Tips For Increasing Your Cars Gas Mileage
Aggressive driving, speeding, rapidly accelerating or braking, wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by an estimated 33% at highway speeds and by 5% in town. One group of motorists have found a wayThursday, May 10th 2007, 10:00 pm
By:
News On 6
Aggressive driving, speeding, rapidly accelerating or braking, wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by an estimated 33% at highway speeds and by 5% in town. One group of motorists have found a way to lessen the pain at the pump, and squeeze every last mile per gallon out of their tank. It is called hypermiling.
Hypermiling is a driving technique that can increase the gas mileage of any vehicle be it a hybrid or a Hummer. There are many hypermiling techniques that can increase your gas mileage, below are just a few examples.
- Drive The Speed Limit
- Cut Down On Braking
- Be Patient
- Optimize Your Route
- Properly Inflate Your Tires
- Do Regular Maintenance On Your Car
- Remove Excess Weight
- Use Cruise Control
All vehicles reaches their optimal fuel economy at a different speed, but gas mileage in all cars, trucks and SUV’s usually decreases at speeds above 60 mph. Experts say for every 5 miles per hour above 60 you drive, you add 20-cents a gallon to your gas bill. This is largely due to wind resistance, so slowing down can save you gas.
Braking hard or jackrabbit start-and-stop driving can increase fuel consumption by up to 37%, one test found. Aggressive braking has a negative effect on gas mileage because it kills your car’s momentum. Instead try coasting to a stop, and take alternative routes to avoid stop and go traffic.
In heavy traffic accelerating from zero to 30, then back to zero is a waste of gasoline. Instead, be patient! There is no reason to speed up to catch up with the traffic jam. By maintaining a steady speed you’ll cut down on braking and on the time your car is idling, which will save you money, since an idling car gets 0 miles per gallon.
Sometimes the shortest route isn’t the most fuel efficient. If a 20-mile drive to work has a lot of stop lights or big hills you’ll use more gas. This is because you must accelerate to get up the hill, which uses more gas. And at a stop light you’re losing fuel while your engine idles.
To save some money at the pump test routes to work, school or the grocery store and find the one that is the smoothest ride with the least stops.
If your tires are not fully inflated they can be a drain on your gas mileage. This is because it takes extra energy to move even slightly flat tires. So you can improve your vehicles gas mileage by around 3.3% just by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Plus, properly inflated tires will last longer, which will also save you money.
You can increase your fuel economy by getting your car tuned up, replacing the air filters regularly and changing the oil. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car’s mile per gallon by as much as 10%. And using the cars recommended grade of motor oil can also improve your gas mileage by 1% to 2%.
Using the wrong oil, say a 10-40w when your car requires a 10-30w, will make your engine work harder. This is because the thicker oil is harder to push through the engine
Having extra weight in your car is good for winter driving, but bad for everyday driving. An extra 100-pounds in the car could reduce your miles per gallon by up to 2%. So if your vehicle has a luggage rack that’s not being used, or you just have a lot of clutter in your car, take it out and you’ll save some gas.
Using your cruise control will save you gas mileage because it keeps your car moving at a constant speed. The less variation in speed, the less gas wasted.
For gas saving tips, as well as more information on alternative fuel vehicles, click here.
To calculate your cars gas mileage and find out how much money you’re spending per month, click here.
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