carminejg3
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Mar 31, 2005, 7:05 AM
Post #1 of 1
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Improving gas mileage
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Found this article on saving fuel Keep Your Engine Properly Tuned Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can impove its gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent, though results vary based on the kind of repair and how well it is done. If your car has a faulty oxygen sensor, your gas mileage may improve as much as 40 percent. Fuel Economy Benefit: 4-40% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.06-$0.60/gallon Check & Replace Air Filters Regularly Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your car's gas mileage by as much as 10 percent. Your car's air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will protect your engine. Fuel Economy Benefit: up to 10% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: up to $0.15/gallon Keep Tires Properly Inflated You can improve your gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4 percent for every 1 psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer. Fuel Economy Benefit: up to 3% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: up to $0.05/gallon Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1-2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives. Fuel Economy Benefit: 1-2% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.01-$0.03/gallon Drive Sensibly Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money. Fuel Economy Benefit: 5-33% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.07-$0.49/gallon Observe the Speed Limit Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer. Fuel Economy Benefit: 7-23% Equivalent Gasoline Savings: $0.10-$0.34/gallon Avoid Excessive Idling Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines. Use Cruise Control Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas. Use Overdrive Gears When you use overdrive gearing, your car's engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.
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