Today’s gas prices are hard to believe. Filling up a tank can make anyone cringe, especially when a refill is needed once, twice, or even three times a week. The gas-guzzling SUVs that were so popular 10 or 15 years ago now cost their owners an arm and a leg to drive around, and when fuel prices approach or surpass $4 per gallon, even moderately-efficient car drivers start thinking about biking to work. Cutting down on your driving is never a bad idea, for both your and our planet’s health, and public transportation and even carpooling are great ways to save money on gas. If you are looking into replacing your car with either a new or used vehicle, you would be wise to make fuel efficiency your top priority. But for those of you who rely on your cars and barely have the bills to fill up your tank, let alone buy a new car, follow these tips to make sure you are getting the most miles per gallon out of your current car.
First, here are a few simple driving strategies that can help you get more out of your car than you ever thought possible. Aggressive driving tactics such as speeding, rapid acceleration, and frequent braking should be avoided at all costs because of how much they reduce fuel efficiency—by 5% in the city and 33% on the highway! In general, higher speeds waste more gas: on average, for each 5 miles per hour over 50 mph, you pay an extra $0.25 per gallon. When going long distances on a fast, open highway, using cruise control keeps the car at a steady speed and saves lots of fuel. Also, whenever possible, avoid driving in heavy traffic, because idling and constantly starting and stopping use up gas quickly. Excessive idling, which burns from ¼ to ½ gallon an hour, is common driving faux pas that is easy to stop. Another easy gas saver is losing weight; no, not from your body, but from unnecessary heavy objects in your car.
There is a hot debate about the efficiency of using air conditioning versus driving with the windows open. Both will reduce your car’s fuel efficiency, but on those brutally hot days when you need at least something to cool down, follow this rule of thumb: turn the AC off and roll the windows down up to 40 mph, at which point the open windows’ air resistance wastes more gas than the AC.
Finally get your car checked and fixed to make sure your engine is not wasting extraneous gas. Simple tune-ups like replacing the air filter and replacing dirty oil can save gallons of gas. Also, buying radial tires and keeping them well inflated can make a huge difference.
How to use this Information
If you feel like you could be getting more out of your car than you do now, bring it into Accurate Auto Body shop. We are your Colorado collision center, but we are also eager to advise you on fuel efficiency and help with seasonal tune-ups that every car needs. If you have bigger car problems than wasting gas, bring it into the only Denver auto body shop that treats every customer with the loyalty and respect they deserve. From car painting to dent repair to car window replacement, we are here to help out all Denver and Aurora car owners.
Tell us how you improved your fuel efficiency or any other tips that have helped you save money behind the wheel!
