Just as important as having your car serviced on a regular basis is driving in a way that conserves gasoline and doesn't cause unnecessary wear on your vehicle.
Here are some suggestions
you can employ to help you keep
both fuel and repair bills lower:
- Stick to straight, smooth roads for safer trips that utilize less fuel.
- When starting your car, never race your engine.
- In areas with many stoplights, stick to a safe, legal speed. Lights are often timed so that stops will be minimal.
- Before putting your car in gear, be sure to disengage your emergency brake.
- Start off slowly and drive steadily. Avoid accelerating suddenly.
- To save gas and your brakes, allow your car to coast when you know you will be stopping soon (at a light, for instance). Whenever possible, avoid stopping quickly.
- Shift into high gear as soon as you can.
- Driving faster than 40 mph leads to increased wind resistance, which means your car will use more fuel to overcome it.
- Correct tire pressure and proper tire alignment are big factors in achieving improved gas mileage.
- Likewise, using low gears when traveling at high speeds can use nearly 50 percent more fuel.