Saving money on fuel is becoming more and more important as the price of gasoline rises.
In fact, it's a lot more expensive than it was even 5 years ago and does not show many sign of letting up.
If you own a car with an internal combustion engine (not electric) then you have to buy it.
There are however, lots of ways to save money on fuel that you may not even know about.
Implement these 5 simple tips today to start saving money on fuel.
1.
Make sure that your tires are inflated to the manufacturer's specification Check your manual to see what the tires on your car should be inflated to.
Typically for a passenger car this is between 30 and 40 psi.
Go to a gas station, check your pressures and add or remove air as needed.
Some estimates state that under-inflated tires can increase your fuel usage by 10% or more! This is such a simple t hing to do and yet often gets overlooked.
It is also noteworthy that driving on over-inflated tires will cause premature wear on your tires, change the handling characteristics of your vehicle, and potentially cause a dangerous blowout 2.
Keep your car in excellent mechanical shape Your fuel economy can be affected by dozens of different mechanical issues, from minor to major.
Anything from dragging brakes to dirty oil, worn bearings, plugged filters or exhaust can all cause your car to use excessive amounts of fuel.
These things can happen slowly and many car owner do not notice that their tires are a little low, oil is very dirty, and brakes are dragging slightly.
Have your car checked regularly by a mechanic to ensure it's in tip top shape to be sure that you're spending as little as possible on fuel.
3.
Accelerate slowly When trying to decrease your fuel usage, it is important that you learn to optimize your driving habits for maximum efficiency.
Quickly accelerating from a stop is usually unnecessary and uses far more fuel than slow, gradual acceleration.
When safe to do so, apply soft, gradual pressure on the accelerator to get up to speed slowly.
Also, try to avoid accelerating up hills.
When approaching a hill, maintain your speed or increase it slightly before the hill, and then maintain your foot position up the hill.
Your car will slow down naturally and then regain it's speed once over the hill.
This should only be done when safe and practical to do so.
4.
Try not to stop Any time that you come to a stop, the expensive gasoline that was burned to get you up to speed is converted to heat energy and wasted through braking.
Watch early light-change indicators to know when lights will change and instead of approaching the light quickly and braking suddenly, slow down gradually and roll slowly until the light turns green again.
You can save quite a bit of energy just by slowing down a little well in advance and resuming speed once the light turns green instead of braking to a complete stop.
You should use your discretion and do this only when safe.
5.
Remove any unnecessary items from your car Hauling around a bike rack, roof box, roof rack or trailer you are using much more fuel than you need to.
Anything extra on the exterior of your vehicle causes wind resistance that you need to overcome by pushing harder on the accelerator.
This adds up to increased fuel usage.
When your racks are not in use, remove them and put them in the basement or garage where they won't cost you anything! I recommend that before you carry out these tips, measure your mpg and then do the same after.
You will be surprised how much fuel you can save which means more money in your pocket.