Steem Gas Saving Tips

1. If your car does not call for high test fuel then just say no. Really the only cars that need these types of fuel are on the race track. Any modern day car will run just fine on regular fuel. Of course you will loose some minor performance if your car actually calls for high octane gas in the owners manual. Modern days car will adjust themselves to run on different types of octane grades. This was not the case years ago for cars that used carburetors.
      

2. Tire pressure can not only save you gas mileage it will also save your tires lifespan and possibly save your life. Under inflated tires will give you a smoother ride but will wear your tires out prematurely. They also create more rolling resistance and in turn decrease your gas mileage. On the other hand over inflated tires will give you a bumpier ride and the tires will also wear unevenly. The best bet is to check your owners manual for the proper tire pressure. Usually 32 psi is a good standard. Handling also improves with proper tire pressure. Helping you avoid obstacles in the road with sharper steering possibly saving your life.
      

3. Cruise control helps your car maintain a pre set speed. Instead of speeding up and slowing down. This is a sure fire way to waste precious gasoline. If you set your cruise control at or near the speed limit the police will also be very happy with you including your insurance company.
      

4. When your car is traveling down the highway you have a certain amount of drag your car produces. The faster you travel the higher the drag becomes. Driving at 55 mph is in my opinion a perfect speed for gas mileage savings. Anything over this speed your gas mileage will suffer. Next time you are driving check you cars computer gas mileage. Reset it at 55 mph and see what your current gas mileage is. Then speed up to 65 if the speed limit permits and see how much your gas mileage will drop. You can assume that each 5 mph you drive over 50 mph is like paying an additional $0.25 per gallon for gas.
      

5. Extra weight. Just having a few items in your trunk can damage your gas mileage. For every 100 extra pounds of weight in your car can reduce your gas mileage by 2%.
      

6. Avoid Excessive Idling. If you are going to be parked for a long or short period of time it is much better to just shut off your car. Restarting your vehicle uses a very small amount of fuel. A good rule of thumb is anything over a minute I shut the car off.
    

 7. On the freeway you are better off leaving your windows rolled up and the air condition on. The drag from the windows being down will use more gas then running your air conditioner with the windows up.
      

8. If it is safe a good way to save gas it to follow another car in front of you on the highway. This creates a break in the wind drag resistance. Since the car in front of your is tacking on most of the drag you will increase your gas mileage drastically.