Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Car's Mileage

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Top 10 Ways to Improve Your Car's Mileage

The kids are out of school and chances are your summer plans include some sort of road trip. With gas prices well over $4 in many areas of the country, however, reducing your car’s gasoline consumption is critical to reducing the impact the trip will have on your wallet. And, as with most cost-cutting tactics, it’s the small steps you take that will add up to savings. Adhere to the following top 10 mileage-friendly steps and start spending some of that gas money on yourself and your family.

1. Drive smoothly – Chill out behind the wheel. Aggressive driving habits—i.e., speeding up to red lights, slamming on the brakes—actually lowers gas mileage.

2. Slow down – Most cars get the best fuel efficiency between 45 and 55 miles per hour. Driving at more than 60 mph can cut efficiency by up to 23%.

3. Reduce idling – Get out of the drive-through lane and park your car instead. Idling wastes more gas than turning off the engine and restarting. If your wait is over 20 seconds, turn the engine off.

4. Use lower-grade fuel – Regular unleaded gas won’t hurt most engines, even if premium is recommended. Unless your engine starts to knock or ping, stick to the lower grade.

5. Travel light – An extra 100 pounds of weight in the trunk or back seat can reduce mileage by as much as 2%.

6. Go without AC – Turn on the ventilator instead. It’s the most fuel-efficient way to cool your car. But don’t open the windows. Driving fast with the windows open burns more gas than the air conditioner.

7. Replace or tighten the gas cap – Wait until you hear the click after fueling up. Fuel evaporates through loose or broken gas cap seals, reducing mileage by 2% or more.

8. Check your tire pressure – Improperly inflated tires have a higher rolling resistance, which reduces efficiency. Keeping your tires at the recommended pressure can increase gas mileage by 3% or more.

9. Change the oil – Energy-conserving or synthetic motor oil can reduce engine friction and improve efficiency by up to 2%.

10. Replace spark plugs – Misfiring spark plugs can cut gas mileage by as much as 30%.

While none of the above steps are difficult or time-consuming, they can have a big impact on your number of visits to the pump. Travel safely—and cost-effectively!—this summer.

As a Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network®, I have a wealth of real estate and homeownership information that may be of help to you. Feel free to contact me any time to learn more about this important information, and be sure to forward this article on to any friends or family that may be interested as well.

Sincerely,

Barbara Corsi BCorsi@Rockcliff.com J. Rockcliff Realtors Office: 925-253-7045 Mobile: 925-788-7589 http://www.BarbaraCorsi.com

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