DRIVE
SMART
In our current society, taking automobiles completely off the
road is not necessarily practical. For instances when staying at
home, walking, riding a bike, or carpooling is not an option, we
have provided a list of ways in which you can drive more
efficiently.
- Don't
overfill or "top
off" your tank.
The extra gas likely just gets sucked back into a
vapor recovery station or evaporates into the air
-
Avoid excess idling.
Idling
gets 0 miles per gallon.
-
Observe the speed
limit.
Gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds
above 60 mph
-
Use overdrive gears.
When you
use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes
down
-
Remove excess
weight.
An extra 100 pounds could reduce your mpg by up to
2%
-
Use cruise control.
It helps
you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases,
will save gas.
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-
Use the gasoline octane and oil grade recommended
for your car.
Using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use
5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent
-
Have
your car tuned as needed.
-
Keep
tires properly inflated. Tires can lose about 2
psi a month. Improve your gas mileage by around 3.3
% by keeping your tires properly inflated.
-
Have your tires
properly balanced.
Vibrations shorten the
life of your suspension and cause uneven tire wear.
-
Make sure your wheels
are aligned.
Misaligned tires drag
instead of rolling freely, decreasing gas mileage
and the life of the tire
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