Gas prices are soaring, and its a fact: money doesn’t go on trees. No matter what car you drive, you can do some simple things to get the biggest bang for your buck at the pumps.

1. Make sure your tires are inflated at the right levels.

Tires that are not filled completely/corrrectly suffer from rolling resistance on the road. When your tires are not in their proper condition, they car has to work harder to move down the road, thus using more fuel. You can find your correct inflation levels in your car’s manual or the driver seat’s doorjamb.

2. Economize your driving habits.

Don’t practice jerky driving habits. Don’t accelerate and decelerate quickly, make quick starts or change gears too often. Cars use a lot of fuel during hard acceleartion. Smooth constant speed and gradual acceleartions use less fuel.

3. Get the junk out of the trunk.

The heavier your car is, the more work it will take to move it around. Check your backseat and trunk for extra items that you don’t need to be carrying around. Avoid making your car your second bedroom.

4. Close the windows.

Open windows create drag and resistance. This forces the car to use more fuel to do its work. This is especially important on highways where your speed is high (the drag is even worse!)

5. Learn and use cruise control.

Maintaning constant speeds takes less fuel than accelerating. Make sure you know how to use your cruise control though before you use it. Cruise control can also help if you have a speeding habit.

6. Avoid idling.

If you know you will be stationary for more than one minute, turn off the engine. The fuel used to turn the engine on and off is less than what you’ll use up by idling.

See if these changes worked for you by keeping record of the miles you were able to drive on your next tank of gas.

Tags: car, cheap gas, driving, economy, gas, less gas, maximize, maximize mpg, miles per gallon, money, use less fuel

Related posts

• Go Green! (0)
• Pink, Pretty and on a Bike (0)
• Cool Carpools (0)