AUTO INSURANCE ARTICLE

Maximize Your Fuel Efficiency: Top 6 Tips

By: AutoInsuranceGuy

With the continuous upsurge in the price of gas, buying a fuel-efficient car is the most sensible thing to do. Many of today’s car buyers make this their top consideration in buying their cars. Studies show that these days buyers value gas mileage more than the type or model of the car they buy.

But whether your car is fuel efficient or not, there are still lots of ways you can do to increase your gas mileage. Your personal driving habits actually have a big effect on your fuel use. So here are some of the driving tips you may start applying now to turn your fuel guzzler into a fuel saver:

Drive gently and with care: Some of the great gas-waster habits are aggressive driving-speeding, rapid acceleration and hard braking. According to studies, these bad driving habits can actually reduce your fuel efficiency by 33% at highway speeds. In addition, reasonable driving helps you save more than your gas money, it actually saves you and others from unexpected accidents.

Drive slow: Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds over 60 mph. Each 5 mph above 60 mph is like paying an additional $.10/gallon for gas. Also, the aerodynamic drag on your car increases noticeably the faster you drive. The drag force at 70 mph is about double that at 50 mph, so keeping speed down can increase your mileage considerably. Aside from saving gas, driving slower also is the safest way every time you hit the road.

Drive at a constant speed: For every time you speed up your car, you use energy, and you consume more fuel. Therefore it is most efficient to keep your speed at a constant rate, this will definitely improve your gas mileage.

Avoid Idling for long periods of time: Idling gets you nowhere yet consumes your fuel and money. More so, idling is hard on the engine and adds to toxic emissions. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than those with smaller engines. If you think you will stop for more than 30 seconds, it is more efficient if you turn off your engine. However, if you’re driving a fuel-efficient car like a hybrid, your electric motor is on when you idle, so you’re not wasting any gas at all!

Minimize the use of air conditioning: During hot weather, using your air conditioner can increase your fuel consumption by more than 20% in city driving. Whenever possible, close all windows and use the air vents to circulate air instead of air conditioning. You will improve your fuel efficiency in summer by minimizing the use of air conditioning and using your car’s flow-through ventilation, especially on the highway.

Keep Your Car in Shape: Maintaining your vehicle in top working condition saves you fuel and money, and reduces long-term maintenance costs while minimizing harmful emissions. Here are some of the useful tips to keep your car in shape:

1. Always keep your engine properly tuned. Get regular tune-ups if your car has failed an emission test or is out of tune. Doing this can increase fuel efficiency by 4%.

2. If your car has a faulty oxygen sensor and you have it fixed, gas mileage could improve as much as 40%.

3. Make sure the spark plugs, if you have them, are firing properly, replacing them when necessary.

4. Check & replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged air filter could improve a car’s gas mileage by as much as 10%.

5. Your gas mileage can increase by about 3.3% if you keep tires inflated to their proper pressure. It takes more effort and gas for the engine to propel an underinflated tire than a correctly inflated one.

6. Be sure to use the correct gas for your car. It’s not necessary to buy the "super" high-octane gas unless your car manufacturer recommends it or your engine knocks without it.

If you keep above tips in mind and practice them every time you drive, you will surely save on your gas money. So beat the upsurge in fuel price by being smart and wise.