Nine Top Tips to Maximize Your Fuel Efficiency and Save Money on Gas

However, even if you don't now have a secondhand car, there are plenty of ways you can improve the fuel efficiency of your existing vehicle until you are ready to purchase one of the best gas mileage cars. Your personal driving habits have a large effect on your fuel use and costs. You can better manage your automobile operating costs in addition to minimize the emissions it generates by driving less and better.

First, you will need to know what sort of mileage you're getting. Calculate it by filling your tank up and recording the odometer reading-or you may reset your journey gauge to zero. The next time you get gas, fill the tank again and divide the miles you traveled between fill ups from the number of gas you bought on this fill-up. This is your car's miles per gallon or mpg. When It's pretty dismal, here is how to turn your fuel guzzler to a fuel saver:

Drive slower: The aerodynamic drag on your car increases markedly the faster you drive. The drag force at 70 mph is about double that at 50 mph, so keeping pace down can improve your mileage considerably. Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds over 60 mph. Each 5 miles over 60 mph is like paying an extra $.10/gallon for gasoline. Observing the speed limit is also safer for everybody.

Maintain a constant rate: each time you accelerate, you use electricity, some of which is wasted when you slow down the car again. By keeping a steady speed, especially driving the posted speed limit, you will improve your fuel efficiency. Just by raising your highway cruising speed from 62 mph to 74 mph you increase fuel consumption by about 20 percent! Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and will often save gas.

Drive Aggressive driving-speeding, quick acceleration and hard braking-wastes gas. These bad habits can decrease your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and 5 percent in the city. Furthermore, affordable driving is safer for you and many others, so you might be saving more than petrol. Consider using overdrive gears on the street, as this reduces engine speed, reducing fuel use and engine wear.

Avoid Extra Idling: Idling gets 0 miles/gallon and wastes fuel and money, is hard on the engine and contributes to toxic emissions. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than those with smaller engines. Switch your engine off if you believe you'll be stopped for over 30 seconds. But if you are driving a fuel-efficient car like a hybrid vehicle, your electrical motor is on when you idle, so you are not wasting any gas whatsoever!

Minimize air conditioning: Using your air conditioner in hot weather can increase your fuel consumption by over 20 percent in city driving. Whenever possible, close all windows and use the air vents to circulate air rather than air conditioning. You will improve your fuel efficiency in summertime by reducing the usage of air conditioning and using your car's flow-through venting, particularly on the highway. If you have to use the air conditioning, set the controls to a level that allows the machine cycle, and then turn it off after the inside of car is cooled down enough. Also consider such choices a sunroof and tinted glass to keep the car cool.

Keep Your Car in Shape: Maintaining your car or truck in top working condition saves you money and fuel, and reduces long-term maintenance costs while reducing harmful emissions.

Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned-Getting routine tune-ups as soon as your car is out of tune or has failed an emissions test may improve gas mileage by about 4 percent. If your car has a faulty oxygen sensor and you have it fixed, gas mileage could improve up to 40%. Make sure that the spark plugs, if you've got them, are firing correctly, replacing them if necessary. Have the motor time checked for accuracy.

Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly-Replacing a clogged air filter can improve a car's gas mileage by up to 10%. Additionally, it is going to protect your engine . Change this more often in case you reside in a dusty climate, then push dirt or gravel roads or if you push off-road for fun.

Keep Tires Properly Inflated-Your gas mileage may increase by about 3.3% if you keep tires inflated to their proper pressure. It requires more effort and gas for the motor to propel an underinflated tire than a properly inflated one-which supply less road-resistance, thereby improving fuel efficiency. Beware over-inflation, however, which may result in handling problems and irregular tire wear. Check tire pressure on a regular basis, searching for signs of uneven wear or embedded objects that could cause air leaks. In winter, check tire pressure if there's a sharp change in temperature, as cold weather reduces air pressure in the tires.

Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil-Fuel efficiency can improve by 1-2% if you use the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. Moreover, if you change your own oil, look for motor oil ranked as"Energy Conserving" to make sure it comprises friction-reducing additives.

Assess Which gas to Use-Choose the appropriate octane gas for your vehicle by checking your owner's manual. It is not necessary to purchase the"super" high-octane gas unless your automobile manufacturer recommends your engine knocks with no. As you won't do damage to the engine, you'll be paying more than you will need to, since superior (highest octane) gas sells for an average of 17 cents more per gallon than regular gas. Only about 6 percent of cars sold in the U.S. need premium gas, according to the AAA. Additionally, avoid topping off your gas tank, since in warmer weather, fuel expansion can cause an overflow and you will be wasting gas. You need to be a fuel saver-not a fuel waster!

Planning & Combining Trips: Combining errands to perform collectively and in similar areas saves money and time. Several short trips starting from a cold engine can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose excursion that covers the same distance when the engine is warmed up. With a little advance preparation, you can stay away from high traffic areas, road building, retracing your path and ultimately decrease the distance you travel while running errands. You will not only save on fuel, but also reduce wear and tear on your vehicle.

Commuting: If you can alternate your work hours to avoid rush hour, you will spend less time sitting in traffic and burn less fuel. For stop and go traffic, drive your very best gas mileage car if you have more than 1 vehicle. Contemplate telecommuting (working from home) when your project permits. If possible, participate in carpools and ride-share programs. You can reduce your weekly fuel costs in half and save wear on your car if you take turns sharing driving with other people.

Traveling: A roof rack or carrier affords extra cargo space and helps out when you've got a smaller car. However, a loaded roof rack reduces fuel efficiency by 5 percent. Reduce the wind resistance and improve your fuel efficiency by placing objects in the back when possible. Additionally, remove any unnecessary items, especially heavy ones, as an additional 100 lbs. in the trunk reduces a car's fuel efficiency by about 1 to 2%.