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This week, we’re covering even more ways for you to save money on gas as prices continue to inflate across the United States.
Take Care of Your Vehicle
Taking care of your car means your vehicle is using fuel efficiently. When your car has to work harder through lack of maintenance, you burn gas faster. Always keep your car up to date on the maintenance items – change the oil, rotate the tires, and get your brake pads checked every time you go to have maintenance work done.
Make sure your car is adequately tuned, too. Filters, spark plugs and belts may need to be replaced. Valves may need to be adjusted in older vehicles. Fluids should also always be topped off. A tune-up is the perfect time for your mechanic to do a once-over of your entire system and alert you to any potential problems or parts that will need to be replaced in the coming months. Keeping track of your car and its care is an essential when it comes to gas efficiency.
Drive Slower and Less Aggressively
We don’t need to rev our engines and peel out from red lights every chance we get. Not only do these activities wear out your vehicle much faster, they also burn gasoline faster. Beyond that, avoid speeding and drive slower. This also burns gas at more even rate than it does when you’re constantly driving fast.
The rule of thumb is once you exceed 50 MPH on the road, your gas mileage gets worse, fast. Take it slow, ease into stops and braking, and try to reduce the amount of time you’re driving faster than fifty.
Be Mindful of What You’re Hauling
If you need to be on a tight budget, avoid heavy hauling or cargo transportation. Carpool with friends and family and take turns, especially if you have a large family. When your car hauls a lot of weight, whether that’s numerous passengers or cargo, it burns gas much more rapidly.
Don’t Leave it Idling
Don’t leave the car running for long periods if it’s idle. This burns gas for no reason at all; put the car in accessory or simply turn it off. Billions of gallons of gasoline is burned every year while vehicles sit idle, according to the AFDC (Alternative Fuels Data Center). Don’t waste your gasoline sitting idly, especially not with environmental changes and fuel inflation being heavy concerns at this time.
