10 steps to improve your car mileage

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Price of gas is at an all high level and if you think that over $4 for a gallon of gas is expensive, think again.  Estimations are that by the end of 2008, a gallon of gas will set up back $6 and more!

More than never has there been a need to improve gas mileage and in this post, I will list obvious but often disregarded steps to achieve just that.

Improve your mileage in 10 easy steps

1. Maintain your car.  Perhaps the most commonly overlooked aspect of car ownership now is really the time to ensure that the interior parts of the engine are clean and in working orders.  Clean and eventually replace your spark plugs.  Change your oil regulary and choose a high quality oil.  Make sure your car is properly tuned.
2. Air filters are there to perform one simple job, just as their name indicate.  When dirty, they fail to work as they should and as a result gas consumption rises.  If your air filter is clogged and dirty, make sure you change it immediately.  This will ensure smooth acceleration of the vehicle which in terms mean a more regulated and economical gas consumption.
3. Air conditioning when run extensively needs extra gas.  Drive without the air on, and if you cannot, use it on a lower level of strength.
4. Use fuel recommended by the factory.  High performance cars should use higher octane gasoline.
5. Check your tires regularly.  Not only is this step vital for your security and that of your family, properly inflated tires ensure an optimum level of friction between the road and the car.  Friction is the number one cause of resistance and an optimized friction will ensure that less gas is needed by the engine to run at given speeds.
6. Maintain an even speed at all times.  Avoid sudden acceleration and deceleration.  If at all possible, anticipate your speed in advance and drive at even speeds.
7. Use cruise control when driving on a highway.
8. Choose your route wisely.  A winding country road may be beautiful but the constant turning and needs to stop at intersections and stop signs are bad news for gas consumption.  If you can, use a highway instead.
9. When going out shopping, try to group all your shopping tasks together so as to avoid long period of stoppages between trips.  Cold engines consume more fuel than warmed up engines.
10. Drive below the speed limit.

We are all facing a mountain energy crisis which has plunged the country into what many experts call a recession.  Although we are dependent on foreign countries and interestes for our own car needs, there are things we can do right now to reduce this level of dependency, stop pouring our money into the pockets of fat oil companies and opec countries and more importantly keep it into ours.