Image by Abhi Here via FlickrIt is rather unfortunate that many of these extremely easy ways to increase gas mileage are still unknown by much of the general public. The gas prices and their constant increases have caused the economy to sputter, and have put a lot of pressure on lower and middle class families. It is important for these folks, along with everyone else that drives regularly, to know that they can save on their gas costs without making any extra financial investment!Many of the methods for increasing gas mileage are quite simple. For instance, did you know that having the proper level of air pressure in your tires can help you to save gas? It is true! Best of all, most gas stations and even car washes have free air machines that will help you to monitor and adjust your tire pressure according to whether it is a bit high or low.
You can also increase your gas mileage by avoiding certain things while driving. For instance, you can avoid using the air conditioning system in your vehicle, since air conditioning makes your engine work harder, which in turn means that you use more gas. At the same time, you can drive with the windows up on cold days, which will also improve your aerodynamics, and thus, your gas mileage. Open windows increase drag, which causes resistance that your car must overcome, after all.
Image via WikipediaAnother great tip for increasing gas mileage without spending a penny is simply to slow down a bit on the highway. If you stay at the speed limit for most highways (55 miles per hour), you will be operating your vehicle at right around the optimum speed for maximum fuel efficiency. Any faster than that, and you will be sacrificing fuel efficiency to get to where you are going just a little bit earlier. (It is estimated that every additional 5mph over this speed costs you 10% of your fuel efficiency.)You should avoid doing certain other things, as well, such as idling your engine while you run errands or buy items at the store. It is always better for your gas mileage for you to turn off the engine when you are stopped, even if you are only going to be gone for a couple of minutes. You are wasting gas if you leave your car running, since you have no need for it to be running when you are not going anywhere! You also do not need to “warm your car up” in the winter, as the only way to truly warm an engine up is by driving. If you want it to be warm inside when you get in, try to limit the amount of time you warm up the interior of the car, at least.
These are just a few of the free methods for increasing fuel efficiency. Try these ideas, and see how well they work for you!
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