For many reasons, people are trying to find ways to cut back on the amount of gas they use. There are environmental reasons to do this, but what will cause most people to make changes is the effect that trips to the gas pump has on their bank account. The choice for many is to find how to save money on gas or how to get more money for gas. With the economy struggling as it has been around the world, finding ways to save money is the easiest thing to do. What may not be easy is changing some of the habits necessary to bring about those savings. With a little discipline, this can be done.
What will help the most is changing the way you drive. You might not consider yourself an aggressive driver, but your gas and brake pedals might feel differently. If you are used to quick starts and accelerations and quick stops, then you are being too hard on your car and using too much gas. Control your acceleration and deceleration and you will start seeing less frequent trips to the gas station and possibly less trips to the mechanic.
While on the road, obey speed limits. They will help you conserve gas and will help keep you from getting tickets. If you are interested in saving money, there is no sense in risking getting pulled and having to pay large fines because you wanted to push things a bit.
Reduce weight in your car. If there are things in your trunk or back seat that don’t have to be there, then don’t keep them there. Find a storage place for them and keep it there.
Stop your car from idling so much. While your engine is running and your car is sitting you are getting zero miles to the gallon. That is not very good fuel consumption. Your car will heat up or cool down quick enough when it’s on the road.
Replace air filters and keep your engine clean. On cars with fuel injected engines it might not help with fuel economy directly, but it will make the engine work less and help your acceleration times. For older cars it is very helpful in keeping your car fuel efficient. Have your tires properly inflated. You can see your fuel efficiency rise by 3% by having your tires properly inflated. Make sure that your car is properly maintained and oil is changed at the recommended intervals.
An obvious way to save money on gas is to drive less. Take more walks, ride a bike, or make use of public transportation. Make use of opportunities to carpool by coordinating trips with coworkers or neighbors in taking kids to school. One carpooling opportunity that is overlooked is coordinating shopping trips with neighbors.
When needing to make a trip out and run errands, always try to accomplish several things while you are out. Plan your trips so that you don’t have to do much back tracking.
How to save money on gas may require some extra planning and thinking on your part, but that extra work will pay off when you see less of your gas money disappearing every month.
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Photo by r.nial.bradshaw
