Everybody dreads pumping gas. If the fumes weren't enough, then the bill is like an upper cut to your pocket book. As SUV owners and drivers, this is probably something that we've come to expect, but that doesn't have to be the case! Most people don't realize that if their car is supposed to do 30MPG, most of the time they're doing just half. Why?! Because those figures are under optimal conditions. Here are 5 tips to surpass your vehicle manufacturers MPG claims.
Carry only what you need
Statistically, for every 250 pounds of additional weight in your vehicle, you lose 1MPG. Have a spare tire, live in the suburbs, just leave it in your garage! 5 kids worth of sports equipment in the trunk, take it out! Roof rack you never use, take it off. If you drive rarely, don't fill your car up all the way, the extra weight lowers your efficiency.
Cruise Control, use it
Simple, but effective. The computer in your car is much more effective at moderating your cars speed than you are. Every time you push the pedal to accelerate back to the speed you're trying to maintain, precious fuel is consumed. Relax, let the robots in your engine do the hard work.
Check your tire pressure
Under inflated tires seriously hurt your fuel economy. For every 5PSI decrease in your tires on average you lose 1MPG, if you're traveling on the highway or for long distances, it can really add up.
Do not speed
This may seem like common sense, but on average, for every 5MPH you go over 60MPH, your paying an extra $0.20/gallon. Most mass produced vehicles are designed to adhere to local speed limits, the transmissions being built and tuned to go specific speeds. If you start exceeding the "average", you should be ready to pay for it.
Use the right octane level fuel
If your engine is designed for unleaded, don't put "ultra premium" in your car. Not only does it not help your engine, in some cases it can actually make the vehicle more sluggish. The computer expects a certain level of combustibility from the oxygen and fuel in your vehicle, changing the octane level to that which it was not designed for, forces the computer to alter other variables to operate. This results in stressing other parts and potentially harming your engine, whilst paying a premium.
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, the average driver can expect to see an increase of about 10MPG. So slow down, clean out your car, and save some money!
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