Changing Your Habits To Save Fuel
Even though gas is much less expensive than it was in the recent past, you can make driving even less expensive. You just need to alter a few of your driving and car maintenance habits to begin saving money. These steps are simple and require only that you consciously stick to new driving routines.
Clean
Your car can be dusty or even dirty with no effect on your fuel, but if you are carrying around more than a spare tire in your trunk, it's time to put your car on a diet. Clean out the bottles, old shoes, books, bricks, or whatever else you threw in the trunk and forgot. Clean off your car seats and remove all debris from the floors. You will probably be surprised by how much weight your car can lose after an afternoon of cleaning. Of course, you can drop a few pounds too, if you wish. All this weight combined can really be guzzling gas.
Patience
If you are always in a hurry, you are burning too much fuel. Just speeding burns excess gasoline, but the real problem comes with the acceleration, brake, acceleration dance you do. Hitting the gas in town does no good when you have to stop in the next block anyway. Even if you beat a red light, chances are you are going to hit the next one. Going a steady speed without constant braking can save you up to 33% on the highway and 5% as you tool around town. In addition, your brakes will last longer. "Riding the brakes" will lead to hard and unresponsive brake pads and shoes. Relax and quit pounding your vehicle's pedals. Companies like Buettner Tire & Auto can give more information about brake maintenance.
Air Conditioner
Surprisingly, studies have found that leaving the windows up and the AC on are more fuel efficient than having the windows down when you are traveling over 50 mph. However, if you are driving in town, you can save fuel by turning off the AC and letting the wind blow through the windows. When you are speeding down the highway, open windows cause a drag on your vehicle that burns more fuel than the AC.
Often, your driving practices are a big reason why your vehicle burns more fuel than it should. You will have to work hard to break some bad habits, but you should be able to see significant savings in your gasoline bill by simply cleaning out your car, driving steady, and using the AC correctly. These are small steps that can add up to some extra money in your wallet.