Drive More Fuel-Efficiently

Has the price of gas got you thinking about biking to work or joining a car pool? Terrific! Those are both great ideas. But if neither of these socially responsible acts is practical for your situation, you’ll have to think about other ways to cut your gas bills. To help out, here are a few tips for getting more mileage out of a gallon of gas.

Adjust Your Driving Habits

If you're an aggressive driver, you'll pay for it… and not just by getting dirty looks from your fellow drivers! Speeding, jackrabbit starts, and slamming on the brakes can reduce your gas mileage by 33% on the highway, and 5% in town. Plus, by driving more sensibly, you'll probably receive fewer dirty looks — and tickets!

Don't Sit Idle

If the line at the drive-through is too long, turn off your engine. The rule of thumb is if your engine is idling for a minute or more, you're wasting more gas than you would by turning it off and starting it back up.

Obey The Speed Limit

For most cars, 60 mph seems to be the most fuel-efficient speed. Above that, fuel efficiency decreases by about 7% for every 5 mph. For example, if you're driving at 75 mph, you can expect 20% fewer miles per gallon.

Stay In Tune

Keeping your car tuned can improve your mileage by 4.1%. If you have a faulty oxygen sensor, fixing it can boost your mileage by nearly 40%. It’s well worth looking into.

Plan Your Trips

Don't crisscross all over town doing errands — plan your itinerary to avoid retracing your route. And practice multi-tasking. For instance, drop off the laundry, do your grocery shopping, then pick up the kids from school — in one trip. Plus, it's better to accomplish several errands while your engine is warm and running efficiently than to start with a cold engine several times a day.

Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated

Invest in a tire pressure gauge and use it at least weekly. If your tires are under-inflated, there's more rubber meeting the road, and your engine has to work harder. Plus, your tires will wear out faster. When your tires are inflated properly, you can increase your mileage by up to 3.3%.

Lighten Up

Another reason to pack light! When on a driving vacation, loading your roof rack with stuff you don't need like snowshoes for your trip to New Mexico or personal fitness equipment can reduce your fuel efficiency by nearly 5%. Even empty, a roof rack can cause aerodynamic drag.

Visit www.fueleconomy.gov‡ to find out more about increasing your gas mileage.