Easy Ways to Increase Your Gas Mileage

Gas is expensive and getting more expensive by the barrel. With gas going up, commuters are finding it increasingly difficult to continue to keep up their daily commutes without cutting some significant corners, or finding more cost alternative means to get to and from work. Finding the most effective ways to avoid using unnecessary amounts of gas can be as easy as changing habits and making slight alternations to your vehicle.

During commuter traffic hours, the risk of slamming on your accelerator generally doesn't exist.
Stop and go traffic doesn't really promote quick acceleration, however running errands could, and quickly increasing and decreasing traveling speeds wastes gas. By keeping your car at the most constant, consistent speed, less car fuel is used. In fact more than 5-percent (and as much as 30-percent) of your fuel can be saved by simply practicing good driving moves. While keeping your driving rate constant helps to save, so does slowing down. Any driving speeds over sixty miles per hour simply wastes fuel. Driving slower, in fact, can save as much as seventy cents per gallon, which adds up. A good tip to keep your speed low and constant is to use your cruise control features. If done correctly, such as not on inclines, this can lead to an additional savings of over 10-percent per gallon.

Changing habits is important, but that isn't the only way to save money. Make sure your car is in the best condition to ensure additional benefits. This means check your tire pressure, replace spark plugs, and check your cars alignment. Over one billion gallons of gas is wasted each year due to poor tire pressure, which slows down the cars ability to move, forcing it to put more pressure on the engine and its ability to produce energy. Making sure your car is properly aligned helps to reduce the drag as well. Meanwhile, replacing spark plugs ensures that your car's engine is working properly and not wasting fuel when a spark doesn't ignite the internal combustion. Though replacing spark plugs might cost money, many extended warranties include this as something they will replace for free or reduced prices, and an extended warranty might also cover your alignment.

Though you might believe you are already think you are being smart when driving, take a good hard look at what you're doing. For instance, are you driving around with a heavy box that doesn't need to be in your car? Get rid of it; it's only weighing down your car, reducing your mileage, and wasting your money. Never leave your car running if it's not moving, as your miles per gallons is zero. Those who really want to ensure they are getting as much gas for their buck should be sure to fill up the car's tank only late at night or early in the morning. Because gas is sold by the volume, the gas you purchase during those cooler hours is more dense, meaning a gallon of gas goes longer.

The cost of gasoline doesn't look to be going down ever again. But that doesn't mean you have to continue to face the struggle of getting to work on empty. Taking simple and easy steps to ensure that you are using your fuel smartly can easily contribute to decreasing the amount of it you are using, and in the end save you huge amounts of money.