A Guide to Get the Best Gas Mileage for Your Vehicle
Unless you drive a Telsa or some other type of electric vehicle, how to get the best gas mileage for your vehicle is probably an issue that you have thought about. So, with that being said; what are some things that you can do to increase your vehicle’s fuel economy? In order to get the best gas mileage from your vehicle, it is important to know what can affect the fuel efficiency of your vehicle.
What can cause low gas mileage?
There are several factors that may be affecting your vehicle’s fuel economy. One could be that you have an older vehicle that is just not as gas efficient. There are however simple driving and maintenance, issues that may be contributing to your gas gauge drastically dropping.
Factors that affect fuel economy:
- Your engine may need a tune-up
- You idle your vehicle frequently
- Air-conditioning constantly running (even at idle)
- Your spark plugs need replacing
- Air filters clogging or old
- Cheap fuel being put in
- Your tires are underinflated
- Constantly driving at high speeds
- Driving with the windows down while on the highway
How to get the best gas mileage
1. Find out what is the best fuel grade for your vehicle
This can be done by checking the fuel door on your vehicle. The manufacturers recommended fuel is a good guide to helping your car get the best fuel economy. Sometimes, the price of fuel can get a little expensive and we know that it may be tempting to opt for the cheapest fuel you can find. But by using the incorrect grade of fuel for your vehicle, your car’ss engine will not perform as it should. This can end up costing you more in the long run. You will be burning through fuel more quickly. So, you will find that your trips to the gas station more frequent. Using the correct grade of fuel will help you get the best gas mileage and the best performance from the engine of your vehicle.
2. Avoid using E-85 Fuel
E-85 fuel while eco-friendly, and less expensive than regular-grade gasoline can reduce your car’s gas mileage by up to ¼ tank. In order to keep your vehicle performing its best when it comes to fuel consumption, use a regular grade fuel even in your “Flex-Fuel” vehicle. This will give you a longer range per mile.
3. Avoid long warm-up times in cold weather
It has long been thought that the longer you warm up your vehicle the better that it will perform. This is not true. According to the EPA and DOE, a vehicle needs no more than 30 seconds to warm-up. And a car being driven will warm-up faster when driven. Allowing your vehicle to warm-up for 10-15 minutes can greatly affect the gas mileage for the day.
4. Change the Air Filter to Increase Gas Mileage
A dirty air filter will cause the power to your vehicle to be low, causing low gas mileage. This inexpensive item can be changed anytime you bring your vehicle in for an oil service. When you have a dirty or old air filter the engine will not get the fuel that it needs. A dirty air filter will cause less air to pass through as a result you will be giving the engine more throttle to get the same output, greatly reducing the car’s fuel economy.
“A dirty air filter will cause less air to pass through as a result you will be giving the engine more throttle to get the same output.”
5. Ensure that your tires have the proper inflation
Whenever your tires are not inflated to the proper PSI the tread will contact the road surface more. This creates greater friction causing increased resistance while driving. This means that more energy is used to move the vehicle. As a result, fuel consumption will increase. Even having tires that are 5-6 psi lower than the recommended levels can reduce gas mileage and overall fuel efficiency by up to 12%. Our advice is that you check your pressures weekly to ensure that your vehicle is getting the best gas mileage possible.
6. Drive at reduced speeds to increase miles per gallon
Efficient driving is effective driving. Driving at greater speeds (70mph as opposed to 60mph) can use up to 2 gallons more per mile. Excessive speeds burn more fuel. Not to mention the cost of tickets that you may incur as a result. Do your best to keep a constant and safe speed to give you the best chance at increasing your vehicle’s fuel efficiency.
The cost of filling up your vehicle will inevitably increase over time as prices fluctuate. Driving defensively and servicing your vehicle on a regular basis can go a long way at increasing your gas mileage. If you notice that your vehicle is burning more fuel than you think it should, bring it down for a vehicle inspection and let G&G search out the problems you may have. We hope that this has been helpful.
