas. While using that extra space in your trunk to store some items might be tempting, it is bad for your fuel economy. The same applies to loads added to cargo racks on top of the vehicle.

6. Follow the Speed Limit

The faster you drive, the more fuel you will burn. Some people believe that highway miles use less gas, but this only applies when you are following speed limits. Traveling at excessive speeds will burn as much fuel as driving in stop-and-go traffic in the city.

7. Accelerate and Brake Smoothly

Aggressive driving can take a toll on your fuel economy. Quick stops and flooring the gas when you take off can reduce fuel efficiency by up to 30 percent. That means you can lose a third of your gas just by taking off too quickly from a stop. You can significantly improve gas mileage if you ease into a stop and accelerate at a smooth pace.

8. Use Your Cruise Control

When you use your cruise control, your vehicle operates at a steady speed for a longer period of time. This means that less fuel is being consumed by the vehicle. Whenever you get a chance to use this feature on your vehicle, take advantage of it. You can increase mileage by almost 10 percent on long trips when you maintain a steady speed on the highway.

The Best Ways To Save Gas

9. Open Your Windows When Traveling at Lower Speeds

If you are traveling under 60 miles per hour, having your car windows open may be more beneficial than using the air conditioning. Your AC will cause the vehicle to burn more gasoline. However, at speeds over 60 miles per hour, aerodynamic vehicles will benefit more from having the windows closed and using the AC. Open windows put a drag on the vehicle, making it work harder to move the car.

10. Plan Your Routes

When you plan where you will go each trip, you can save a lot of gas. Plan your route in a circular fashion so that you make all of your stops while making your way back home. This is a very effective way of reducing gas consumption. In fact, most of the major delivery companies use this method to pan out their delivery routes to save company money on fuel purchases.

Implementing one or more of these steps into your driving routine will help you improve your gas mileage and save money at the pumps. These tips are easy-to-do and will not take a lot of effort to accomplish, making it even easier to save money on gas.

When Purchasing A Vehicle

Always remember to run a VINsmart report on any used vehicle before making a purchase.  A VINsmart report runs a complete history on the vehicle including whether it has ever been reported as stolen, involved in a major accident, or listed as a totaled vehicle.

VINsmart reports will also give you a registration history and mileage at registration.  It reports any significant incidents related to the vehicle, such as being involved in a fire or flood.

When you are going to purchase a used vehicle, the best way to ensure you are making a good purchase is to know the vehicle’s complete history.

NMVTIS

To get started with VINsmart, click here.

Leave a Comment