As gas prices continue to rise with no real end in sight, everyone wants to save as much money as possible at the gas pump. While you may not be able to control the daily fluctuations in the price of you can change a few habits and follow some basic guidelines to help you save as much money as possible. 1. Keep Your Car Well Tuned One of the best things that you can do to improve fuel economy is to keep your car well tuned and running in the best condition that it possibly can. This means making sure to conduct the regular scheduled maintenance that many drivers often ignore. Studies have shown that a car that is poorly tuned will consume 10 to 20 percent more gas than a well tuned vehicle. Ensuring that your car is well tuned and that there are no emission problems can improve gas mileage by up to 4.1 percent 2. Replace Your Air and Fuel Filter Recent studies suggest that by simply replacing both the air filter and fuel filter in your car on a regular basis can significantly improve the gas mileage by up to 10 percent. Improving fuel economy by 10 percent translates in a gas saving of 10 to 15 cent per gallon at the pump. Next time you take your car into the garage, get your mechanic to replace the air and fuel filters. 3. Maintain Proper Tire Pressure Not only is it important to maintain the engine of your car,you should also be paying close attention to the tires and ensure they are properly inflated.Purchase a tire gauge and check your car's tire pressure every month to make sure your tires are inflated to the correct tire pressure recommended by your car's manufacturer. Driving around on tires that are under-inflated you can reduce fuel efficiency up to 2 percent for each pound of pressure that your tires are under inflated. Not only will properly inflated tires improve fuel economy and save you money on at the pump, studies show that proper tire pressure helps reduce wear and tear on your vehicle and that you can also save money on the maintenance of your vehicle by up to $250 each year. 4. Avoid Jack Rabbit Starts When at a stop sign or red light you should accelerate slowly when the light turns green. The faster that you accelerate from a standing position the more gas that you are going to use. By starting off slowly and gradually accelerating you will only use half the fuel that would be needed if you accelerated quickly from a stopped position. 5. Avoid Idling Your Vehicle Stop letting your car idle for more than a minute or two. This includes those cold winter mornings when you are trying to warm your car up before driving to work. Studies have shown that there is no need to let your car idle for more than 60 seconds even in cold weather and that idling dramatically reduces your fuel efficiency. Over the last 15 years cars have been specifically designed so that they can be started and driven away immediately without the need to let them warm up by idling. 6 Turn off the Air Conditioner In the summertime when you first get into your hot vehicle you should initially try to drive with the windows open to let out the hot air and let in a fresh breeze. Once the car has cooled down you can turn on the air conditioner. Opening the windows first allows the air conditioner will work more efficiently and faster. If you plan to use the air conditioning in your car you should understand that fuel consumption will increase from 10 to 20 percent. One of the ways to use your air conditioner is to use it for small amounts of time. Close the windows on your car and start the air conditioning, once the car has cooled down you can turn off the air conditioning. Just remember not to open the windows because you will only let the hot air in. 7. Drive the Speed Limit While driving, make sure that you observe the speed limit. Gas consumption dramatically increases when you travel at speeds over 60 mph. For every 5 mph that you drive over the 60 mph mark your gas consumption increases by 3 to 5 percent. This means that you will use 20 percent more gas to travel at 70 mph than you would if you only drove 55 mph 8. Avoid Rush Hour If at all possible you should try to avoid driving during peak rush hours. When traffic is heavy and moving at a crawl your just wasting gas and putting more wear and tear on your vehicle. If you are heading and know that your commute is going to be stop and go traffic, if possible you may want to consider changing your work schedule to avoid rush hour or staying late and running a few errands until traffic lightens up. 9. Car Pool or Take Public Transit If you own more than one vehicle, you should make a habit of using the one with the best gas mileage more often rather than the one that gets fewer miles to the gallon. Check out local ride-sharing programs or carpools in your area. Commuting to work with others can significantly reduce your monthly fuel costs. Splitting the monthly fuel cost between three or four people can cut your fuel costs in half. In addition, you will also be reducing on the wear and tear of your vehicle. Most major cities have what is known as the HOV lane (high occupancy vehicle) for cars carrying three or more passengers. HOV lanes normally have less traffic and can cut your commute time almost in half. Use the public transit service if it's available where you live. You may be able to drive your vehicle to a bus or subway station and start your commute from there. Even though you're still driving your car part way to work you are reducing the amount of gas you use and should still substantial saving in the cost of fuel. 10. Walk You will definitely save on gas if you leave your car at home. Try walking to close destinations, or take your bike. Not only do you save gas, but walking is a great way to get some exercise. If more people walked, rode their bikes, or took public transit there would be less pollution. As well, you will quickly notice a difference in the amount of money that you spend each month on fuel costs. Saving money at the gas pumps is as easy as making a few simple changes in your life and your driving habits.
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