With gas prices as high as they are, it’s important to get the best possible fuel economy. While buying a more fuel efficient vehicle is the best way to save money on gas, it’s not always practical to buy a new vehicle. There are many ways to save gas with your existing vehicle. You may be surprised at the amount of money you can save by following fuel-efficient driving practices. Read on for some simple tips on how to improve your fuel economy.
It can improve fuel economy for even the most inefficient vehicles. To begin with, the efficiency of the engine has a huge effect on the amount of gasoline that should be consumed. Best of all, it’s easy to improve your vehicle’s fuel economy by making a few simple upgrades. Fuel and air filters have a big effect on the fuel efficiency of your engine. Both parts are relatively inexpensive and easy to replace.
The air filter ensures that fresh, clean oxygen is provided to the engine, so that combustion can occur easily. The dirtier the air filter, the more difficult it is for combustion to occur. If an air filter becomes excessively dirty, considerably more fuel will be required for ignition to occur. The same goes for the fuel filter, which removes impurities from the fuel. A clogged or dirty fuel filter restricts fuel flow to the engine and can cause poor combustion.
A tune-up can provide big fuel economy savings, so make sure you have one at least every 60,000 miles. Driving habits also have a great influence on fuel consumption. If you brake too hard, you’re probably driving inefficiently. Hard acceleration consumes a large amount of fuel. Accelerate smoothly and coast when possible to save fuel and improve economy.
Fuel efficiency also tops out around 60 MPH. After that, due to air resistance and the basic laws of physics, it becomes more expensive to accelerate. Traveling at speeds above 70 MPH consumes a large amount of fuel and greatly reduces mileage. Slow down just a bit and you can see some real savings in fuel economy.
These are very simple tips that can lead to much better fuel efficiency. Some take fuel economy very seriously, even going so far as to make it a sport, posting their scores online. This practice is known as hypermiling and employs techniques as extreme as turning off the engine while coasting. This is certainly something that can save fuel, but it’s also a bit risky, as most vehicles lose steering power and braking power when turned off.
5 steps to improve fuel economy
