How to Improve your Gas Mileage ?

Gas prices have been increasing significantly over the past few years due to a number of reasons which is beyond the purview of this article. Finding ways to trim your overall gas bill is the goal of many drivers and can significantly reduce your overall automotive expenses. This article will provide you with some advice for lowering your overall gas bill with your existing vehicle as well as considerations to make when purchasing a new vehicle.

Care and Maintenance

How well you take care of your car will significantly impact the gas mileage that you get in your vehicle. Keeping your tires inflated to the proper level will not only protect your tires but will also improve the efficiency of your vehicle and reduce the amount of gas that your car gets. Get a tire gauge and check it regularly to make sure that your vehicle has the appropriate air levels in it.

In addition, have regular maintenance checks on your vehicle to check for leaks and change your engine oil regularly to make sure that your engine is working at peak performance. If your car is in good working condition it is operating efficiently and should use less gas mileage as a result. Another overlooked factor is the weight of your car. By reducing the number of unnecessary items in your car you can save on gas. Empty out your trunk except for essentials and avoid lugging large luggage carriers on top of your vehicle.

Driving Habits

Your driving habits will also impact the amount of gas that your vehicle uses. Starting and stopping by applying the brakes regularly will lead to you having to use additional gas to accelerate the vehicle. While you shouldn't avoid hitting the brakes to avoid using gas, adjusting your driving habits by avoiding tailing a driver ahead of you can yield significant gas savings. Rush hour, with its constant starting and stopping, can also use significant amounts of gas. Avoiding these peak hours can lower your gas usage. Rapid acceleration can also use more gas as can speeding. Maintain a uniform speed to keep your gas usage low.

Acquiring a New Vehicle

If that is not enough for you then you may want to look into purchasing a new car. Due to changes in environmental regulations, car manufacturers have been producing cars that get better gas mileage. This is true even for non-hybrid vehicles. Choose a smaller vehicle that is lighter in construction to get better gas mileage and smaller engine sizes also are lower on gas usage than larger engines. There are a wide range of hybrid vehicles available as well which can achieve even higher gas mileage than these newly constructed vehicles.

Conclusion

How well you maintain your car and your driving habits can impact the gas mileage of your vehicle. To lower your gas usage make sure your tire levels are optimally filled and that your engine is well maintained. Perform an assessment of your driving habits and avoid speeding and tailing cars in front of you which may require excessive breaking. Finally, consider upgrading to a new gas or hybrid vehicle to further cut on your gas usage.