‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash, It’s The Gas, Gas, Gas That’s Jumpin’ (in price).
The last time we looked, premium gas sold for $5.00 a gallon and up. Now is the time to see what can be done to get better distance out of our fuel dollars.
In our article about greener driving, we exposed some of the things you can do to improve fuel mileage. Some of those things were:
- Make sure tire pressures are correct - not low or too high.
- When you accelerate, pretend there is an egg between your foot and the gas pedal so you will use less pressure on the gas pedal.
- No jack rabbit starts. Enjoy life by slowing down a little.
- Check your air filter. Cars love to breathe!
- Make sure your tune-up or maintenance is current. Fresh spark plugs and fuel filters help. Some fuel filters are now part of the fuel pump in the tank, so only replace if necessary. Spark plugs in various newer cars theoretically will last 100,000 miles. It is our experience that at 50,000 miles they are half worn out and replacing them earlier helps performance and fuel mileage.
Here are some other ideas to consider:
- Plan your trips. Consolidate several trips together, i.e. going to the store, cleaners, pick up kids, pay bills and so on.
- Carpool: take your neighbor or friend to run errands with you.
- Ask yourself, “Do I need to take this trip?” (How about biking?, walking?, Or the Metro?)
- Don’t leave your car running while waiting for any thing. (i.e. avoid excess idling.)
- If you are parked and remember you’d like to make a call or return a text message, then remain parked with the motor off to do it. (Good for safety too.)
- Use your cruise control while driving the freeways.
- Observe the speed limit. Each 5mph over 60mph is like paying .20+ /gallon extra.
- Remove excess weight. (No, not your in-law.) 100 lbs extra could mean a reduction in mpg of up to 2%. (This does affect smaller vehicles more than larger ones.)
- About once a year it helps to run an excellent fuel system cleaner through the fuel tank to clean the injectors, intake valves, ports and combustion chambers. We suggest (and have in stock) BG 44-K (244K for Diesels). It is the best product we have used.
The real way to conserve fuel is to pay attention. Be aware of your driving habits and the condition of your vehicle. A properly running car is going to consume less fuel, especially with a conservative, conscious driver.