How to Get Better Gas Mileage with Your Car or Truck
The easiest way to get better mpg is to get a more fuel efficient car. When I switched from driving a Ford F-150 pickup truck to a Honda Civic, I doubled my fuel economy overnight!
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| Keep your gauge on full longer! Image courtesy of supakitmod at FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
But if you want (or need) to keep driving your current vehicle, there are some simple things you can do to get significantly better gas mileage. By working to improve both the vehicle and the driver, you could see 5 mpg or more improvement. You can see how much money a 5 mpg improvement in fuel economy would save you each month in fuel savings using the tables at:
How Much Would I Save on Gas with a More Fuel Efficient Car?
Improve the Vehicle to Get Better Gas Milage
Tip 1. Keep tires properly inflatedFuel Savings: 3 mpg
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| Valve stem tire pressure monitors cost under $10 Image source: Dr. Penny Pincher |
I installed valve stem pressure monitors on my tires. These cost less than $10 at an auto parts shop and are much easier to check than using an air pressure gauge. A colored indicator shows green when the tire is properly inflated- easy to check when you refuel.
Tip 2. Replace air filter when dirty
Fuel Savings: 3 mpg
A dirty air filter prevents your engine from getting optimal mpg. Air is routed to the engine for combustion through a path that includes the air filter. Its job is to make sure dust and debris do not get into the engine, but when it gets dirty, the flow of air to the engine is reduced which reduces your fuel economy. You can easily check and replace this filter yourself for about $10, or have this done at the shop with your oil change.
Tip 3. Remove extra weight
Fuel Savings: 2 mpg
I can tell when I have driven with passengers in my car- my mpg drops! This is due to the extra weight onboard. You can't do much about driving with passengers sometimes, but there may be extra weight in your car that you don't need. Do you keep lawn chairs in the trunk year round? Do you haul library books around for weeks until you remember to return them? Remove extra weight to boost your mpg. Avoid using your vehicle as storage space- you are paying to haul that extra stuff around.
Improve the Driver to Get Better Gas Mileage
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| Idling wastes fuel Image source: Dr. Penny Pincher |
Fuel Savings: 2 mpg
This adds wear and tear to your engine and doesn't get you anywhere. Turn your ignition off if you are stopped more than 1 minute or so. Avoid running your heater or A/C while parked- instead go inside a building and wait. This is one of the tricks that hybrid cars use to get good gas mileage- they turn off rather than idle.
Tip 5. Slow Down
Fuel Savings: 1 mpg
Driving above 60 mph cuts your mpg significantly. Speeding doesn't save you that much time: if you drive 10 miles at 70 miles per hour vs. 55 miles per hour, you would save only about 2 minutes. Choose a reasonable driving speed and set the cruise control to avoid having your speed creep up. Simply driving at or below the speed limit saves fuel.
Tip 6. Avoid rapid acceleration and deceleration
Fuel Savings: 1 mpg
Accelerate slowly and steadily. Try to time lights so you don't need to brake rapidly Keep your car's momentum going, accelerating takes a lot of fuel. Think of rapid acceleration as guzzling, slow acceleration as sipping.
Tip 7. Use a GPS navigation system
Fuel Savings: A lot if you get lost frequently!
Avoid getting lost- this wastes gas and time. Also a GPS unit can help you find more efficient routes with less traffic. City driving results in much lower fuel efficiency than highway driving due to the starts and stops. Most GPS systems have route selection modes where you can avoid traffic- this can help your mileage approach highway driving levels. You can find GPS systems for your vehicle starting around $100.
Tip 8. Climate Control
Fuel Savings: 1 mpg
Keep windows up at highway speed, use the A/C if needed. At slower speeds, or if you're stopped, you're better off to put the windows down. The engine has to work to turn the compressor belt on the A/C. At slower speeds, it is less work for your engine to deal with the increased drag from having the windows down than with running the compressor.
Recommended reading:
How to check your gas mileage: Step-by-step instructions to calculate miles per gallon (mpg)
How Much Would I Save on Gas with a More Fuel Efficient Car or Truck?
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