How to get better gas mileage – Part 2

Auto Maintenance / By

Better gas mileage

The best tip for better MPG

We already touched upon the importance of why we all need to get our oil changes regularly.  They will keep your car running in the best condition possible, avoid expensive repairs, and increase your fuel efficiency.

In part one of our how to get better gas mileage series we discussed 5 great ways to get better mpg out of your car.  Here is a quick recap:

  1. Check your air filter.  If it looks dirty or used up, change it.  This is cheap and extremely easy to do.
  2. Get rid of extra weight from your car.  All of the extra weight in the trunk, back seat, front seat, roof, etc. bring down the mpg of your car.
  3. Remove your roof rack when you aren’t using it.  Lightweight or not, a roof rack can significantly cause you to use more gas to drive.  It provides so much drag on your car that you will need almost twice as much gas to get the same distance.
  4. Keep your tired filled to the manufacturer’s recommended PSI.  Flat tires need more power from your car to get going and going faster.  More power is made by using more fuel.  Don’t overfill your tires though or they may burst at high speeds.
  5. Get an oil change.  This can get your car running much more efficient.  Your oil is the lifeblood of your car.  You wouldn’t want gunked up blood running through your veins, why would you let the oil get gunked up in your car?

Onto the 2nd part of this series:

We were going to provide 5-10 of a “top 10”, but instead are looking into a different route.  Changing your driving habits can significantly help increase your fuel efficiency.  In other words…

Slow Down!

Accelerating and Braking

Why is everybody in such a hurry to get to the next stop sign?  You are using way more fuel by accelerating hard and braking abruptly.  A test done by Edmunds.com found that unnecessary over acceleration and harder braking causes ruins fuel consumption of a Land Rover by 35.4% and a Ford Mustang by 27.1%.  Did doesn’t even take into account the more frequent tire and brake repairs that you’ll need by driving like this.

A tip to follow, lift your foot off of the accelerator as soon as you see a yellow light or a stop sign.  This way you coast to your next stop, and avoid pushing excess fuel into the engine.

High Speed Driving

There is an optimal fuel efficiency at different speeds for every car.  We don’t have access to that list so you’ll have to use 60 MPH as the go to speed.  Most cars optimal speed for best use of fuel is around this speed.  Accelerating up to 60 miles per hour will use a good amount of gas, but once you get there, you should try and stay as driving long distance at 60mph is better than driving the same distance at 30mph (following the speed limit of course).

Every little bit you drive above your car’s optimal speed is going to cost you dearly.  To simplify things, just consider that every 5 mph your drive over 60 mph is going to cost you about $0.28 more per gallon.  So those of you driving 75 mph our your commute home, that comes to about $0.56 more per gallon.  Gas technically went from about $3.79 up to $4.35 a gallon for you.  Imagine seeing that number on the gas station sign.

Use Cruise Control

We have already established that you should look to drive in the “sweet spot” or optimal speed for your best fuel efficiency.  Now you want to try and stay there when you drive long distances.Use Cruise Control for Better Mileage

Learn to use your cruise control.  This is the top way to keep your car in the right speed with the least amount of effort by your vehicle.  The human factor of speeding up and letting off of the gas is usually way under par to that of your car’s automatic ability to hold a steady speed.

 

There we have it.  Slow down and get better gas mileage.  You don’t have to race everywhere you go, and holding a good speed will keep your car in the right range for the best gas mileage.

Now as promised, we will return with more tips for better fuel efficiency.