How to Optimize Your Car's Gas Efficiency

Article provided by wikihow the wikihow manual.

"Time for another refill again?"

Sick of having to constantly have to refill gas? There is no better way to solve this problem than to optimize your current car's gas efficiency!

Steps

1. 1
   Take off excess weight - Keeping something heavy in your car all the time will slow it down. The heavier the car, the more gas is going to be needed to keep it moving. By cutting down on excess weight in your car, your car will be able to travel much farther on less gas. Things you should consider taking out include bike/boat racks, unneeded seats, or any other unneeded things left around the car. The bike/boat racks are especially important to take out, as they reduce drag in the car as they catch wind while you drive, reducing speed.

   
   
2. 2
   Keep tires full - By pumping your tires to keep them full and in tact, more miles can be traveled on less gas. Filled tires cover a lot more ground than unfilled tires, making it advantageous to keep them pumped.
3. 3
   Purchase new tires - If your tires are beginning to get old, you may want to consider purchasing new tires. New tires still have a lot more rubber left on, making it capable of reaching farther places on less gas.
4. 4
   Drive with the windows down - Driving with open windows reduce drag, thus reducing speed. Although this may seem like a very small thing to do to save gas, it will gave you gas in the long run. Less gas will be used to travel farther if your car can move that much farther.
5. 5
   Get more for your money - Although this idea may seem a bit silly, it will add more gas to your tank. When done refilling at the gas station, be sure to lift up the tube that connects the machine to your tank. There is a lot of leftover gasoline in the tube, and you can get this gas to enter your tank but simply lifting the tube.
6. 6
   60 is key - When driving on the highway, drive as close to 55-60 miles per hour as you can. This is the rule of thumb on how to conserve gas on the highway. Cars use up the least amount of gas to travel when driving in the 55-60 mph range. Going more than that is sure to quickly burn up the tank, as a huge amount of gasoline is needed in order to project your car any faster than that. Not only will speeding give you a fine to pay for, they will also force you to have to refill more and more often. You may also wish to look up the exact speed you should be traveling to optimize driving on high ways. 55-60 miles per hour is simply a rule of thumb that is used by most cars.
7. 7
   Minimize use of breaks - When using the breaks, the gas that you just used to keep your car running is burned, but you prevent your car from traveling after. By letting your car slow to a stop on its own, you use up all the potential movement generated from the gasoline you burn.
8. 8
   Do not perform any sudden accelerations - By suddenly accelerating your car, it will burn more gas than is needed. In order to conserve gas and to maximize the amount of movement the gas can provide, be sure to accelerate gradually, not suddenly.
9. 9
   Purchase a more gas efficient car - A stick shift can be an option, as it is much easier to control gears in a stick shift, which can really save gas. If your car's maximum mpg is already pretty low, you may want to purchase a car with a higher mpg. Another option is to purchase hybrid, solar powered, or electric powered cars. Although a recharge may be a little bit more of a pain, it will really save on the amount of gas you use up.
10. 10
    Carpool - Although this does not have to do with optimizing your car's gas efficiency, it is a very effective way to save gas in general. By commuting with others, you can greatly reduce the amount of driving you do, reducing the amount of gas you use.

    
    

Warnings

• Be sure not to over pump your tires, as this can lead to them popping in the middle of driving, which can cause a fatal car accident.
• Although trying to use the breaks as little as possible can conserve gas, be sure to use them when necessary. Failure to break in certain moments when driving can lead to accidents. Do not fail to break simply to save gas when it can potentially injure yourself or others.

• Article provided by wikihow the wikihow manual. Please edit this article and find author credits at the original wikiHow article on How to Optimize Your Car's Gas Efficiency. All content on wikiHow can be shared under a Creative Commons license.