If you are one of the millions of American drivers looking to increase their fuel economy in the vehicle you already have, well, you’re in luck! You might not be ready to purchase a new vehicle just yet, or you’ve got a rockin’ classic car that you are never going to part with, and that’s fine! Here are our tips on increasing your MPGs by a few miles by just changing some of your driving habits!
First, avoid speeding. When you speed, you’re both breaking the law and doing a lot of accelerating and decelerating that you probably don’t mean to do. A great way of avoiding exceeding the speed limit is to use your cruise control when you’re on the highway and it’s safe to do so.
Keeping your vehicle in good shape is another way you can maximize every gallon of gas in your tank. With properly inflated and aligned tires as well as good, clean oil, your vehicle will run at its best! Having your tires inflated and aligned is super important. Properly inflated tires reduce the amount of drag that your engine has to work to overcome. When it’s time for new tires, ask for low rolling resistance tires to help with that fuel economy.
Combine trips and carpool when you’re out and about. It not only saves fuel by minimizing the amount of time you’re on the road, but it reduces the cost of gas for everyone and reduces the amount of emissions you’re creating. Win/win! And when you’re running errands or picking people up, don’t idle your vehicle. Idling for one minute uses more gasoline than it takes to start your car, AND it puts out a lot of fumes. Be safe and economical and just turn off your vehicle!
Park in the shade in the summer, or use your garage when you’re home (if you have one). The heat from the sun not only damages your paint job, but it heats up the fuel tank and causes evaporation of your gas, leaving you with less to use for driving.
Finally, minimize the weight and drag of your vehicle by cleaning out any unnecessary things you’ve been toting around, and then carrying things inside of the vehicle that you might have had in a roof storage box. If you need a storage box anyway, switch to something rear-mounted instead of roof-mounted to minimize the drag of your vehicle as a whole.
We are absolutely not guaranteeing a dramatic increase in MPGs – you won’t go from getting 20 to getting 70, but you’ll see an increase of a few miles per gallon if you drive carefully and conscientiously. Try out our tips, and let us know how you did!
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