14 Gas Saving Tips

14 Gas Saving Tips

1. Buy gas early in the morning. (afternoon sun heats gas, causing it to expand, and you pay for more than you actually receive. Also, it adds to air pollution.)
2. Never top off your tank. Natural expansion will make excess fuel spill out.
3. After filling tank, lift the handle and count to 5 so the remaining gas you’ve already paid for trickles in.
4. Tighten the gas cap. Gas can evaporate from your tank.
5. Keep your tires fully inflated. (you lose 2% fuel inefficiency for each pound of pressure you are low)
6. Tighten the gas cap. Gas can evaporate from your tank.
7 Make sure your wheels are aligned. Otherwise, your engine & fuel work harder, not to mention your tires and suspension.
8. Get regular tune-ups and car maintenance checks.
9. Combine errands into one trip whenever possible.
10. Make sure you’re ready to go before starting the engine. Fasten your seat belt and take care of anything else you need to do. Idling for 2 minutes uses enough gas to drive ONE MILE !!! Parents, are you idling your car while waiting to pick up or drop off your students at school?
11. Try to rid yourself of the habit of “warming up the car” before you get into it. You are getting ZERO MPG, polluting the air, and most vehicles perform well without the warm-up.
12. Remove any unnecessary weight inside, and any unnecessary encumbrances on the outside. (Remove storage bins, bike and ski racks if not using them; your car will glide more smoothly through the air and thus you will get better mileage. Inside: are you hauling around things you don’t need to?) Added weight/air disturbance contributes to reduced MPG; think what happens when you stick your hand out the window while driving down the highway.
13. Close your windows; you will get less air drag. Hard to do on a nice day, though!
14. Avoid gunning the gas when the light turns green, racing to the next light, and screeching to a stop at the last second, unless you’re qualifying for the Indy 500. Yeah, you won the race to the next red light but your car has gulped a lot more gas, and you have just been hard on the brakes. Try to time your approach to the lights, but be aware of the traffic around (and behind) you.
15. Slow Down. Driving 55 mph instead of 65 mph can get your 3 more mpg.


/anniesecotips/mas/9/21/07/various sources