Gas-saving tips
Here are ten tips to keep your gas pump expenses from squeezing out too large a chunk out of your paycheck:
1. Purchase your gasoline when it’s coolest outside, such as during early morning or at night. Why? Because gas becomes denser in cooler temperatures. And because gas pumps only measure the volume of fuel, not the destiny, you’ll get yourself better overall gas mileage for your money by purchasing fuel when it’s cool outside rather than in the heat of the day.
2. Make sure to regularly check your car’s tire pressure monthly. It would be wise to nvest on a reliable, good-quality dial-type gauge – as pencil style gauge and the ones mounted on the air hose are unreliable according to federal government surveys). Under inflated tires will reduce fuel efficiency by 2 percent for every pound they are under inflated. Incorrectly inflated tires will also cause your tires to wear prematurely – and, is likely to compromise your vehicle’s safety.
3. Hold that foot – yes, slow down, and obey the speed limit. Gunning that pedal to the metal will cost you about 20% more fuel driving at 70 mph than you will at 55 mph.
4. Avoid using air conditioning as much as possible. Air conditioning lessens fuel economy by 10% to 20%. Use the air ventilation system instead.
5. Close those windows when traveling at high speeds. Open windows on the highway can reduce fuel efficiency by 10%. It's much better to use the ventilation system.
6. Remove car racks and other items which will make your vehicle less aerodynamic when they are not in use. Leaving them on only makes your car less fuel efficient and costs you money.
7. Stop idling, get going. Even on cold mornings, cars don’t need to idle more than 30 seconds. Newer cars are designed to be driven almost as soon as you get behind the wheel, and letting your vehicle idle longer is only a waste of gas.
8. It's more efficient to turn off your car and turn it on again than to let it idle for more than 45 seconds while waiting.
9. Remove all the excess weight from your car. Many people use their car trunk as a storage space adding unneeded pounds to the car's weight. This unnecessary weight reduces the car's fuel efficiency by about 1% for every 100 lbs.
10. For most cars, higher octane gas is simply a waste of money. Regular unleaded (approx. 87 octane or so) is the least expensive and what you should purchase. It's important to remember that octane is a measurement of how hard it is to ignite the gas, not the quality of the gas. Purchase mid or high octane gas only if your engine pings, knocks or rattles when using regular unleaded fuel.
Also, don’t forget to make sure that your vehicle is well-maintained and that its auto parts are in good shape. To ensure optimum performance from your vehicle, replace worn tires, broken mirrors, or burned out headlights with quality auto parts from Auto Parts Fast.
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