Driving for the Best Fuel Economy
With inflation on the rise, your fuel economy is extremely important! Whether you want to tighten up on your budget or you’re dealing with rising gas prices, getting the best gas mileage possible is probably on your mind a lot. Here are a few tips for getting every last drop of fuel out of your vehicle.
First and foremost, plan out your trips to reduce the amount of time you spend in your car. Do you need to head out to the store during rush hour, where you’ll likely be caught in traffic? Idling can burn up to a half-gallon of gas an hour! Make sure you plan ahead and map out the best possible route.
Second, keep a close eye on your speed. Your optimal fuel economy usually peaks around 50 mph, varying slightly from car to car. When you go faster than this, your fuel economy takes a dive. If you reduce your speed even by 5 or 10 mph, your fuel economy rises.
Third, be conservative about your driving! Don’t jerk the steering wheel or brake hard with quick, sporadic acceleration. When in traffic, avoid riding the brakes and maintain a safe following distance behind the vehicle in front of you.
Fourth, take advantage of the cruise control function on your car! Driving at a very consistent speed saves you fuel! If your vehicle has a manual transmission, shift gears smoothly and upshift as soon as it makes sense.
When stopping, use the brakes and avoid downshifting to slow the vehicle. When your brakes are going bad, the first sign will always be the squeaking noise the brakes make, which is caused by worn down brake pads. Once you ride through the squeaking, the squealing will transform into a grinding noise — this is not good. That noise is the sound of your rotors being damaged. Once this happens, the repair cost skyrockets.
Gas is precious and costly, so don’t waste it! By making small changes to your driving style, you are sure to save some serious cash!