As gasoline costs have risen over the past few years, many people are looking for easy ways to increase their car’s fuel economy and reduce their average gas consumption.  There are many different ways to increase the fuel economy of a car, but some may be difficult to accomplish to someone with no mechanical training or too expensive for older vehicle models.  Here are some of the fastest and cheapest ways to boost your car’s fuel economy.

Don’t Ride The Brake

Many people drive their cars with their foot on the brake pedal for the majority of their commute.  Driving with your foot on the brake not only increases gas consumption, it also causes the brakes of the car to wear out faster resulting in expensive repairs to keep the car drivable.  Training yourself to keep your foot off the brake pedal while driving can save you nearly $100 in gas costs annually.

Strive For Smooth Starts And Stops

Aggressive braking and sudden acceleration will reduce the fuel economy of your car by a significant amount while causing unnecessary wear and tear to the vehicle.  It is better to accelerate smoothly to gradually increase your speed and gently brake to stop the vehicle without jerking or bouncing the frame or moving parts of the car.  Improving your stopping and starting can save you the equivalent of 68 cents per gallon.

Change Your Air Filter

Experts estimate that nearly 25% of the cars on the road today are driving around with a dirty air filter.  A dirty air filter prevents the combustion chambers of the engines from getting enough clean air to operate effectively, causing the engine to lose power and overcompensate by using more gas to return to its normal operating capacity.  Changing the air filter of your vehicle on a regular basis can boost your fuel economy by 10%.

Get A Wheel Alignment

When driving, if you notice that your car is pulling to one side and you have to hold the steering wheel at an odd angle to keep the car on a straight path, the car needs a wheel alignment.  If the wheels are not properly aligned, the car has to work harder to drive properly increasing the work that the engine must do and increasing gas consumption.  A proper wheel alignment can increase the fuel economy of a vehicle by 10%.

Tags: money saving tips

This entry was posted on Sunday, July 24th, 2011 at 1:17 pm and is filed under tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.