Wouldn’t it be great if you owned a fuel efficient car? But new cars, especially hybrids or alternative fuel vehicles, don’t come cheap.
Even though you’re stuck with a less than efficient car, don’t resign yourself to the misery of low fuel economy. You can improve the gas mileage in your current car if you change your driving habits and carefully maintain key parts of your vehicle. You might even improve your fuel economy in the next five minutes.
#1 Changing Your Habits
Driving efficiently is the best way to maximize your fuel economy. Here’s what you can do now to make a difference:
- Keep your windows closed: Open windows create a drag, like opening a parachute behind your car. This makes your engine work harder and costs you more at the fuel pump.
- Don’t stomp on the brakes or accelerate quickly: When you increase or decrease speed very quickly, you make your engine work harder, which needlessly consumes fuel. You can get 30% more out of your mileage when you start and stop more gently.
- Turn off your engine when you’re not using it: If you’re waiting for a train or for a traffic light that you know will take a few minutes, turn off your car. You’ll conserve fuel. You also shouldn’t leave your car to idle for more than a minute, even to warm it up. Just turn off your car if you’re not using it.
#2 Maintaining Key Parts of Your Vehicle
Certain parts of your car contribute more to fuel economy than other parts. Here are the aspects of your car that you should worry about:
- Tires: Your engine works hard to move the pistons that ultimately move your tires. If your tires have inadequate pressure, then your fuel economy will go way down. Check the pressure regularly.
- Fuel tank: The type of fuel that you put in your car also affects your fuel economy. Check your owner’s manual to see what type of fuel it recommends. Don’t select better or lesser fuel than the suggested fuel quality, because the highest-quality fuel might not make a difference in some cars.
- Engine: Make sure all of the parts in your engine stay well lubricated. Buy quality motor oil and change it often, because a well-lubricated engine also improves gas mileage.
- Interior: Are you storing a lot of unnecessary stuff in your car? The weight of your belongings may be costing you. Take all of the extra weight off of your car and watch your fuel economy improve.
Want to Learn More about Cars?
If you’d like to learn more about operating and understanding your car, North Shore Driving School can help. We offer many comprehensive training programs taught by government-certified instructors, like our GLP driving courses in Vancouver. Call us at 604-988-1138 today!