Driving Green! Get Better Mileage with a Few Simple Driving Tips
Posted Nov, 1, 2011
Rising costs of gas and environmental concerns over fossil fuel consumption make getting great gas mileage more important than ever. Many of us take fuel efficiency into consideration when we buy new or used cars, but what about the cars we already own?
Don’t count your current vehicles out yet! While there isn’t much that can be done (apart from an engine overhaul) to make a significant impact on your current car’s MPG, there’s plenty you can do to raise it slightly. Added up over time, an improvement in .5 to 3 miles per gallon can make a big impact – on the environment, and on your wallet!
Some of these tips are common sense reminders, and some may not be things you had thought made a different to your car’s mileage. While taking one or two of the steps below may not have a significant impact, being energy efficient in all your driving behaviors can make a big difference over time.
Try it out! Driving green is actually quite simple.
Get rid of junk in the trunk. Haven’t yet gotten around to taking those winter or summer tires out of the trunk and into the garage? Are you hauling around a load of such-and-such you keep forgetting to drop off at the so-and-so? Every bit of weight your car carries around increases its fuel consumption slightly, and over time, the difference between getting 23.5 MPG and 24 MPG can equal quite a bit. So empty out the trunk and give your car’s engine a lighter load!
Keep tires inflated properly. Soft tires are one of the biggest culprits when it comes to making your vehicle’s engine work harder than it should. Added on to this, unevenly inflated tires can cause alignment troubles and uneven tire wearing. Your car will run better – and require less gas and maintenance – all around if you keep the tires inflated at their recommended levels.
Routine maintenance! We’ve said it before, but it’s true: routine auto maintenance can improve your vehicle’s performance and lifespan – and that includes its fuel efficiency. Dirty spark plugs and dirty air filters waste fuel; spark plugs and air filters are something our technicians check at each maintenance visit. Sludgy engine oil, transmission fluid and other fluids can also cause your engine to work harder than it needs to. The bottom line: a well maintained car is an efficient car!
Don’t let the engine idle. While some older model cars (i.e. “classic cars”) may benefit from having a warmed engine block, modern cars don’t need to “warm up” before they’re ready to go – even in the winter time. Unless it’s well below freezing, one or two minutes is plenty of time for the engine to warm up. Sitting in the car with the engine on for more than 60 seconds uses more fuel than it does to start the car – so keep the engine turned off unless you’re ready to go.
Go the speed limit. The faster your vehicle goes above the speed of 60 MPH, the less fuel efficient it becomes – that’s just math. Going well over the speed limit not only puts you and others on the road at more risk, but it also makes your car’s engine less efficient.
Speed up and slow down gradually. If you’ve ever carefully watched a professional auto racer, you might have noticed that they do their best to avoid slowing down and speeding up quickly. When going around sharp corners, they’ll slowly ease into the corners and accelerate out, reserving natural inertia to propel their vehicle.
Regular street drivers like us could take a lesson from racers by relying on our cars’ inertia to help keep it in motion, rather than constantly braking and punching the gas. By letting your car gradually slow down before a red light or stop sign, slowly accelerating back up to full speed at intersections and following far enough behind vehicles that braking isn’t necessary, you can significantly reduce the amount of gas your car uses. This style of driving is particularly important for city driving, which requires more acceleration and deceleration.
