Handy Tips to Improving Gas Mileage

Budgeting has become a common hobby now a days, with the state of the economy, and we are all biting our fingernails and watch the gas prices tick higher and higher as summer approaches.  We are currently clocked in at $3.43 around Eckert Hyundai.  

A few tips to lower the number of times you fill up?  Some old, some new, some are a good refresher of things we should already be doing.  Ok, get your pencil and paper. 

• Tire Pressure Makes a Difference: They deserve to be inflated properly.
• Did you know that the US Government suggests you can save up to 3.3% on fuel by keeping your tires properly inflated?
• Keep your tires inflated to their recommended levels listed on the label located on the driver side door frame (I didn't know that was there!).
• Maintain Your Vehicle:  Clean out your car, use the correct oil grade & check your engine.
• Extra weight from too much cargo in your vehicle makes your engine work harder and use up gas.  So clean out your trunk (I am so guilty of this, I love leaving things in my car).
• Check out your Owner's Manual to see what oil you should be using, an improper oil weight makes your engine work harder and.....use more gas!
• If your check engine light is on it may reflect a condition that wastes fuel!  Keep that sucker in top working order, you and your wallet will thank me later. Promise. 
• Plan Trips:  Try traveling in off-peak hours, combining errands and carpooling.
• Can you adjust your work hours to get in before rush hour and leave before it?  
• Cold engines can be less efficient so combine your trips and use navigation aids that help you avoid traffic and take short routes.  
• Be a Better Driver:  Do not speed, avoid fast starts, aggressive passing & abrupt breaking.  
• Staying within the speed limit requires less fuel and on long drives switch on cruise control.  
• Fast starts and rough breaking eat up your gas, instead let your car coast from stop to stop.  What's the rush?

Ok, try these four tips and let us know if they work!  Mark your mileage, use the MPG feedback monitoring system on the car.  

All of the tips from this article are from Hyundai USA.