Fuel Economy Tip - Check Your Car’s Alignment
November 30th, 2006 | by Brian Carr |It’s been a while since I’ve posted an actual gas mileage tip, so I figured it was about time to get back to helping people save gas. Anyway, today’s tip will not only help you save gas, but will make your overall driving experience much better.
Make sure your car’s wheels/tires are in proper alignment.
When your car’s wheels and tires are out of alignment your car will pull either to the right or the left. A good way to check whether or not your car has good alignment is to let go of the wheel when you’re driving down a straight road (obviously, in very safe conditions when there aren’t other cars around) - if your car stays on a straight path it’s in proper alignment.
Anyway, the reason improper alignment will reduce your car’s gas mileage because you will need to use extra energy to help keep the car in a straight line. For example, if your car’s improper alignment causes the car to drift to the right the car will need to use extra energy to overcome the pull and continue in a straight line.
Where does this extra energy come from? If you said by needlessly burning extra gas, you’re right!
Improper alignment can come from many different factors - running over a big pothole, uneven tire wear, uneven tire pressure, etc. Whatever the cause, you should try and fix the problem as soon as possible.
This is probably one of the more subtle ways you can help increase your car’s gas mileage, but as I’ve stated all along, every little bit counts! And, in case you haven’t noticed, gas prices are back on the rise, so if you’ve been slacking, now’s as good a time as any to start getting back to practicing good driving habits!
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