5 Tips To Better Mileage

Summer is a time when people drive.  They drive for family reunions, for vacations, and just to get out while the weather is nice.  It is also a time when gasoline prices rise and everyone grumbles about them.  There isn't really anything we can do about gas prices, but there are 5 things we can do to improve our mileage so we don't have to buy as much gas.

1.  Driving at the right speed.  Most vehicles built since 2001 get their best mileage between 90 km/hr and 105 km/hr, which speed is best depends on the vehicle.  Fuel mileage declines rapidly as you go over the 105 m/hr mark.  A heavy foot will cost you money for gas.  Slow down a bit and you will save.

2.  Avoid stomping on the gas and then stomping on the brakes.  A vehicle uses a lot of gas when it is trying to accelerate, even more if you are trying to accelerate quickly.  Learn to slow down a bit arriving and leaving intersections and stop lights.  This will reduce gas usage and save you money.

3. Don't idle a vehicle.  Idling not only uses up fuel, but it is also hard on an engine and not good for the environment.  The engine does not fully burn the fuel because it is not running at its hottest, meaning you are just wasting fuel.  Many people run a vehicle to run the air conditioning or the heater.  For air conditioning, it is far less expensive to roll down the windows and turn the vehicle off.  For warming up a vehicle in the cold winter, it is far better to let it run just for a minute or 2, and then drive (with the windows scraped off).  The engine warms up much more quickly driving than it does idling.


4.  Maintain your vehicle.  This includes everything form having the proper tire pressure to having clean filters.  If your vehicle is not well maintained it has to work harder to do the same work, meaning it is using up more fuel.

5.  Use a fuel efficient vehicle.  This may sound silly, but I hear people with big SUVs or dually trucks complaining about their mileage all the time.  The reality is certain vehicles simply get poor mileage.  If you use a truck to drive by yourself into town to get groceries and other running around, then the mileage will be bad.  If you use a small car, the mileage will be much better.

As an extra, in the research I was doing for this article one interesting item popped up: tighten your gas cap.  Gasoline wants to vaporize, and given the chance much of it will simply vaporize into the air, especially on hot days.  Tighten your gas cap to prevent your gas from just floating away.

None of the above items are new or astounding, but unlike gas prices, you can control the items listed above.  Enjoy the summer and the beautiful country we live in, and get the best mileage you can by taking care of your vehicle. Jerry