If there’s one thing every driver wants to avoid, it’s frequent stops at the gas station. These days, better fuel efficiency is becoming standard in new cars, but what about those who have some older models? As it turns out, there are a few things you can do to help save just a bit more on gas…
Fuel Efficiency: Saving Money & Gas
Keep a constant speed
The first thing to do in order to improve fuel efficiency is to watch your speed. Sudden changes in speed can really impact your gas mileage. That means you’ll want to avoid sudden acceleration and breaking as much as you possibly can.
Instead, try to maintain a constant speed as best you can. A useful tool for this is cruise control. Not only can that help keep your speed consistent, but it’ll also make your drive a bit easier too. However, make sure not to use that as an excuse to get distracted behind the wheel!
Avoid traffic
Drivers hate traffic for plenty of reasons. It slows things down, can make you late for an important appointment, and also can impact your fuel efficiency. This is because of not just the constant stop-and-go nature of it, but also the effect idling has on your fuel economy. Idling not only wastes gas (about one mile for every 2 minutes idling) but also can harm your engine in the long run.
As a result, it’s a good idea to try and skip the traffic as best you can. You can make use of navigation apps like Google Maps to help with this. These apps will help you not only find the fastest route from point A to point B, but also give you real-time updates on the traffic. Again, just make sure you use them properly and safely!
Practice proper maintenance
For many people, car maintenance only comes to mind when something breaks or isn’t working right anymore. However, proactive maintenance is key for improving fuel efficiency. Being on top of your car’s needs goes a long way in helping you save on gas.
For example, properly inflated tires can save you about $.11 per gallon. A tuned-up engine can save you about $.15 per gallon, and good oil can save you up to $.08 per gallon. These might seem like small amounts at first. However, over the course of your car’s life, these can add up to thousands of dollars of savings on gas!