Increase Fuel Mileage with These Cost Saving Tips

It’s not pleasant seeing gasoline prices go a little higher every day, but there are some simple things you can do to reduce how much money you spend on fuel every week. Some things you can do might require spending a little money up front to get improved fuel economy, but here are some fuel-saving tips that won’t cost you a dime:

• Keep your car clean. Especially at highway speeds, a clean car produces less drag than a dirty car, so you don’t have to burn as much gasoline just pushing the air out of your way.
• If you aren’t using your roof rack, store it in your garage. Roof racks and other things that stick up from your car create wind resistance, so keep the outside of your car as smooth as you can to improve your gas mileage.
• Unless you carry sacks of sand to improve traction, don’t keep heavy things that you are not using in your trunk or truck bed. The lighter your load, the better your gas mileage, so find somewhere else to store your stuff.
• Use your gas pedal and brake pedal gently. Anticipate red lights and stop signs as far ahead as you can, so you can take your foot off the gas and glide to a slow stop. Avoid jackrabbit starts when the light turns green.
• Drive a little slower on the highway. Your car gets better mileage when you cruise at 55 or 60 miles per hour than it does if you go 75 or 80. As long as you are not creating a safety hazard by moving slower than the flow of traffic, you will save money on gasoline and maybe speeding tickets, too!
If you follow some of these cost saving tips, you might be surprised at how much you save on gasoline. And, don’t forget the obvious things like keeping your tires inflated and carpooling with friends.
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