Daily Fuel Economy Tip

Simple Things You Can do in Your Driveway to Get Better Gas Mileage

For those of us who enjoy working on our cars (or don’t particularly enjoy it but know that it’s a necessary evil) there are plenty of simple things we can do to help maintain our cars and keep them in peak running condition.  Not surprisingly, cars that are properly maintained also tend to get much better gas mileage as well. 

Here are some simple car maintenance things you can do yourself in your own driveway that will help keep your car in good condition as well as help to increase its gas mileage:

1. Check your tire pressure. Improperly inflated tires can reduce your car’s gas mileage by up to 2%. Considering your tires will naturally lose roughly 3% of their air pressure each month, this is probably the task you’re going to have to do most often. Go ahead and spend a couple of bucks on an air pressure gauge, and when the pressure gets below what your car’s manufacturer recommends, go ahead and put some extra air in the tires the next time you’re at the gas station.
2. Replace dirty air filters. An excessively dirty or clogged air filter can cause your car’s gas mileage to drop by as much as 10%. Most air filters are easy to check, take less than five minutes to replace and should set you back less than $15.
3. Replace worn spark plugs. Driving around with worn or fouled spark plugs will cause your car’s air/fuel mixture to be ignited less efficiently, and will reduce your car’s performance and fuel economy. This job may take a little bit of time, but it shouldn’t take too much money.
4. Check your gas cap’s gasket. If your car’s gas cap doesn’t get a proper seal, you’re going to let gas simply escape from your car. If the gasket looks old and cracked, go ahead and get a new gasket from your local auto parts store. It’ll take you less than 5 minutes and a couple of bucks to get the job done.
5. Switch to synthetic motor oil. This one’s probably the most labor intensive and expensive job out of the five, but it should be enough to help you get an extra boost in fuel economy. Simply put, synthetic motor oils tend to do a better job reducing engine friction, meaning your car’s engine will run more efficiently. Translation: a more efficient engine tends to get better gas mileage.

Anyway, most of this stuff is pretty simple, even if you don’t know a ton about cars.  That being said, if you don’t feel comfortable or have absolutely no idea what you’re doing, take your car up to your local mechanic and have them do this work for you.

Either way, it won’t take a lot of time or money to help your car get the best possible gas mileage.

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