One big concern that people have when looking for a vehicle is the fuel efficiency of any vehicle that might be on the list of options. Of course, it might not be time for your family to purchase a new vehicle yet - or you may have just purchased a vehicle with great gas mileage, but are looking to increase it just a little more. Why not! The more efficient your vehicle is, the more money you save at the pump. It’s a win/win scenario! So, here are our tips for maximizing your fuel efficiency without, you know, making the leap into buying a new vehicle just yet.
Our first tip for getting those MPGs up is to not speed. Speeding is, first of all, illegal, and second of all it can bring your MPGs down drastically. When you are speeding, you’re accelerating (and decelerating) a lot more than you normally would be, which is a terrible waste of gas. To combat this, don’t speed! And use your cruise control when you are on the highway - it will keep you at a safe and consistent rate of speed.
Combine trips when you leave the house to run errands. Carpooling is a great solution to not only lowering your emissions but helping everyone save on gas! When you’re out and about, don’t idle your vehicle. Idling for one minute uses as much gas as it takes to start your car in the first place, and it creates a lot more exhaust.
When you’re out in the warmer months, try to park in the shade. Not only does this make your vehicle more comfortable for you to get into when you’re done with your errand, but it minimizes the evaporation of fuel in your tank from the heat and leaves you with more gas to use while driving. Finally, minimize the weight of your vehicle and the drag from vehicle storage. Clean out your vehicle and get rid of things in it that might be weighing you down. If you have roof storage, like a box, consider making room for those items in your vehicle or switching to a rear-mounted box to reduce drag.
Keeping your vehicle in peak condition is also incredibly important. Your tires should be properly inflated and your alignment should be perfect at all times. Regular inspections, tire rotations, and alignment checks are essential in maintaining good fuel economy. When your tires are properly inflated, the amount of drag that your engine has to work through is reduced. When it’s time for you to get new tires, ask for low rolling resistance tires to help your engine even more.
You won’t increase your MPGs from 20 to 70, but if you do these things then you’ll hopefully see an increase of a few miles per gallon through careful driving! And if after reading this you’ve been convinced that it might actually be time to get a new vehicle, consider something from Fiore Volkswagen!
