How to Get the Best Gas Mileage from Your Car

If you are a commuter, you will likely spend between 5% and 10% of your salary on gas this year. Here are some tips to increase your mileage. I was able to get my MPG up by between 3 and 4 MPG’s using these methods.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

1. Take off slowly and don’t burn the clutch. Your engine is most efficient about 2700 RPM’s (most small vehicles). Don’t be so hasty of the line and it will help immensely. What’s the point anyway? If you drive faster it just means waiting longer at the next signal, which brings me to my next point.
2. Avoid idling at stoplights or on the freeway whenever possible. Idling burns gas even though you are not moving. Many employers are becoming conscious of the need to reduce traffic. Ask your employer about a shift change so you can avoid traffic which will in turn avoid needless idling. That often is not possible so consider taking other routes (usually off the freeway). If the alternate route keeps you from hitting traffic signals and waiting in traffic, it will increase your mileage, even if it adds time and miles to your drive.
3. Another bonus of not taking the freeway is the speed. Remember RPM’s? On the freeway my RPM’s are up about 3200 or more. Canyon roads or side roads: 2750 or less. That means better mileage. You may not have a route to get to work that encompasses highways or canyon roads, but take any route that will allow you to drop your speed a bit and it will help. Realize though that going too slow can reduce your mileage too. Big engines are OK at higher RPM’s, but because the gear ratio is different, it’s still usually better to go a little slower than most are used to.
4. Overdrive and Cruise control: Overdrive affects the gear ratio in your drive-train so that you have a loss of torque and an increase in horsepower at lower RPM’s. Kicking in the overdrive once you get up to speed will increase MPG’s. Cruise control on the other hand keeps you from feathering the gas pedal in an attempt to maintain a constant speed. When you hit the gas, there is a delay before the engine can respond to the increased fuel, but it is burned up anyway. When you let off before the power increase happens, you lose that power that you began to build, thus wasting gas. Cruise control equals better mileage.
5. The last major thing is maintenance. If you plugs are good, then they have enough spark to light a small amount of fuel. If they aren’t, you may need more fuel which is bad for mileage. If your oil is dirty, the engine has to work harder because there is increased friction, especially in small engines. Change it every 3000-4000 miles. Many people don’t realize this, but check you tire pressure. DO NOT adjust according to what is on the tire. Look in your cars manual. The tire manufacturer knows very little about your car.