How to Get Better Gas Mileage

Summer is just around the corner, and for most of is this means ROAD TRIPS!!!!

With the price of fuel these days, we are all trying to find ways to save a few bucks to make our summer road trips a bit more affordable while also doing our part to reduce our personal carbon footprint. With this in mind, we’ve come up with a list of things you can do to help you get better summer gas mileage.

9 Tips to Get Better Summer Gas Mileage                                               

1. Check your tire pressure to ensure they are properly inflated to the recommended psi. Under-inflated tires are not only dangerous, but they can decrease fuel economy by as much as 25%! Find out how to check your tire pressure here.
2. Running the air conditioning is one of your car’s biggest contributors to reduced fuel economy in summer. Reduce the use of air conditioning by:
   • Rolling the windows down at lower speeds and use the a/c only for highway driving
   • Parking in the shade whenever possible, or use a sunshade, to reduce summer heat inside the vehicle
   • When you first start driving, let the hot air out of the car by driving a short time with the windows rolled down to let the hot air out
   • Use a warmer temperature setting on the a/c reduces the fuel used to run it (This also applies to hybrid/electric cars with regard to battery power)
3. Lighten your load – Carry only what you need in your car. If you keep winter necessities (like snow chains etc.) in your vehicle, remove them during the summer months. It may seem minor, but every little bit of weight you haul around will cost you in gas consumption.
4. Reduce drag – half of your vehicle’s energy is spent overcoming wind resistance. Whenever possible, reduce your car’s workload by removing anything that may be causing drag – roof racks, bike racks, ski racks, etc.
5. Buy gas during the coolest part of the day – usually in the morning. Gasoline is densest when it is cooler. Since gas pumps measure in volume rather than density you will get more gas for your money per measure of volume at cooler temperatures.
6. Don’t idle. Turn off your engine if you expect you will be idling for more than a minute. Sure, it takes a burst of gas to start the car again, but likely not as much as allowing it to idle for several minutes.
7. Combine errands and plan your route – save up your weekly errands and do them all at once rather than going back and forth from home to the store, and plan your route to avoid going to the same area more than once.
8. When using the passing lane to pass other vehicles, do this on flat ground or downhill and not on the uphill to avoid unnecessary acceleration.
9. Use cruise control – this reduces fuel consumption by maintaining a consistent speed.

And of course make sure you are doing regular maintenance and oil changes on your vehicle. Here at Searles, we have three oil change options to meet varying budgets with our Good, Better and Best service options.

Call us or book your appointment online with us today and get started on preparing your car to get better gas mileage.