Here Are 13 Maintenance Tips To Help
Your Vehicle Perform At Its Optimal Level:

Tip #1: Maintain Your Tires At The Proper Pressure

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, about 30% of all vehicles had at least one tire that was 8 psi (pounds per square inch) or more under-inflated (below the manufacturer’s recommended level). Approximately 5% had all four tires severely under-inflated. Only 4% of the people surveyed said they checked tire pressure as a part of their routine maintenance. This means the other 96% did not.

What about you? When was the last time you inspected your vehicle’s tire pressure?

Before I started the research for this book, I didn’t realize over or under-inflated tires could affect gas mileage so drastically. After I found out, I immediately checked my tire pressure and was surprised to discover all four of them were under-inflated by about 3 psi.

After driving my car with the tires inflated at the recommended pressure for two weeks, I noticed my gas mileage had increased by 6.1%, saving me seven cents per gallon.

Though this may seem like a small amount, with the average national price for a gallon of regular gas close to the $3 mark, any mileage improvement helps keep more money in our pockets.

Experts say under-inflated tires can reduce gas mileage by as much as 2% per pound of pressure below the recommended level. In addition, under-inflation causes tires to wear out faster and makes your vehicle less safe to drive. While over-inflated tires usually don’t affect gas mileage as much as under-inflated tires do, the former can lead to handling problems and uneven wear.

If you haven’t checked your tire pressure in the last 30 days, I suggest you do it right after reading this chapter. Properly inflating your tires not only increases your fuel economy and makes your tires last longer, but it also can save your life. According to the Society of Automotive Engineers, low-tire pressure is the cause of about 260,000 accidents annually.

Why Do Tires Leak Air?

Tires usually lose some air in day-to-day use. This is normal wear for the tires and isn’t a problem (unless they lose 3 or more psi in a day), so you may need to add a few pounds of air periodically.

To find out what the recommended tire pressure for your vehicle is, check your owner’s manual or the label located on the edge of the driver’s door or door jam, the glove compartment, or the trunk. The capacity should also be embossed on the side-wall of the tire. If you can’t find it in any of these places, contact the manufacturer (or the service department of the dealership from which you bought your vehicle).

Tip #2: Get Your Wheels Aligned

Uneven wear on your tires will decrease your vehicle’s gas mileage. A wheel alignment will save you fuel and extend the life of your tires.

Badly worn tires may need to be replaced. Your mechanic can tell whether you need new tires or just a wheel alignment.

Here’s another way to find out whether your vehicle requires a wheel alignment: On a flat, straight, and traffic-free stretch of road, place your hands lightly on the steering wheel and drive at a steady speed. If your vehicle pulls to one side, then your wheels might be misaligned. Have them inspected by a mechanic.

Tip #3: Use The Right Tires

Remove snow tires during good-weather seasons. Driving on tires with deep tread makes your vehicle work harder and eat more gas. Also, when driving during the winter, avoid putting chains on your tires unless it’s absolutely necessary.

Using radial tires will save gas because there’s less friction between the tire and the road. If your vehicle isn’t equipped with radial tires, consider getting them when your old tires need to be replaced.

Tip #4: Replace The Air Filter

Your vehicle’s air filter prevents impurities in the air from harming the internal parts of your engine. Since a dirty filter diminishes air flow, it increases gas wastage.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy’s website, fueleconomy.gov, replacing a clogged air filter can improve your gas mileage by as much as 10%, which is about 15 cents a gallon in gas savings, depending on current gas prices.

To inspect an air filter, hold it up to a light. If you can see through it, it’s clean. If you can’t, it’s dirty, so replace it.

Tip #5: Change The Oil

Clean oil reduces the wear and tear caused by friction between moving parts and also gets rid of harmful dirt and grit from your engine. Changing your oil (as recommended by the manufacturer) can increase your gas mileage by 1 or 2 mpg.

Read your owner’s manual and follow the recommended oil-change schedule.

Tip #6: Tune Up Your Engine

According to fueleconomy.gov, a tune-up can increase your vehicle’s gas mileage by an average of 4.1%. Check your owner’s manual for the recommended tune-up schedule for your vehicle.

Whenever you see a malfunction indicator light (MIL) or a “check engine” light illuminate on your dashboard, have your vehicle inspected immediately.

Here’s an interesting fact about engine tune-ups: Mechanics say there’s no such thing as a “tune-up” anymore. It’s actually preventive maintenance that involves changing the spark plugs, air and fuel filters, PCV valve (which re-circulates partially burned gases from the engine’s crankcase to the combustion chamber), and checking engine performance. Tune-ups are for older vehicles that use carburetors instead of fuel injection systems.

Because modern vehicles have computers to control everything from idle speed to ignition timing, there’s nothing left to “tune” in the traditional sense, only basic engine maintenance is required. But since the public still associates the word “tune-up” with engine maintenance, most mechanics and service facilities continue to use it in advertising and promotions.

Tip #7: Check And Service Your Brakes

Most brakes drag, but if you feel yours do so more than usual, have them checked out by a mechanic. Many brake and tire shops inspect brakes for free. Driving with dragging brakes will increase resistance, causing your vehicle to use more gas.

Two of the most typical brake problems are: (1) calipers that are not fully retracting because they need to be replaced or rebuilt, and (2) drum brakes that are incorrectly adjusted.

Not only will having good brakes save you money on gas, they can also save your life.

To find out whether one brake lining may be more worn than the other, do this: On a flat, straight, and traffic-free stretch of road, place your hands lightly on the steering wheel and drive at a steady speed. After about 10 seconds, apply your brakes gradually. If your vehicle swerves to one side, then your brakes may need to be adjusted.

Tip #8: Service Your Transmission

If your vehicle’s transmission is not working properly, such as not shifting into high gears, you’ll lose gas mileage. Have it inspected by a mechanic immediately.

Tip #9: Check The Oxygen Sensor

If your vehicle is getting a much lower gas mileage than normal, it may have a faulty or failed oxygen sensor. Get a mechanic to inspect it. Replacing a faulty or failed sensor can increase your fuel economy by up to 40%. When an automotive technician tunes up on your vehicle, he or she should also examine your oxygen sensor.

Tip #10: Inspect Your Exhaust System

Inspect your exhaust system regularly, according to the instructions in your owner’s manual. A partially plugged exhaust or catalytic converter can cause your vehicle to eat more gas. Leaks, in addition to being noisy and fuel inefficient, will also release more harmful emissions into the atmosphere than a properly working exhaust system.

Tip #11: Check Fluid Levels

Check these fluid levels: oil, coolant, power steering, brake, and transmission. If you don’t know how, refer to the instructions in your owner’s manual or ask your mechanic (or a friend who knows how to do it.)

Tip #12: Wax Your Vehicle

Airlines spend a lot of money waxing and polishing their big airplanes to reduce drag and increase gas mileage. If you wax and polish your vehicle regularly, you’ll also decrease air resistance and save gas.

Tip #13: Repair Body Damage

If your vehicle has a crunched front fender, fix it right away, otherwise it will increase air resistance, causing your car to consume more fuel.

Many problems with your car can be corrected or identified with some simple things you can do on a regular basis. Not only will you be saving gas by keeping your car running at its optimum, you may also be heading off costly repair bills.

More important than either of these is that you will be keeping your car as safe as it can be. You may prevent a critical failure that could result in an accident.

Most maintenance should be left to the professionals. However, once a month you should perform the following checks to help identify and head off problems that can cost you fuel and money down the road:

1. Check tire pressure and look for signs of uneven wear or embedded objects that can cause air leaks. In winter, check tire pressure whenever there is a sharp change in temperature.

2. Check around the car and under the engine for fluid leaks. You can often identify the type of fluid that is leaking by its color. Oil is black, coolant is a bright greenish yellow, automatic transmission fluid is pink, and power steering and brake fluids are clear, with a slight brown tinge. All of these fluids are oily to the touch.

3. Check fluid levels, including engine oil, engine coolant level, transmission fluid and power steering fluid, according to the instructions in the owner’s manual.

4. Check under the hood for cracked or split spark plug wires, cracked radiator hoses or loose clamps and corrosion around the battery terminals.

5. Check for problems with the brakes. On a straight, flat and traffic-free stretch of road, rest your hands lightly on the steering wheel and apply the brakes gradually. If the vehicle swerves to one side, one of the brake linings may be worn more than the other, or the brakes may need adjustment.

6. Use a similar test to check for problems with wheel alignment. On a straight, flat and traffic-free stretch of road, rest your hands lightly on the steering wheel and drive at an even speed. If the vehicle pulls to one side, the wheels may be misaligned.

If there was a product that could increase the fuel efficiency of your vehicle’s engine by as much as 19%, while causing it to run smoother and produce dramatically less toxic emissions, would you use it? What if this product also represented a way to make extra income? Here is how to save money on something you must already buy, reduce your vehicles emissions by up to 80%, all the while, making you extra money simply by sharing with others.

Ethos FR+ Fuel Treatment added to your fuel, works to lubricate, cool, clean, and protect your engine for longer life, improved horsepower and increased mileage. When used in conjunction with Ethos FR Oil Treatment which is added to the oil, consumers have reported even greater mileage improvements and emissions reductions.

The ester molecules used in both Ethos FR+ Fuel Treatment and Ethos FR Oil Treatment penetrate and condition the metal quickly to clean and lubricate your engine. Millions of engine test hours have concluded that the first application will begin the process of reducing lost horsepower while causing your fuel to burn more fully, thus reducing the emissions output of your engine while improving fuel economy.

Ethos products clean upon ignition, they contain no harmful chemicals or metals, they are 99.99976% ashless upon combustion. Ethos FR+ Fuel Treatment is safe for use in all gasoline, E85, diesel fuel, bio-fuels, and Ethos FR Oil Treatment is safe for use in all motor oils, transmission fluids, power steering pumps and all hydraulic fluids. This product is non-flammable, bio-degradable, all natural. It has been proven to work.

The results for using Ethos FR+ and Ethos FR are an unmatched engine performance that is environmentally friendly while saving you money. Simply apply the products after every oil change and after every fill up. It couldn’t be easier. Add 2 ounces of Ethos FR+ Fuel Treatment to each 15 gallons of fuel after filling up. Add 1 ounce of Ethos FR Oil Treatment per quart of oil in the crankcase prior to each oil change.

Here are three tips to help you get the most life out of your car tires:

Keep your tires properly inflated
Keep your wheels properly aligned and balanced
Turn your wheels only while the car is moving

Each of these things will make your tires last longer, and I’ll tell you why.

Proper Inflation

Maintaining correct air pressure in your tires has been discussed as a way to improve gas mileage, so much that it almost sounds ridiculous. Overemphasized or not, it is still true, and it also improves the life of your tires.

Check your tire pressure at least once a week, and add air when the pressure is below the manufacturer’s recommendations. Check the owner’s manual for your car for the correct pressure.

If you find that one or more tires need air often, have your local repair garage check it for slow leaks, and fix them. A slow leak might be a warning sign that the tire will suddenly go flat, so spare yourself the trouble. Fix it before it gets worse.

And don’t over inflate the tires. There is a school of thought that if a little pressure is good, more pressure must be better, but this is not the case. An overinflated tire will bulge along the tread surface, so that only a small strip down the center of the tire is actually in contact with the road. This will cause the tire to wear prematurely down the center, and it also reduces traction because you have less rubber on the road.

If a tire is overinflated, which can happen when the weather gets warm or if you move from a low altitude to higher altitude, let some air out. Make sure your tires are inflated to the correct pressure, neither too low nor too high.

Alignment and Balance

You usually get your tires balanced and your wheels aligned whenever you buy new tires, and that’s good. However, if anything happens to unbalance your tires or to misalign the wheels in between tire changes, you should have it corrected right away.

Misaligned or unbalanced tires will wear unevenly, and that always means that they will wear out faster. They will last much longer if they are always properly balanced and aligned.

If you have a flat tire repaired, or even just a slow leak, make sure the tire is rebalanced before the mechanic puts it back on your car. They may charge extra for this service, but it will save you money in the long run. The tire will last longer, and you will get better gas mileage than you would get with an unbalanced tire.

Your wheel alignment should stay correct between tire changes, but if you drive on rough roads, you should have it checked regularly. You should also have the alignment checked if you had some unusual shock to your car’s suspension, such as if you hit a curb or a large piece of debris in the road.

With proper wheel alignment, your tires will last much longer. You will get bonus benefits of better, safer handling, improved fuel economy, and longer life of your car’s suspension and steering components such as tie rod ends and ball joints. The extra strain on the system from misaligned wheels also causes undue wear and tear on these parts as well as your tires.

Steer Only While Moving

Back in the days before power steering became commonplace, everyone knew this: It’s much easier to turn the steering wheel while the car is moving than while it’s stopped. In case you’ve never had the pleasure of driving without power steering, it’s worth the trouble to demonstrate this for yourself.

With the car parked on a slope, such as a driveway, and the engine off, turn the key to the “on” position without starting the engine. This will unlock the steering column. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left. It’s hard, but a person of average strength can do it with a little effort. Now, release the brake a bit to let the car roll slowly, and turn the steering wheel all the way to the right. It’s still difficult without the engine running, but much, much easier than it was when the car was not moving.

The difference is friction. When you turn the steering wheel and the car is not moving at all, you are rubbing the front tires sideways across the pavement. This rubs the tread off the tires and onto the pavement. No, you won’t see a flat spot on the tire after one bout of parallel parking, but the cumulative effect of doing this day after day is taking thousands of miles off the life of your tires.

Whenever you have to maneuver at low speed, such as getting in or out of a small parking space, make sure the car is moving – at least a little bit – while you turn the steering wheel. Even if the car moves as little as half a foot while you turn the steering wheel from one extreme to the other, you will save a great deal of wear on your tires.

And there’s a bonus here, too. If you turn the steering wheel while the car is stopped, where does the power to turn the wheels come from? Right! From the engine, and from the gasoline that you paid too much for. Steering only while moving will save you gas, as well as saving wear on your tires.

Conclusion

Much of the cost of owning and driving a car is related to your choices in how you drive it. Yes, you must replace your tires every so often. But you can make it a little less often, and make your expensive tires serve you a good deal longer, if you take proper care of them.

Your power steering system requires that you maintain the proper fluid levels at their optimum levels at all times. If you over fill the fluid, you create excess pressure in your steering mechanism which decreases horsepower and increases that likelihood that you will damage your power steering pump. If levels are too low, you create friction drag in your steering mechanism which also decreases horsepower and could lead to damaging your power steering pump.

You can have a mechanic check the fluid level next time you take you car for a tune up or oil change, or you can do it yourself at home. There are many different types of steering fluids on the market, with many claiming to have different chemical compositions that make them more effective than other brands. The best way to choose the right power steering fluid for your vehicle is to consult the owner’s manual that came with your vehicle to see what it recommends. If you can’t find that information, try contacting the car manufacturer to ask what they recommend. A final option is to consult your local auto repair shop and ask what the best fluid for your vehicle is.

To change the fluid, you will need to look at your owner’s manual to determine where the fluid should be added. Never put fluid into your car unless you are certain that you know where it goes. This can lead to damage to the engine that is so severe you will spend thousands to fix it. However, once you know where to add fluid, it is as simple as adding fluid, then checking the level. This simple step will save you money on repairs and improve gas mileage. If you ever notice that your vehicle is leaking fluid, you need to address this right away to prevent further damage to your car. This is a situation that will require help from a mechanic, so be sure to take your car to the shop right away if you see leaking fluid.

Maintaining your power steering fluid is just one of many ways to save money at the pump. Ensuring that your engine is tuned up and all the fluid levels are correct will improve your gas mileage, as will filling your tires to the proper air level. If you drive often, installing a fuel saving device can save you hundreds of dollars each year. Also, make sure to purchase the fuel recommended by your vehicle’s manufacturer to get the most out of your vehicle. Good maintenance doesn’t just save you money on gas, it can prevent you from spending on unnecessary repairs.

The air conditioner draws its power from the engine which uses some gas, but with today’s cars, this use of gas is minute. The air conditioner can decrease the fuel economy of your car up to 20% in some vehicles, but it depends on the type. Driving with the air conditioner is more fuel efficient than driving with the windows down. Driving with the windows down creates drag which means that your engine has to work harder to keep your car at the current speed; this burns more gas than if you just ran your air conditioner.

In the long run, using your air conditioner is far better than any other means of cooling yourself off in the car, unless you’re driving in traffic. When you drive in traffic you aren’t going very fast so the drag on the car is minimal. In these cases, you burn more fuel running the air conditioner than having the windows down. That makes sense. When you drive on the highway you can use either the air conditioner or the “window down” method to cool yourself, because, honestly, there is no noticeable difference in gas usage at those speeds.

Here are some tips about you and the heat in your car. Before you get into a hot car, roll down the windows and let it air out. There is nothing worse than getting into a hot car, sitting on a lava hot seat, touching a super hot steering wheel, and breathing stuffy super heated air. Your car needs some time to cool down for itself and for you. Once you believe it is cool enough to actually sit on the seat, turn on the car and run the air conditioner on recirculation. This will help the car cool down much quicker, and you can be on the road fast without sacrificing a layer of your precious skin.

So now that you know the air conditioner can be your fuel efficient friend, maybe you won’t be so quick to turn it off or ignore it in favor off putting the windows down and choking on bugs. The air conditioner in your car burns much less gas than your window method, so give your air conditioner a chance and be cool in the heat.

1. Keep your vehicle maintained

Surprisingly enough, statistically the nation as a whole does not do proper preventative maintenance on their cars. Did you know that if your oil is dirty, you are getting less fuel economy? If you don’t want to change your oil so often, there are many new oils out now that last for five, ten, even twelve thousand miles before you need to change it. It may cost a dollar or two more per quart but in the long run, you save money.

Also, most Americans don’t tune their automobiles up as scheduled. I conducted a private study for one of the companies that I used to work and contacted over 1000 auto dealerships and independent auto shops throughout the United States and Canada. I spoke to the service managers in all of these shops and the answers were the same everywhere I called.

Most people simply refused to have their auto’s tuned up on schedule. The customer would have the auto repair that they were there for and simply nothing else done.

Did you know that a cold firing plug can reduce your fuel economy up to 8 gallons per mile? The manufacturer of your automobile placed a schedule of when the auto should have the plugs changed. For most vehicles, it ranges from 12,000 to 30,000 miles. You should have the plugs and wires changed on schedule. If you would like to get plugs that last longer, consider a good set of platinum plugs. You can get Bosch platinum+2 for only a dollar or two more per plug and platinum+4 for a few dollars more per plug.

Change your timing belt on schedule.

It is most important that you change your timing belt as scheduled. There are a couple of reasons for this. Number one, as the belt wears out, your fuel economy gets worse. The second reason is because if your car is a V6 or V8 with duel overhead cams (DOHC stamped on engine), if it breaks, you are going to have very costly repairs in the long run. 9 out of 10 engines that the timing belt breaks in with DOHC bends valves. This causes you to have to rebuild the heads or replace the heads at a very high price.

Change your air filter on schedule.

This is again crucial to the fuel efficiency of your automobile. Just like us, your engine has to breathe. Without a clean air filter, you will burn a lot more fuel because you don’t have the proper air/fuel mixture. It is usually recommended to change them every time you change your oil, however, you may consider purchasing a K&N filter or one from one of their competitors that doesn’t have to be changed but merely cleaned. This will save you a lot of money over the lifetime of your car, plus if it needs to be cleaned, you merely blow it out with compressed air.

Make sure you have your PCV valve changed on schedule.

For even some of the best people who take care of their cars, this is a critical step that is often overlooked. The PCV valve doesn’t cost but a dollar or two and usually last as long as your plugs do.

Do an upper-end cleaning on your engine.

This is where you have your intake and valves cleaned. A few years ago, the intake and valve covers had to come off the vehicle to do this. Now, you can buy the chemical at the auto parts store yourself and clean the intake in about 15 minutes. The chemicals have the directions for how to do it, but believe me anybody can do it, and you don’t have to spend up to $600 for a shop to do it for you. It will instead cost you about $8.

Make sure that your tires are in good shape and aired at your vehicle manufacturer’s recommended pressure.

The tire may say that you can inflate to 50 p.s.i., however, that is maximum pressure for the tire. If you look inside the driver’s door at the inspection tag from the factory, you will find the manufacturer’s recommended tire pressure. It is recommended because they have performed many tests to find where the car performs best at and found that the best performance comes from this setting.

Have your transmission flushed about every 30,000 miles.

This keeps the vehicle shifting properly and also allows you to get better fuel efficiency. A standard flush doesn’t cost very much and can make your transmission last up to three times as long as it normally would.

Last of all, make sure that you change your belt as scheduled.

As the belt gets older and wears, a certain amount of slippage occurs, ultimately making you have to run the engine harder. It is also a good idea to keep it changed on schedule because of the unfortunate event that it breaks, you lose your power steering, a/c, and alternator.

2. Consider doing a few modifications to your automobile.

There are a few mods that you can do to you auto that will save quite a few dollars at the pump.

The first thing that you can do is replace your muffler with a performance muffler. Yes, they are louder but they also let a lot more exhaust flow through. This ultimately means you pick up horsepower and also fuel efficiency.

Case study: 1995 Chevrolet K-1500. Replaced factory exhaust with Dynomax dual outlet muffler and actually picked up 28 horsepower on the dyno and almost 2.3 miles to the gallon of fuel.

The second modification that you can do is change your air intake system and put a cold-air intake on it. This is going to cost anywhere from $200-$500 for the do-it-yourselfers and $400-$1000 to have it done at a shop. It does increase horsepower and fuel efficiency, but in the long run, isn’t really worth the money unless you just want it.

The last modification that you could do is put a hydrogen fuel cell on your car. You can actually Google this, there was a case study performed and the video is on YouTube of a guy with a Saturn. He was getting 37 miles to the gallon at baseline. He installed the cell on his car and actually got over 62 miles to the gallon. That is an incredible increase in fuel efficiency.

Coasting down an incline can save fuel because the engine doesn’t have to work to keep the car moving. However, it is against the law in many places to coast down hill in neutral or with an open clutch due to safety concerns. Turning the engine off while coasting is not a safe tactic because power steering and brakes are lost and there is a chance of the steering wheel locking. The benefit gained from coasting is also lost because fuel must be used to restart it.

Another trick that is becoming popular among hypermilers is to brake only when necessary. The principle of this hypermiling driving technique is to conserve energy by reducing the need to accelerate again. Conserving forward momentum is a good strategy, but extreme examples such as taking curves at unsafe speeds and rolling through stop signs should be avoided.

By optimizing your traffic route you can travel a shorter distance or avoid stop and go traffic. It may even be possible that a slightly longer route is more fuel efficient than a shorter route if it has fewer stops. Traffic with frequent stops hurts gas mileage because it takes more energy to accelerate than to maintain a steady speed.

Since tires create rolling resistance relative to their contact surface, some hypermilers overinflate their tires in an effort to increase gas mileage. It will reduce the tires drag against the road, but it will also lower traction and cause uneven tire wear. Having to replacing prematurely worn tires will likely offset any money saved from the small increase in gas mileage.

While it’s true that drafting a bigger vehicle may decrease wind resistance against your car, it’s one of the more dangerous hypermiling techniques. Following a large vehicle too closely reduces your field of vision and gives you less room to stop safely. Other drivers may find this irritating and likely won’t understand that you’re trying to improve your gas mileage.

Driving the posted speed limit is one of the simpler hypermiling techniques, but is a safe way to improve fuel economy. Most speed limits will keep the cars engine in an optimal rpm range which means less wasted energy. Cruise control is not only a great way to maintain the speed limit, but is also the most fuel efficient way to maintain speed.

Hypermiling: The act of changing the habits of how you drive.

It sounds great, until I read about what habits they want you to change. Of course, there are many safe ways to drive smarter. But some of the tactics are not only unsafe, they are illegal in some states.

One method mentioned was to tailgate a semi truck. They create huge “air wakes” that reduce drag on your vehicle to almost nothing. But driving that close behind a semi-truck can be a very fatal concept. One sudden move by the truck, and you put your life, your passengers’ lives, other drivers lives and even that trucker’s life at risk.

A second tip was to put your car in neutral and turn off your engine while driving. Power brakes and power steering both rely on the engine running to be effective. In some states, this act is illegal. The reason it is illegal is because it is very dangerous. If you have to take sudden action, you are less in control of your car than it was designed to be.

I have to go on the record as stating that there is nothing — and I mean absolutely nothing — that is worth putting so many lives at risk to save an extra mile or ten per gallon. Even if you save 200mpg, it isn’t worth it. There are, of course, smart ways to save money while driving.

Safe ways to save money while driving

The obvious way to save money while driving is not to. Walk, ride public transportation, or even a bicycle. I’ve mentioned on my blog ways to go without a car. But if you have to have a car, there are several safe and effective measures to save money while driving it.

1) Keep your tires properly inflated. Tires that are under-inflated can sap an extra 5mpg from your car. If they are over-inflated, you are at a much greater risk for blowouts and losing control on the road.

2) Maintain your car’s oil, belts and filters. It’s an inexpensive way to reduce your cars gas usage. A clogged air filter will take another three to ten miles per gallon off of your car’s mileage. But there’s more to it than that. Keeping your car’s oil, filters, belts and plugs maintained will take care of the majority of engine failures, which means a huge savings in future car repairs.

3) Drive the speed limit. Drive defensively, not aggressively. Driving aggressively will reduce your gas mileage and increse the wear-and-tear on your vehicle. But by driving the speed limit, you not only increase safety, you save money. It’s a win-win.

4) Keep track of gas prices in your area. You can find many gas-price-tracking sites online. Knowing which stations routinely charge less can save a few pennies here and there. Knowing what time the station chain raises and lowers prices. The station on the hill from our house is consistently lower, and after talking with the manager, I discovered that they always change the prices at 9am, 3pm and 9pm. By watching the websites, I can guess when prices are going to go up. If I fuel up at lunch, before the gas prices increase, I save even more.

5) Resist buying treats while fueling. When we stop for fuel, I have a soda addiction. My wife has to gently remind me so that I won’t go in and buy a soda while the pump is running.

LOSE WEIGHT

Weight is one extremely easy way to increase a car’s fuel economy. it has been estimated that for every 50 pounds of weight shed from a vehicle, fuel efficiency is increased 1%. For the lone commuter, this could be as extreme as removing back seats and floor mats. Additionally, all those plastic covers in one’s engine bay can be removed (make sure they are purely aesthetic and not functional; most are just for looks). Of course, losing weight oneself will also help. Saving gas can be another incentive for dieting!

INSTALL PERFORMANCE PARTS

If you are mechanically inclined, there are many aftermarket parts out there for most vehicles. Many of these are easy and/or cheap to have installed. Hi-flow air filters and intakes are probably the most popular, but there are other options. Hi-flow air filters likely do improve performance, but this may also come along with an INCREASE in gas usage, rather than a savings. Lightweight pulleys, alloy wheels, and performance ignition (such as high performance spark plugs, ignitions and coil packs) are all ways to get more bang for your buck. One must also consider however the costs of the products versus the savings in gasoline.

USE SYNTHETIC MOTOR OIL

Perhaps the easiest way to operate a vehicle more efficiently is to use synthetic oils. Not only do engines require motor oil, but transmissions, differentials, and power steering boxes do as well. Using approved synthetic substitutes will reduce friction and heat, which in turn will help a vehicle run more efficiently. Additionally, synthetic fluids tend to last much longer than conventional ones, which can likely save money in reduced maintenance costs over the years.