With gas prices higher than ever before and this being the busy season for summer travel, it may be a good time to offer tips to save at the pump.
The following tips provided by
Ford, are geared towards driving behaviour and it can save you quite a bit. You can increase fuel-efficiency simply by changing your habits.
Ford calls it EcoDriving - because it is eco-nomical and eco-logical.
The
tips are listed below:
- Maintain a steady speed; if you pump the accelerator often, more fuel is pumped into the engine. Use cruise control on the highways to maintain speed.
- Relax, because aggressive driving such as accelerating quickly or braking and also speeding can reduce gas mileage and wear out your tires and brakes.
- With newer vehicles there's no need to idle (warm-up the engine) - even in cold temperatures.
- Maintain good tire pressure, this alone can save you 3-4% in fuel.
- Service your vehicle at the recommended times - tune-up the engine, align the wheels, replace air filters
- Remove heavy and unncessary items from your car. This reduces the worl-load on the engine
- Use heating and air-conditioning wisely to reduce the load on the engine
- Have windows closed when travelling at high speeds
- Use the right oil for your engine - there are good quality, energy conserving EC oils. They have a ECII symbol to indicate their fuel-efficiency.
- Plan your trips to reduce extra, unneeded trips
Source: Article titled "Tips to save gas costs"