Tips to Increase Your Car's Miles Per Gallon

Saving gas is not only good for your pocket, but also you are saving the planet one mile at a time. Here are some pretty easy ways to get that extra mile.

 

• Don't accelerate quickly. – Don’t be an aggressive driver. Don’t speed up quickly from stops, accelerate into the fast line quickly on the freeway, and so forth. If you accelerate gradually, though, it can really help your miles per gallon. Your car won't be working as hard. You'll be a safer driver to boot.
• Let your car brake itself. – Most of us don’t do that., but I used to often wait until I was somewhat near a stop before braking down to a halt. Anticipate stops ahead of you and just let off the accelerator, letting the car slow itself down.
• Drive at the speed limit on highways and freeways. – Most of the people consistently drive 5, maybe 10, miles per hour over the speed limit.  Driving even 5 miles slower than the freeway speed-limit can do wonders for your mileage.
• Don't use the air conditioner. - This can be a hard one in the summer, but with fall settling in, it's not that tough anymore. Every time I turned the air conditioner off, I saw an immediate increase in my miles per gallon.
• Accelerate before hills. -  Accelerate before you get to a hill, and then let off the accelerator once you hit the hill. Let your momentum carry you up the foot of the hill. Accelerating before the hill is easier on your car than accelerating on the hill. If it's a big enough hill, you'll still need to accelerate while you're on it, but then you won't have to use the accelerator on the entire hill.

And now here are some things I haven't tested, but are supposed to help.

• Clean out your car. - A lighter car will get more miles per gallon.
• Check your tire pressure. - Low tire pressure makes your car work harder. Don't over-inflate your tires.
• Change your air filter. - A dirty filter will decrease your miles per gallon.
• Get a hybrid car. - Well, duh. However, hybrids aren't for everyone. If you have long stretches of highway or freeway driving, a hybrid won't give you much of an advantage. They are also less powerful when it comes to hills.
• Do more in one trip. - Less trips equals less gas.
Technorati Tags: Gas, Mileage