Drivers can improve their car’s fuel efficiency by changing their driving habits and maintaining proper car maintenance. This includes avoiding aggressive driving, speeding, and maintaining proper tire inflation. Using cruise control and investing in a tailgate net for pickup trucks can also improve gas mileage. Hybrid and alternative fuel cars offer significant improvements in overall savings.
With the price of gas so fluctuating, many drivers are looking for ways to get the best possible gas mileage from their cars. While hopes of a mythical 200 mpg (321.8 kph) fuel additive or carburetor may remain on hold, there are a number of things drivers can do to get the most out of their car’s engines and fuel supply. Getting better mileage is usually a combination of changing your driving habits and maintaining proper car maintenance. No single procedure or technique offers a miraculous jump in fuel consumption, but when used in combination, the savings in fuel costs can be significant.
Driving responsibly is a good first step. Aggressive driving tactics such as tail following, constant lane changing, peeling, and yellow lights require the driver to accelerate unnecessarily or recklessly. This means that gas that should have made the car go forward is now wasted in sudden starts and stops. Learn to follow the flow of traffic and anticipate situations that may require you to stop. By watching traffic lights and avoiding red light stops, you can use less gas since the fewer stops a car has to make, the better the mileage.
Another way to improve fuel economy is to avoid speeding. Cars are designed to achieve maximum fuel efficiency at speeds below current legal limits in most places, so even keeping up with fast-moving traffic can mean significant loss. Even if it means getting passed by other drivers or getting dirty looks, driving slower will definitely improve the car’s handling and fuel efficiency.
Using a car’s cruise control setting should also improve your mileage, as long as the road is level and not congested with traffic. Cruise control devices are not as prone to pumping the accelerator too often to maintain speed as the driver might be. The engine may not need all that extra fuel to provide enough power, so using cruise control on long stretches of highway should increase your gas mileage by at least 25%. However, if the road is in a mountainous region, the use of cruise control may be problematic. Many systems tend to use a lot more fuel when going up hills, as the car must overcome the effects of gravity and maintain a preset speed.
You also need to make sure that the car itself is properly maintained. Changing a dirty air filter, for example, should greatly improve engine efficiency. A complete tune-up should also improve mileage, especially if fouled spark plugs are replaced and serious issues such as a faulty oxygen sensor are addressed. Switching to a higher quality synthetic oil with anti-friction additives can also save gas. Even using a standard oil with a different weight can help an engine run more efficiently.
Maintaining proper tire inflation can also improve gas mileage, since underinflated tires create additional resistance for the engine to overcome. However, over-inflating a car’s tires is not a solution, as handling can be affected. Some experts suggest keeping air conditioning use to a minimum, as the compressor puts extra pressure on the engine. Others say the improvement doesn’t outweigh the comfort benefits. Lowering the windows to compensate can also create additional drag, so this may be advice to be taken with a grain of salt. However, if the vehicle in question is a pickup truck, investing in a tailgate net should improve mileage by allowing air to flow freely rather than being trapped by the closed tailgate.
There are literally dozens of other ways to improve fuel economy, but perhaps the best thing to do is compare the average mileage ratings of various cars and buy the model with the best overall balance between size and fuel efficiency. Hybrid electric/gas cars offer significant improvements in overall savings. Cars that use alternative fuels are also attractive options, as long as the fuels they require are available. If not, it may be better to find the lightest and most fuel efficient vehicle that suits your driving needs and practice driving safely.
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