Maintenance tips and driving habits that help save gas
The commute to work is the most common use of a car and any fuel savings we generate will translate into a bonus at the end of the month. Fuel economy starts with proper car maintenance first and foremost. Even if you have the best driving techniques in the world, a poorly maintained car will always use more fuel than a car in good condition.
It’s no secret that automakers always aim to make the lightest cars possible despite all the safety and performance standards they have to meet. A lighter car always burns less fuel, so do what the manufacturers do and look in your car and in the trunk. You may have accumulated some things that just travel around with no purpose at all. Keep them or give them away.
Basic maintenance tips that will save fuel include:
1. Do an oil change: Following the manufacturer’s scheduled oil changes will reduce friction in the engine and make it run more easily.
2. Tire Pressure – Tires that are below the recommended pressure have more rolling resistance and friction, forcing the engine to work harder and burning more fuel for a given speed. Keep and use a tire gauge in your car.
3. Wheel Alignment – This is an element of car maintenance that is often forgotten and neglected. A misalignment because not only does it use more fuel, but it also wears out your tires faster. That’s a double whammy for your operating costs.
4. Follow your car’s general maintenance schedule. Check and clean your air filter regularly. This is something you can easily do yourself. All the little things that make a car run more efficiently also result in fuel savings. Add it all up and you’ve got significant savings.
Now that you’ve made sure your car uses gas as efficiently as the manufacturer intended, take a look at your driving habits to see areas for improvement. Driving habits that favor fuel savings are:
1.Share a ride to work. This isn’t driving advice per se, but how many half-full cars do you see on your way to work? Imagine your fuel savings if you took your car to work 2-3 times a week instead of the usual 5-6. Another advantage of car sharing is that it also reduces your maintenance costs because your car will be accumulating less mileage.
2. Look for alternative fuels. LPG, ethanol blends and biodiesel are viable fuel alternatives today and cost less, sometimes much less, than regular gasoline or diesel. Older cars may not be able to tolerate these fuels, so check with your mechanic.
3. Consider using public transportation. Even if you don’t do this every day, the savings will add up at the end of the month.
4. If you have another car, choose the one that uses less fuel and share it with your roommate. You may also consider trading in a spare car for a hybrid or small urban commuter.
5. Manual transmission cars always consume less fuel compared to an automatic one of the same model.
6. Slide instead of last-minute braking: Well before you approach a stop sign, an intersection, or see traffic ahead, take your foot off the gas and let your car slow down on its own. Brake in the last seconds. By then, you will have reduced your speed to the single digits and can apply the brake smoothly.
7. Cruise Control – This setting has been proven to help save fuel. Use it whenever possible.
8. Find a route that experiences less traffic or has fewer traffic lights. Stop-start driving significantly increases fuel consumption.
9. Roll down the windows. If you don’t need to use your air conditioner, keeping it off will reduce drag on your engine and save a lot of fuel. Keep in mind, however, that driving at highway speeds with the windows down also increases drag, so it will be a tradeoff if you use the air conditioning or not.
10. Shut off the engine if you expect it to idle for more than one minute. Running out to buy something with the engine running, stopping in traffic, using the car’s air conditioner while waiting for Junior. All of these things are a waste of gasoline. Being aware of the fuel you consume when the engine is running is a good frame of mind when it comes to saving fuel.
