With gas prices on the rise in Canada, everyone is looking for ways to use less fuel and have more money in their pockets. Be Car Care Aware published a list of 10 little things that will help you reduce your fuel consumption as much as possible.
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- Keep tires properly inflated. Driving your vehicle with just one tire under-inflated by eight pounds per square inch will increase your vehicle's fuel consumption by four percent.
- Tighten your gas cap. Be Car Care Aware estimates that 22 million litres of gasoline vaporize into the atmosphere each year in Canada as a result of improperly tightened or missing gas caps. It is also a common cause for failing an emissions test, yet it is simple and inexpensive to fix.
- Perform regular maintenance. Regular vehicle maintenance improves gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent.
- Replace air filters regularly. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.
- Replace spark plugs regularly. A dirty spark plug causes misfiring which wastes fuel.
- Observe the speed limit and use cruise control while on the highway. Save big bucks by cutting your highway cruising speed by 10 km/h or even less.
- Go inside instead of waiting in long lines at the drive-through window. Two average-sized light-duty vehicles can waste enough gasoline to fill one coffee cup while sitting in the line-up for five minutes at a drive-through.
- Combine trips. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multi-purpose trip covering the same distance.
- Don't haul unneeded items. An extra 100 lbs in the trunk reduces fuel economy by 1-2 percent. Unused roof rack and accessories add weight and drag.
- Avoid quick starts and stops. Aggressive driving saves you only 2.5 minutes out of every hour but can use up to 39% more fuel.