No matter whether the gas prices are under two dollars a gallon or heading towards three dollars a gallon, we are always looking for ways to make our car more energy efficient. It’s estimated the average person spends more than $600 a year on gas alone. Here are 6 ways to make your car more energy efficient and save you money.
1.Don’t Drive with a Lead Foot
While most of us hate to hear this, especially from family, the best way to save some money and be energy efficient is to change the way you drive. If you’re always speeding or the first one off at the light, you’re often wasting gas rather than using it. Your engine and transmission can only covert so much of your gasoline to energy at a time, but if you’re sending it all at once, you end up losing some rather than it being used. Instead, be a little slower to the punch.
To put it into perspective: if you’re driving faster than 55 mph, you’re losing fuel rather than using it. It’s one of the reasons 55mph is the most common speed limit. Further, if you’re driving 65 mph instead of 75 mph, you’re reducing your fuel cost by 13 percent, while driving 55 mph saves 25 percent.
2.Stop Idling and Warming Up Your Car
In the past, “warming up your car” was recommended, but cars made in the last couple decades don’t require you to do this. In the winter, if you have frost on your window, just use a scraper, but you don’t have to warm up your car for a long time before heading out. It means you actually get on the road faster and waste less gas.
3.Reduce Weight
It’s no secret that it takes more power to get something heavier to move. The same goes for your vehicle. The more that you have in or on your car means the more fuel it needs to get going. Think about how much unnecessary weight you’re carrying in your vehicle and try to reduce it.
4.Install Low Rolling Resistance Tires
The kinds of tires you have on your vehicle is one of the most important factors in your fuel economy. While all weather tires make driving easier in most cases, there are also “smart” tires that are made to waste less energy as they don’t heat up and therefore have less resistance to the road. When it comes down to it, you save up to a hundred gallons of gas compared to other tires.
5.Use the Right Gasoline
Do you know someone who chooses a higher grade gasoline because they think it’s better for their car? The key is to follow manufacturers’ recommendations, which in most cases is the lower 87-grade gas. Manufacturers spend a lot of money testing and researching ways to increase the gas mileage on their vehicles; there’s no reason to go against it. Further, if you’re paying for the high-grade stuff, you’re wasting money with no extra performance.
6.Reduce Air Conditioning and Close Windows
Air conditioning may feel good, but having it up all the way can increase your fuel cost as much as 21%. If you absolutely need the AC, use the lowest possible setting. On the other hand, when the weather is nice, we like to open our windows. However, opening windows reduces the aerodynamic-ness of the car, costing you more in gas.
This article is brought to you by Ford Lincoln of Franklin. Ford Lincoln of Franklin offers new and pre-owned vehicles. Check out their inventory here and visit them in person at 1129 Murfreesboro Rd, Franklin, TN 37064.
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