One way to deal with increased gas prices is to drive less. Combine trips as much as possible. Walk, ride a bicycle, use the transit or share a ride with another. Car pooling as little as 2-3 times is very beneficial.
Slow down! Quick starts and stops are not only hard on the vehicle, but use a lot of gas. For every five miles per hour you go beyond 55 mph, you lose about one mile per gallon. A heavy foot when the light turns green also guzzles gas.
Avoid unnecessary braking and reaccelerating. Not only is this a waste of fuel, but it also is quite dangerous to those sharing the roadway with you. Pumping the gas pedal or revving the engine also caused a considerable loss of fuel.
Make sure in advance you know where you are going; lost fuel, patience and safety are jeopardized while looking for the correct route or lane.
Vehicle maintenance is more important than you think!
Keep the vehicle's timing and idle set properly. Make sure the vehicle has a clean air filter. Check the battery and radiator levels. If the engine needs a tune-up it could be wasting 15% (or more) of its fuel, due to misfiring sparks plugs, inefficient fuel system or malfunctioning emission controls.
Properly inflated tires are also important; for example, if tires are 8 pounds under inflated, it increases tire resistance by 5%, increasing fuel and tire wear.
If wheels are just ¼ out of alignment, another factor that affects rolling resistance, chalk up another 2% in fuel usage.
A cooling system thermostat stuck in the open position causes the engine to run too cool and reduces engine efficiency by another 7%.
A car left idling for 30 seconds can consume more gasoline than the amount used to start the car.
For each 100 extra pounds your vehicle carries, it increases fuel usage about one-half mile per gallon.
Use radial tires. They can improve fuel economy by about one mile per gallon.
Limit the use of your air conditioner. It consumes more than a gallon of gasoline for each tank full you burn!
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