Saving Gas

More than two-thirds of the total oil consumption of U.S. goes to transportation – mainly in the form of gasoline. An average American consumes 500 gallons of gas annually. And with the unpredictable cost of fuel and the growing concern for the environment, saving energy by becoming a better driver and keeping your car properly maintained becomes a must. Consider the following tips to increase fuel efficiency and therefore, save energy

Proper Driving

Pack-up Light. Remove unnecessary items inside your car. Extra weight requires extra fuel.

A huge no for idling. Driving at 0 miles per hour does not necessarily mean that you aren’t consuming any fuel. The mere fact that your car engine is running, already signifies that you are using gasoline. Pre-heating your engine is another form of idling. Hence, once you’ve hit start, drive.

If you are stuck on a long traffic, turn off your engine. This technique enables hybrid cars to save fuel. By default, hybrid cars automatically shuts down its engine at full stop. Hence, it ceases fuel consumption from idling.

Avoid drive thru. Park and turn off your engine instead and head inside the restaurant to grab a bite.

Activate your vehicle’s cruise control if it has that feature. It will maintain your car’s constant speed, resulting to another “energy saving” practice.

Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving, abrupt acceleration, speeding and hard braking lower your fuel efficiency by as much as 33% in the highway and 5% in the city.

Avoid high speeds. You car’s fuel efficiency lessens when you are on 60 miles per hour.

If the car you are driving has a manual transmission, shift to the highest drivable gear. It is more beneficial to drive on high gear at low speed as it requires less pressure on the gas pedal, unlike with low gear at high revolution.

Estimate the distance before you hit break. If you know that a stop light or your final stop is near, avoid accelerating. Excessive acceleration needs excessive breaking, avoid these two situations. Another thing you have to check on is your air-conditioning system, as using it increases your gas consumption. If you could turn it off and just open your windows, just do that. Do not use your roof rack if the item can be placed in your trunk or inside the car. Placing a heavy stuff on your rack produces a drag and lessen fuel efficiency by 5%. Moreover, observe the recommended tire pressure.

Switch to hybrid cars if you can afford it’s cost. Compared to regular gasoline-engine automobiles, they have higher fuel-economy. Most of all, hybrid cars helps the environment with its little or zero carbon dioxide emission rating. This is also true with electric car or vehicles that run on alternative fuel resources.

Cars that are aerodynamic, light, and with small engines maximizes fuel efficiency. Hence, if you have intentions of buying a car, you may just opt for the hybrid ones. Always remember the 3 important features that contribute to fuel efficiency, that gas-greedy SUVs don’t have.

Maintaining your car

Regularly clean your air filters. Clogged ones stops the air to infiltrate the cylinder which results to decreased quality of car performance and heightened fuel consumption.

Keep your wheels properly aligned.

Subject your car to regular tune up, change oil and car maintenance checks to avoid fuel economy problems caused by dragging brakes, transmission problems, low transmission fluids or worn spark plug.

Try carpooling, telecommuting or public transit to reduce fuel consumption and maintenance cost.

Only use the proper type of oil on your car.

Saving energy begins at home and extends on the road. Make these things a habit to save cash, help the environment and extend the service of your car.

Save on gas and cut-back on your fuel cost by learning more tips from Earth for Energy. Visit Taylor Nelson’s site to watch more Fast Video Reviews.

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