As gas prices keep rising, Americans are faced with an option: drive less, or pay more at the pump? Driving less isn’t always an option, so it’s important to maximize your vehicle’s fuel efficiency to get the most out of your ride.
The following are some tips for doing so.
Modern life requires a lot of errands. Americans waste a lot of time doing these errands individually. (Supermarket in the morning. School in the afternoon. Post office after work.) With a little preplanning, you can combine your errands for maximum efficiency and minimum driving, which saves a significant amount of gas.
Even if you know where you’re going, traffic apps such as Waze can identify road work, accidents or delays, and typically picks the shortest route, which can add up to fuel savings.
In the era of flexible work hours and telecommuting, consider driving to the office less, or doing it at different times than the rest of the world. A 7:00 am to 4:00 pm workday, for example, could allow you to miss the worst of the stop-and-go traffic, which is brutal on gas mileage.
Stops and starts, and braking combined with spurts of acceleration, can increase your fuel usage by up to 20 percent. By using your vehicle’s cruise control setting on the highway, you can avoid the frequent acceleration/deceleration that burns so much unnecessary fuel.
Sticking to low optimal driving speeds can help a lot. According to FuelEconomy.gov, the official U.S. government source for fuel economy information, for every five mph you drive over 50 mph, you’re paying an extra 14 cents per gallon of gas.
Although it may make your ride a little rougher, experts maintain that to get the best mileage out of your car, up the tire pressure to the maximum listed on the sidewall, which will reduce your rolling resistance and increase your gas mileage.
Tires maintained in optimal condition are one of the greatest contributing factors to fuel economy. To extend the life of your tires and ensure that your car is operating at the best possible efficiency, schedule regular professional checkups for your tires.
Contact Tire Country Auto Repair to schedule a full-service check-up and maintenance session for your tires to ensure you’re not wasting fuel. Enfield, Connecticut-based Tire Country sells and maintains all brands of passenger vehicle and light truck tires as well as industrial tires. Our staff will help you understand the basics of tire care and maintenance so you can get the best possible fuel efficiency from your vehicle.
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