How To Make Your Car More Fuel Efficient and Save Big Money At The Pump

With gas prices so high most people who drive are interested in ways they can make their car more fuel efficient and save as much money as possible. There are a few things that you can do to save money on gas. The 13 tips below focus on making your car more fuel efficient.

Fuel Efficiency Tip #1 Take your car in for an oil change. Wal-Mart has a $20 oil change that includes an air filter check, tire pressure check, etc. Fouled spark plugs, a dirty air filter or clogged fuel filter will all affect your fuel economy. According to the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), replacing a clogged air filter can increase your mileage by 10 percent, while replacing an oxygen sensor could result in an improvement as high as 40 percent. Proper maintenance also means using the right octane gas and the recommended grade of motor oil. Check your owner’s manual for your vehicle’s recommendations and have maintenance performed regularly by a dealer or reputable mechanic.

Fuel Efficiency Tip #2 Use a sun blocker on your front glass. This will not only keep your car cooler, but prevent your steering column from heating up so much that it causes gas in your gas tank to evaporate as your car sits parked.

Fuel Efficiency Tip #3 While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 55 mph. You can estimate how much driving at a faster speed is costing you by figuring that each 5 mph you drive over 55 mph is like paying an additional $0.30 per gallon for gas. So if you are driving 65 mph, you are paying a total of $5.00 a gallon for gas ($4.40 at the pump, plus $0.30 at 60 mph, plus $0.30 at 65 mph).

Fuel Efficiency Tip #4 Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your car, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your car will lower your MPG by up to 2% which is about $0.08 per gallon! So clean out your car and remove all that old junk that just sits there. Your car should never be used as a storage on wheels.

Fuel Efficiency Tip #5 Try to drive with your car windows up. Driving with your car windows down will drastically lower your MPG. If you must drive with your window down because you don’t have air-conditioning, then only roll down your driver side window half way, while barely cracking your passenger side window.

Fuel Efficiency Tip #6 Don’t leave your car idling. As soon as you start your car, drive off. The