It’s no secret that paying for fuel is one of the biggest costs associated with driving a car. But the amount you pay can vary greatly, and there are some simple ways to use less gas when you drive. Fuel efficiency is important, and now is the perfect time to learn to improve your gas mileage. Here’s how.
Don’t Get Tired Out
Tire pressure is important. If you let your tires get deflated you’re not only in danger of shredding out on the highway, you’re also losing significant gas mileage. Make sure to inflate your tires to the recommended psi, but don’t over inflate them as this can also be very dangerous and lead to blowouts while driving.¹
Keep Your Car Light
If your trunk is packed with camping gear or old shopping purchases it’s going to take a toll on your mileage. If you’re not using what’s in your car then take it out and store it inside. This includes what you’re not using on your car like bike racks, roof boxes and extra storage units that you’re taking around. The lighter the better when it comes to mileage.²
Install a Vacuum Gauge
A vacuum gauge will help you save money on gas. This dashboard device doesn’t cost much and it performs the very useful task of checking how your driving is impacting fuel efficiency. By measuring the manifold vacuum pressure, the vacuum gauge lets you know ways to adjust your driving style so you stop guzzling as much gas and enjoy much better fuel economy.³
Put It in High Gear
When you drive in a higher gear you use less fuel. When you put the pedal to the metal in a low gear and go fast you’re zooming through fuel at a much higher rate than necessary. Keep your car in a high gear when you go fast. Do this manually if you have a manual car or if you drive an automatic listen for the gear shift as you put the accelerator down and make sure it is transitioning effectively as you speed up.⁴
Check Your Engine in Real-Time
This doesn’t mean to lean out your window and watch the engine work. What it means is to install a real-time engine monitoring device in your onboard diagnostic system. This will tell you everything about how your engine and car is functioning, including fuel efficiency. When you see how your driving and car is performing with fuel you will be able to adjust accordingly.³
Go Easy on the Air Conditioning
Air conditioning can be absolutely necessary at times. That is totally understandable. But if you crank the AC pretty much all the time you’re losing mileage. If you don’t need the AC on then make a conscious effort to switch it off. It eats up fuel especially when you’re driving slowly. The same goes for heating, so on those cold days go easy on the heater.²
Use the Right Fuel
In general people usually think that the more gas costs the better it will be for your car. Go premium and enjoy the mileage, right? Wrong. In fact, each vehicle is different and you should take the time to read your owner’s manual and use the recommended type of fuel. This will greatly improve your mileage and your vehicle’s performance.¹
Give Me a Brake
There are some driving habits that many of us have but are barely aware of. One of them is to keep our foot lightly rested on the brake as we drive or just next to it pumping the brake frequently on slight hills when it’s really not necessary. This is a fuel guzzling move that will greatly decrease your mileage.
Take your foot completely off the brake unless you actually need it. You’ll save a lot of fuel.⁴
[1] https://www.carbibles.com/improve-gas-mileage/
[2] https://www.whatcar.com/news/top-10-ways-to-improve-fuel-efficiency/n19268
[3] https://www.investopedia.com/financial-edge/0211/6-simple-car-mods-that-actually-save-fuel.aspx
[4] https://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-drive/culture/commuting/20-ways-to-improve-your-cars-fuel-efficiency/article1379796/