Improving Gas Mileage | How To Get Better Mileage
Gas mileage is one of the most important aspects of automobile ownership. You can save thousands of dollars on fuel a year just by having a car that has excellent gas mileage. Even if your car isn’t the best pick, you can still make some economical choices that can boost its value. There are many good ways you can try to improve your gas mileage even if you don’t have the most fuel-efficient vehicle on the market. You can start learning the tricks of the trade today and watch your smart moves flourish tomorrow. You can even boost the cash sale value of your car by learning how to get better MPG from it. The following are 10 things you can do that can improve the number of miles you can get for your money significantly.
How to Get Better Gas Mileage: Service Your Tires Regularly
One thing you can do to improve your gas mileage is to ensure that you always have proper tire pressure. Under Inflated car tires can cause your engine to work harder to make the car move. Invest in a small tire pressure gauge and check the pressure at least once a week to stay on top of any issues. Additionally, you should ensure that your tires are a size that works well with your car. Large tires use more engine power to rotate. It’s always wise to use the recommended tire size instead of trying to put larger tires on your car. You can find the manufacturer-suggested tire size on the inside of your driver’s side door jamb. You can never go wrong by putting the manufacturer suggested tires on your car.
Give Your Car a Tune-Up
A tune-up is the best thing that you can do to your car if you want to know how to get better gas mileage. A standard tune-up consists of getting new spark plugs put on your car. Badly worn spark plugs can decrease your fuel efficiency as much as 30 percent, according to authorities such as the National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence. Therefore, you will see a drastic drop in your fuel expenses once you replace the plugs on your car. Other tune-up services include fuel filter replacements, timing adjustments and the like. All of those services can help your fuel-efficiency get better. Furthermore, keeping your car maintenance can increase its value in case you want to sell it one day.
How to Get Better MPG: Use the Correct Fuel Type
One of the biggest keys to improving gas mileage is using the right kind of fuel. You may think you’re saving money by using cheaper gas, but you that cheap gas could cause you problems that worsen your fuel efficiency numbers instead of improving them. Check the owner’s manual for the correct fuel type and use it or something of a higher quality. For example, you can put premium gas in it if the manual calls for mid-grade, but you should never downgrade to conventional gas.
Take the Highway Whenever Possible
Stopping and starting put more strain on your engine and requires more gas than highway driving does. For that reason, you should try your best to use the highway or open road as much as possible. Try it for a few weeks and pay close attention to your MPG numbers. You will most likely notice a significant increase.
Change Your Air Filter
Dirty air filters affect the way your car breathes, and the hard breathing uses up your fuel resources. A new air filter can help your car perform the way you need it to. The cost of a new air filter is less than $20 in most cases, and you can save hundreds of dollars because of it.
Clean Your Fuel Injectors
Another way of improving your gas mileage is having your fuel injectors cleaned. Clogged fuel injectors will waste fuel as they try to deliver the right amount of fuel to the cylinders repeatedly. You can remedy that problem by purchasing a bottle of fuel injector cleaner and running through your gas tank. Alternatively, you can take your car to a shop or dealership and have them perform a full fuel system cleaning.
Turn off the AC and Heat
Your heating and cooling systems both use a lot of fuel when they run. One of the tricks of the trade in improving gas mileage is to suffer a little. Roll your windows down in the summertime now and again to avoid turning on the air conditioner. Bundle up in the winter time to save money instead of running your heat for a long time. If you can’t stand to shut off the AC or heat, you can minimize the time you run it.
Improve Your Gas Mileage: Ease up on the Pedal
Everyone loves to put a little pressure on the pedal from time to time. After all, driving fast is fun. However, heavy-footed driving burns gas quickly. If you want to know how to get better MPG, you can do so by easing up on the accelerator. Calm down and give your pedal an even push from one destination to the next. Don’t rush to work or anywhere else for that matter. Slow down and watch how much less you have to refill your tank.
Cease Unnecessary Idling
If you seriously want to know how to get much better gas mileage, you can start by ceasing your unnecessary idling. Your car burns fuel quickly when you sit at idle without going anywhere. Thus, you can improve your MPG by shutting the car off when you wait for someone. You may want to skip a few of those trips to the fast-food drive-through window, as well, especially during the busiest hours.
Use High-Quality Motor Oil
You can also learn how to improve gas mileage by choosing a motor oil brand that enhances performance. Certain types of motor oil decrease the amount of friction within the engine. Many specialists say that synthetic brands have that advantage. Try a good synthetic brand the next time you get your regularly scheduled oil change and see how well it works for you. It’s worth a try.
Dump the Extra Weight
Finally, you can improve your gas mileage by decreasing the amount of weight your car has to bear when you drive. The more weight-bearing items you have in your vehicle, the harder your engine has to work, and the more fuel your car needs to keep running. Conduct a complete car and trunk cleaning session and remove any heavy items that you don’t need in the back of your car. You’ll be shocked by how fast you can gather 50 pounds or more of unnecessary baggage. You’ll be even more surprised about how long you get to ride on your fuel after you do that.
You’ve just learned several tips on how to get better MPG. Take the advice that you just read and put some of those practices into effect. Watch how your gas mileage improves over the next month and note it. Continue to do everything that works for you and build upon what you’ve learned so that you can keep a lot more of your hard-earned money in your pockets each month. When it comes time to sell your car and for an offer instantly for your vehicle, Call us today!