how can I conserve my gas in my car?

Question

I do alot of driving, and I am wondering how I can conserve my gas and not use so much?

Answer 1

Make sure your tire pressure is good. Dont let your car warm up. Take everything out of your car and trunk that you dont need in there. To much weight will cause you to use more gas. Dont run the AC or Heater if you really do not need to. Get regular maintenance on your car.

Answer 2

1) minimize A/C usage
2) inflate tires to recommended levels and keep them there
3) change driving style so you don't brake and accelerate hard
4) MPG is optimized for around 60 mph, so the closer you stay to that the better your mileage will be.
5) close moon/sun roofs and windows while driving, lower the weight if possible
6) Keep up car maintenance
7) If you're not using it already, you can get away with 87 octane (the lowest) gas. The worst that will happen to your engine is some knocking sounds, but no mechanical damage. Seriously.

Longer version of answer below:

Make sure you use the grade of gasoline specified in the manual. Using a higher grade than required increases your gas bill and creates gummy deposits in the throttle body.

Making the vehicle as light as possible helps you obtain better gas mileage. If you do not use all of the seats, remove the ones you do not need and store them in the garage. If you carry everything but the kitchen sink, take out what you do not use routinely.

Check the inflation of your tires EVERY time you buy gas. Make sure you inflate the tires to the proper PSI found on the sidewall of the tire.

Rotate your tires and have them balanced as often as possible. On my vehicles, I have the tires rotated and balanced each time I have the oil changed. Every other oil change I have the alignment checked. In between alignment checks, if I feel the vehicle pulling to one side or the other, I take it for an alignment then.

Have your oil changed at the interval suggested in your manual. Every 3 months or 5,000 miles should keep your vehicle in great shape. Some manufacturers suggest 3,000-mile intervals, so check your manual. If all of your driving is within a city, then definitely stick with the 3,000-mile interval. If at least 33% of your driving is over the open road, 5,000-mile intervals work just as well. The more you stop-and-go, the more often you need to change the oil.

A hot engine is not an efficient engine. Have your cooling system flushed every 24 months in the warmer states and every 12 months in colder states. Your state qualifies as cold if they put salt and/or sand on the roads frequently during the winter.

A minor tune-up may increase your gas mileage. Change the spark plugs, distributor cap, and distributor rotor. If your plug wires are more than two years old, you may need to replace them as well.

Avoid hard take-offs from traffic lights or stop signs. Start smoothly and gradually increase your speed. On the highway, use your cruise control “Warming up” an engine is a practice long ago outdated by modern vehicles. There is no need to crank the car two or three minutes before you begin driving. This extended idle-time needlessly wastes gas and creates more air pollution. You may need to weigh the pros and cons of warming the vehicle in the wintertime to make for a more comfortable drive versus getting more miles out of a tank of gas.


Hope this helps!

Answer 3

Consumer reports says that easy gentle driving saves the most gas. Pretend you have a cup of coffee on your dashboard, now drive slow and steady so as not to cause it to fall off the dashboard. Slow smooth starts from a stoplight or stop sign, also slow stops. They also said that in order to get the best gas mileage no higher than 55mph on the highway. Hope that helps. It did for me. I improved my gas consumption from 21 mpg to almost 30 mpg.

Answer 4

There are a number of things, many of which have already been mentioned. For a full listing, with explanations and trade-offs, check out this article in Wikipedia. It includes information about when and how to brake, cornering, how tire pressure will affect mileage and handling, whether to turn off your engine at a red light, etc. (or just save up and get a hybrid -- love mine!!). Good luck!

Answer 5

Correct Tire Pressure, Don't use the AC, Keep your windows closed, Minimize braking, don't speed, reduce the weight in your car, avoid traffic, rotate tires regularly, make sure your car alignment is good, get your oil changed regularly. If you have a truck put the tail gate down.

Answer 6

Accelerate slowly. Change your fuel filter and oil regularly. Clean your fuel injectors. Use lower grade gas (it burns slower). Drive less.

And everything everyone else above said.

Answer 7

tire pressure is important. make sure that all the liquids in the car are correct. (oil, water, etc)

also, if you keep your windows rolled up and dont have AC on you waste less gas (but it will get pretty hot)

Answer 8

force a lot less. force slower and attempt to address your journeys. even as i flow to artwork, attempt to do all on the way living house so no extra use of the motorized vehicle. I walk to a pair shops now with the cost of gas what it really is

Answer 9

*don't carry around unecessary stuff
*keep the outside clean & waxed
*on hot days use A/C with windows up... less drag outweighs A/C use.
*drive like an old lady... no hard starts and stops.

Answer 10

Having good tire pressure helps a bit.