-
Step 1
Keep your vehicle tuned up and maintained regularly. Check the vehicle’s air filter, fuel injector, and make sure it has had an oil change recently. If it hasn’t, you may want to go ahead and get an oil change before you hit the road.
-
Step 2
In addition to keeping your vehicle tuned, make sure that the tires’ air pressure meets recommended limits for your vehicle and that your tires are aligned properly. This can also help you to conserve gas.
-
Step 3
Make sure that the vehicle is as lightweight as possible. This can be unavoidable if you are taking long road trips that require you to pack heavy items, but don’t load the vehicle down with more than what you need as this can cause the vehicle to consume more gas. Make sure that any unnecessary items are removed from the trunk and back seat.
-
Step 4
Make sure you have everything you need before taking off. Once you are on the road, you will conserve more gas if you make less stops. So, make a checklist of all items you need to take and make sure that you have them before you leave. Also, make sure that you eat a good meal and take a potty break before hitting the road.
-
Step 5
Map out the most efficient path. You shouldn’t automatically take the shortest route as distance doesn’t necessarily equal quickest or most efficient. If you want to conserve gas, you have to take into consideration towns you have to go through, speed limits, stoplights, and how congested traffic is in a certain area on a regular basis. As stated before, the less stops the better, so ideally you will want to map out a route that is short, but keeps you at a consistent pace.
-
Step 6
Having to sit in a traffic jam with your vehicle idle definitely wastes gas consumption. Of course, unexpected traffic jams are a daily occurrence and can be hard to anticipate. So, while you are on the road, regularly keep up with traffic reports on the radio so that you can try to avoid any traffic jams.
-
Step 7
If your vehicle has cruise control, use it. Cruise control keeps your vehicle moving at a consistent pace, which causes your vehicle to use gas more efficiently. This can result in conserving gas usage.
-
Step 8
Don’t drive so fast! If you want to conserve gas, then don’t fall for the logic of “the faster you get there, the less gas will be used”. Driving at increased speeds actually consumes more gas, so slow it down a little when you are on the road.
-
Step 9
Use the air conditioner! Despite common belief, it is actually better to use the AC instead of driving with the windows down when going on a long road trip. The theory behind this is that, when driving at speeds above 40mph, wind resistance acts as a weight on your vehicle, which increases gas consumption.
