Gas Saving Tips!
-
Vehicle gas caps - About 17 percent of the
vehicles on the roads have gas caps that are either damaged,
loose or are missing altogether, causing 147 million gallons
of gas to vaporize every year.
-
Under-inflated tires - When tires aren't
inflated properly it's like driving with the parking brake
on and can cost a mile or two per gallon.
-
Worn spark plugs - A vehicle can have either
four, six or eight spark plugs, which fire as many as 3
million times every 1,000 miles, resulting in a lot of heat
and electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plus
causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Spark plugs need to be
replaced regularly.
-
Dirty air filters - An air filter that is
clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air and
creates a "rich" mixture - too much gas being burned for the
amount of air, which wastes gas and causes the engine to
lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas
mileage by as much as 10 percent, saving about 15 cents a
gallon.
Fuel-saving driving tips include:
-
Don't be an aggressive driver -
Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as
33 percent on the highway and 5 percent on city streets,
which results in 7 to 49 cents per gallon.
-
Avoid excessive idling - Sitting idle
gets zero miles per gallon. Letting the vehicle
warm up for one to two minutes is sufficient.
-
Observe the speed limit - Gas mileage
decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each mpg
driven over 60 will result in an additional 10 cents per
gallon. To maintain a constant speed on the
highway, cruise control is recommended.
-
Combining errands into one trip saves
gas and time. Several short trips taken from a
cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer
multi-purpose trip covering the same distance.
-
Avoid carrying unneeded heavy items in
the truck. An extra 100 pounds can cut fuel
efficiency by a percent or two.
These tips are provided by
Visit their website at
www.CarCare.org for more tips for maintaining your
vehicle.
|
