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Even though my commute is only 3 miles one way to work, I do drive quite a bit on the weekends, and frequently take longer trips. My wife does quite a bit of driving throughout the week as well. With the price of a gallon of gas having risen to about $3.10/gal. in my part of the country, I have been trying to adjust my driving habits to increase my mpg’s. Here are a few tips to remind you how to drive more efficiently and increase your gas mileage.
- Combine errands- Instead of running 3 or 4 errands on the weekend, try to
take care of everything in one trip. This can actually help you plan your shopping better as well. - Make it a habit to pick things up, if possible, on the way home from work or when you are already out. Make a list to remember things you need, or call your spouse to see if you need to pick anything up.
- Go inside, don’t use the drive-thru- At the bank, fast food places, etc., you can frequently spend 10 minutes or longer in a drive-thru line. When you idle you get 0 miles per gallon-Try not to idle (except at a stop light) for more than 20 to 30 seconds.
- If possible, avoid stop and go traffic-Consider altering your normal route (depending on how much longer it may be.) to avoid lost of stopping and starting.
- Accelerate slowly-Even acceleration and braking is the key to maximum fuel efficiency.
- Use cruise control while on the highway.
- Consider adopting the safe hypermiling techniques (I would consider some of these -such as drafting behind an 18-wheeler truck-to be dangerous) But coasting well in advance of a red light when there is no one behind you, driving slower when there is no traffic, etc. are quite OK and can boost your gas mileage.)
- If your car actually runs better on a higher octane gas (mine does) consider try filling up 1/2 with higher octane and 1/2 with the lower octane to see if helps.
- Keep your trunk empty-Carrying extra weight will decrease your gas mileage.
- Inflate your tires to the recommended psi-This can usually be found on a sticker on your vehicle’s door jam.
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