7 Ways to Legitimately Improve Your Gas Mileage Right Now

Economically, times are tough right now and anything that affects a family’s budget in a negative way that can be altered should be looked at. There are also a number of things that many people can do these days that in the long run will have a positive effect on the environment, or at least less of a negative effect.

Whether for economic or environmental reasons, there is a great deal of interest by many drivers in trying to improve their gas mileage as much as possible. There are a number of easy things that can be done by every day drivers that will affect the cost of driving your vehicle in a positive way.

• Clean Out Your Vehicle

There are many people who use their cars for more than transportation. It sometimes seems they are almost being used as if they are a rolling storage container. By cleaning unnecessary items out from under the seats, in the back seat, and in the trunk, the overall weight of the vehicle will be lightened. This is especially true for pickups and larger vehicles that are hauling around unneeded large items. When a vehicle weighs less, it takes less fuel to propel it down the road.

• Don’t Drive Unnecessarily And Combine Trips

This may sound like the easiest method of improving gas mileage ever, but some people overlook it. There are many side trips and short trips that do not need to be made. When these unnecessary trips accumulate, a good amount of fuel is burned unnecessarily. Another way to improve fuel usage is to combine trips. When coming home from work, swing into the grocery store for those needed items, and then proceed home. This uses less fuel than going all the way home and then leaving the house later to go back to the store.

• Take Your Foot Off The Gas

The faster a vehicle is traveling, generally speaking the more fuel it is using. The farther the gas pedal is pushed down means the flow of fuel is increased. There are many times when driving at a slower rate of speed will still get you to your destination at roughly the same time, but it will also be safer and use less fuel as well. Both of those are beneficial to the driver and the passengers along for the ride too.

• Stay On Top Of Basic Car Maintenance

There are a number of basic car maintenance tasks that when performed regularly, improve the overall performance of the vehicle. A car that performs better and more efficiently uses less fuel and thus costs less money to drive. Having a clean air filter means that more air gets into the motor when needed and required. Having tires that are properly inflated means there is less resistance caused by the tire coming in contact with the roadway, which means it takes less energy or fuel to move the vehicle down the road. Having a properly tuned vehicle means that the engine runs more efficiently and uses less fuel than a vehicle that has a timing or sparking issue.

• Easy On The Gas Pedal

When it is time to accelerate, the best way to do so is to gradually ease your foot down on the accelerator. This causes a slow and steady increase in speed which uses less fuel than a sudden revving of the engine and instant burst of power does. When a vehicle eases up to its maximum speed, it costs much less to drive.

• Drive Like The Big Rigs Do

There is a reason that although cars dart in and out of traffic and seem to speed up and slow down in an erratic nature, semi-trucks tend to slowly accelerate and motor down the road at a nice even speed. Avoiding shifting, whether in a car with a manual or automatic transmission, uses less fuel and is easier on your vehicle than continually changing speeds and rapidly accelerating and decelerating does. Taking your foot off the gas and decelerating naturally to a red light is much smarter than speeding towards it and then having to brake hard in order to stop at the white line is.

• Understand How Windows And Air Conditioning Affect Gas Mileage

There are times when your gas mileage is benefited from having your windows rolled down and there are also times when gas mileage is affected less negatively by having the air conditioner on. If summer heat is a problem, and there must be some relief sought while in the car, there is a smart way to do it. When driving at slower speeds through city areas, it is smarter to roll down your windows and let the outside air in to cool you off. Though this causes some drag on your car, making it less aerodynamic, it doesn’t affect the car’s performance as much as the air conditioner does by drawing power from the engine. Likewise, when traveling at a higher rate of speed, it is smarter to use the air conditioner than to roll the windows down. At a high rate of speed, the drag caused by windows lowered decrease the gas mileage more than the demand for more power by the air conditioner would. Its a simple rule, if you’re in need of relief from the heat remember that if you’re driving fast turn the air conditioner on and if you’re driving slow, roll down the windows.

If there is a way to operate your vehicle in a more efficient way, you should by all means take advantage of it. This is especially true if it is a simple and easy adjustment in either the vehicle maintenance or driving habits. When there are simple steps that can be taken that will benefit the life of the vehicle, the finances of the vehicle’s owner or the environment, it just makes sens to take those steps and run with them.