Natural Family News

Let’s face it. Gas prices are unreal. So, short of trading in your vehicle for a hybrid, what can you do to save gas money?

There are many very common sense steps that you can easily take.

1. Make sure your car is tuned up. A car in need of an oil change, filter change, new spark plugs, etc. can hurt your gas mileage by several miles per gallon.

2. The easiest thing you can do is make sure your tires are properly inflated. Read your owner’s manual to find out what the tire pressure should be for your particular vehicle.

3. Allow your car to warm up for as little time, as possible. And don’t just sit around with the car idling, either. Both of these burn unnecessary fuel.

4. There is some debate on running the air conditioner. I live in Houston, and there’s no debate– I’m running the air. It’s 100 degrees out there. But for those of you who live in areas where foregoing air conditioning is a possibility, you should roll down the windows at lower speeds, but at higher speeds this might actually cost you more fuel than it saves. Try to get by with just the vents, if you can. I suppose I could use less air by trying to run errands early in the morning or after dark.

5. Keep your starts and stops smooth. Gunning your engine burns more fuel.

6. If possible, use your cruise control.

7. You know that overdrive choice in your car? Apparently this will save you money if you’re driving over 50 mph. I always wondered what it was for.

8. The higher your speed, the more money (er, I mean fuel) you’re wasting. Try to keep your speeds under 55. Obviously, this is not advisable in places where the speed limit is 70.

9. Run your errands at times when there’s less traffic. Try to commute in less traffic, as well. Stop and go traffic burns a lot more fuel.

10. This is the one that always surprises me– fill up in the morning. You get slightly more fuel for the dollar when it’s cooler outside.

So, I hope that helps. If you have a favorite fuel efficiency tip that you didn’t see mentioned here, leave it in the comment section.