Ways to Increase a Car's Gas Mileage

More and more things are becoming constant in life. The first is taxes. Another is gas usage. To work around this, car owners continuously search for ways to save on fuel expenses through increasing gas mileage or practicing driving techniques to do so, hence the term ‘hypermilers ’ was born. This refers to people who use extreme and dangerous driving techniques and practices to increase fuel economy or MPG. Some of the techniques advocated by the hypermilers are illegal and extremely unsafe for road driving. However, there are still effective ways to save on fuel without sending you straight behind bars. Let’s start from the easiest

First off, you need to know your car’s miles per gallon or liter. You may do so through different sites online that provide calculation of any car’s gas usage per gallon. One of these sites is Mpgbuddy.com, or Trackyourgasmileage.com. If you are still insure, you might want to go the expensive route and find out by filling your tank to the pump cutoff, then zero your trip counter. Once your have used up all this full tank, divide the number of gallons or liter you last put in by the new data on your trip counter. The figure you got is more or less your car’s miles per gallon (MPG) or gas mileage.

Lose the extra weight

Yes, just like the human body, a car's gas mileage will increase by ridding it of unnecessary weight. Do so simply by cleaning up the trunk, the cabinet under the dashboard, and the seat pockets. Get rid of all the junk. Many people have the habit of having unused stuff lying in their backseats. The excess weight prompts that car engines to use more gas. Less is indeed more in if you want to increase a car's fuel efficiency.

Ease up on the gas pedals

Avoid sudden acceleration or deceleration and don't floor the gas pedal when coming from a full stop, nor brake hard from full speed. This guzzles up more gas than necessary. It also wears out both pedals easily. To avoid this, anticipate possible stops or road blockage ahead so you can instead cruise and release the gas pedal earlier.

Park in the nearest or first spot you find.

Some people have a preference for parking spaces but is it really worth it when you have to drive all the way to the other end of the parking lot? Make it a habit to park in the first vacant spot you see instead of looking for that perfect spot.

Avoid idling even for short periods of time.

As much as possible, avoid idling and turn off the car’s engine while doing so, or much better find a waiting lounge or area. Your wallet will not only thank you for it but so does Mother Nature. Idling is one of the top causes of global warming. Moreover, idling causes deterioration to car components such as the radio.

Use GPS (Global Positioning System)

By doing so, you will know which routes are the shortest and fastest distance. It will also help you avoid hills or stops which makes your engine use up more gas. If not, you may also use online sites like Google Earth or Wikimap to help you calculate the distance you travel regularly to work and give you options on other roads to save more fuel. Some mobile phones like Nokia or iPhone have their own GPS applications you can use for this purpose.

Regularly clean or change air filters

A vacuum cleaner needs periodic cleaning of its filters to achieve its efficiency, and so is a car's filter. The air filters trap out the everyday dust and it is bound to get clogged up sooner than you think. Make periodic cleaning or change filters when necessary. You may go online to check where your car filter is located or ask your maintenance technician. Changing your car’s filter is not rocket science so learn how to do it.

Increase car aerodynamics be removing unused roof rack

This means having as little drag as possible when your car is running. Drag requires your car engine to work more hence more fuel usage in the process. If your car has an overhead or roof rack, remove it when unused or when you know you use it only once a month for that out of town camping or biking trip.

Keep car in top condition

Regular car maintenance check-ups will do most of the work for you. But doing your own weekly periodic check-ups, like making sure everything is working properly under the hood would not hurt either. Make sure all the necessary fluids (brake, engine oil, transmission fluid, and air coolant) are in the recommended levels or do not fall below the minimum. Moreover, change oil as recommended by your car’s manual using the proper grade of engine oil.

Having a car is like getting an additional family member, so make sure yours is in tiptop shape all the time. Prevention is always better than having to spend more because your car broke down unexpectedly due to improper maintenance or uses up more gas which drains your pocket in the long-run. 

Proper Tire Pressure

An underinflated tire causes your engine to use more fuel due to increased rolling resistance since the contact and friction with the road is greater. Keeping your tire pressure in the proper or appropriate range is one way to increase your car mileage per gallon. Check tire pressures every week if you can. If you are clueless on what proper tire pressure for your car is, try to see the owner’s manual. It contains information on the proper tire pressure for your car under hot or cold weather conditions. Similarly, avoid overinflating your tires, as they can cause difficult handling and your tires become dangerously prone to punctures.

Know when to use the airconditioner (A/C)

Turning on the cars air conditioner uses up more or less 8 horsepower, thus, additional gas thereby further decreasing you mileage per gallon/liter. When it is a cold day, try not to use you’re A/C or just turn on the fan, but this is only advisable at lower speeds or city driving. When driving in a highway or for long trips, it is much more fuel-efficient to use the A/ C instead of keeping you windows open as they cause more drag, hence more gas usage.

Find out what is the appropriate speed for your car for it to use gas more efficiently, it can be within the range of 40-65 mph. Higher than this, you car requires more engine power hence, is bound to use more gas as you speed along.

Put all these into practice and expect to increase your mileages per gallon (MPG) by 15% - 35%. That could mean putting back in your pocket an average $500-$1000 per year, depending on your car make or model. It might be not much but that's still money going out of your pocket and getting wasted. Money that should have been put to better use.