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Best Ways To Improve Gas Mileage
If you own a car, you have to take care of it. This is a given. Not only will taking care of your vehicle make you safer on the road, but it also makes your car more efficient and less wasteful. That means paying attention to things like tire pressure and fuel efficiency.
As the fuel prices go up, so do seductive advertisements recommending that if you spend a lot of money on their products, youll save at the pump. Don't fall victim to false claims!!
At Antero Automotive in Greenwood Village, we want to warn you of the dangers of chasing fuel mileage. Your engine will only run as well as it was designed to run. Your job is to maintain your car as well as possible so you have constant fuel economy. As your vehicle ages, you will need to perform more maintenance to keep saving money on gas.
But don't worry! We are not suggesting you become a gearhead or start tinkering under the hood. That's our job! Just follow these tips and tricks to make sure that your car is always ready to go the distance.
Make sure your tires are properly inflated.
First things first, take a look at your tires. They're the only thing connecting you to the road, so they're pretty important.
The best way to tell whether your tires are properly inflated is to get a pressure gauge and check them yourself (or have someone else do it). The ideal pressure will be listed on a sticker on the driver's side door, but if your tires have no such indicator, then consult this chart for optimal inflation levels:
- Cold Tire Pressure (no vehicle movement for over three hours) - 32 PSI
- Hot Tire Pressure - 36 PSI
- Recommended tire pressure - 35 PSI
Check your tire pressure at least once a month.
Check your tire pressure at least once a month.
How do I check my tire pressure?
When checking your tires, use a good quality gauge that measures PSI (pounds per square inch). Also, remember to check the spare tire as well! The tire should be at 34 PSI when cold, and 36 PSI when hot.
How do I adjust my tire pressure?
If your tires are low on air, don't drive with them until they reach maximum capacity, or else they will lose traction on wet or slippery surfaces--not good news if this happens while driving in traffic! If you find that you need to add air to your tires, use an air compressor and fill 'er up with compressed air until it reaches the correct level of inflation.
You can also buy an automatic inflator/deflator which plugs into your cigarette lighter so that it automatically pumps up low tires when needed without having to stop at every gas station along the way (this is especially useful for long trips across the country). This way, no matter how much time passes between fill-ups, there won't be any risk involved since everything will always stay at its proper level of inflation--and what's better than safety?
Have your wheel alignment checked at least once a year
It's no secret that Colorado roads are not the smoothest. Our frigid snow-packed winters, late spring freezes, and high summer temps play havoc on our road surfaces. These surfaces also play havoc on your vehicle's steering and suspension system. Did you know, .3 degrees of excessive toe-out on your front wheels can reduce your fuel mileage AND cause tire wear? That's approximately .14 or 3.7mm!
At Antero Automotive we take wheel alignments seriously and have invested in the latest equipment to ensure that your vehicle is tracking straight and true while trying to avoid all of the potholes.
Remove all unnecessary items from your vehicle.
You can save on gas if you remove some of the weight from your vehicle. Therefore, we recommend taking out any unneeded items from your car so it doesnt get bogged down.
- Move any heavy items from the trunk to the back seat, or leave them at home.
- Remove any items from the back seat that you don't need for the trip.
- Remove any unnecessary items from the front seat and ensure nothing obstructs your view of traffic behind you.
- Put as much space between you (or other passengers) and any objects in your trunk as possiblea full gas tank is less likely to cause problems if it's not scraping against something else when it moves around in response to bumps in the road!
Allow any excess speed to coast off naturally.
When driving on the highway, allow any excess speed to coast off naturally rather than using the brakes to slow down. Coasting helps save gas because it reduces the time your engine needs to run and uses less fuel.
While coasting, you let the car slow down on its own. This is best done when you are on a long stretch of road with few intersections, allowing for more efficient coasting.
Keep your engine tuned up regularly.
Keeping your engine tuned up regularly is one of the best ways to improve fuel economy. If you follow the factory-recommended maintenance schedule of your vehicle, your vehicle will continue to run efficiently and save your money for the things that are important to you and your family, like groceries!
An engine tune-up includes:
- Changing the oil and filter.
- Checking the air filter.
- Checking the spark plugs.
- Checking the ignition system and more.
The more you drive your car, the more frequent your tune-ups should be. If you don't know when it last had a tune-up or how often it needs oneand this can happen even if you're diligent about keeping a log of all services done on your carit's time to get back into those maintenance records.
A general rule of thumb is that you should do a tune-up at least once per year or every 15,000 miles (24,000 km), whichever comes first (of course, this varies by make and model).
Try not to let the fuel tank run lower than half-full.- If you want better gas mileage, try not to let the fuel tank run lower than half-full.
- It's always best to keep a full tank of gas in your car, but if that's not an option for whatever reason, at least fill it up from when you get close to empty, and don't let it go much below one-quarter full before refilling again. This will help prevent your fuel pump from becoming too hot and shortening the life of your pump.
Regular maintenance will keep you on the road longer in a more efficient vehicle.
Regular maintenance is the best way to keep your car running at peak efficiency. This includes keeping up with oil changes and tire rotation, as well as regularly checking the fluid levels in your car's systems, including the battery and power steering fluid.
Regular maintenance can save you money on gas because it helps prevent costly repairs down the road. It can also help you avoid being stranded on the side of the road while driving!
Antero Automotive wants to help.
At Antero Automotive, we are honest and focus on what your car needs. We believe that regular service and repair are best for maintaining a car. We dont believe in offering products or parts akin to snake oil. That is why you wont see our auto repair team promising big increases in fuel mileage, like saving 10 miles per gallon. Large fuel savings like that are ridiculous, and we dont want you to fall for gimmicks that put you in danger of chasing fuel mileage.
Besides maintaining your car, don't forget that you can also improve your gas mileage by driving more efficiently. Some tips, like avoiding fast starts and hard stops, are pretty easy to incorporate into your daily habits. Others, like keeping your tires properly inflated or removing excess weight from the vehicle, require a little more forethought, but they can make a big difference over the long run.
To make sure your vehicle can help you save a fuel dollars on fuel, bring your car to Antero Automotive at 6615 S. Dayton St., Greenwood Village, CO 80111. You can also schedule an appointment by clicking here!