Fuel Savings

Keeping your vehicle in shape:

Keep your engine properly tuned (Fuel economy benefit 4%)

• Fixing a vehicle that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emission test can improve gas mileage by 4%.
• Fixing a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, can improve your mileage by as much as 40%!

Replacing air filters regularly (Fuel economy benefit 10%)

• Replacing a clogged air filter can improve your gas mileage by as much as 10%. Your vehicles air filter keeps impurities from damaging the inside of your engine. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter save gas, it will help protect your engine too.

Keep tires properly inflated (Fuel economy benefit 3%)

• You can improve your gas mileage by 3.3% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.4% for every 1 psi drop in pressure in all 4 tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer too.

Dirty or substandard engine oil (Fuel economy benefit 1-2%)

You can improve your gas mileage by 1-2% by changing your oil according to your vehicle manufacturer’s service schedule and using the correct grade of oil.

Drive more efficiently:

Drive Sensibly (Fuel economy benefit 5-33%)

• Aggressive driving (Speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town. Sensible driving is safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Observe the speed limit (Fuel economy benefit 7-23%)

• While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds over 60 mph. By observing the speed limit you can help save gas.

Remove excess weight (Fuel economy benefit 1-2%)

• Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your mpg by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle’s weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Avoid excessive idling

• Idling gets 0 mpg. Generally the larger your engine the more gas you are burning while idling.

Use cruise control

• Using cruise control on the highway helps maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Use overdrive gears

• When you use overdrive gearing, your vehicle’s engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine ware.