Comments on How to Increase Gas Mileage

When checking your automatic transmission fluid you need to check it when the car is not running for Hondas, and running in neutral for Mitsubishis and Chrysler brand trucks and SUVs.

Fill your gas tank when you have about 1/2 a tank. Check your mileage from full to 1/2 tank, then from 1/2 to empty. I think you'll see you get the best milage on the full to 1/2 tank. Enjoy your driving the economical way.

It's on your car already (on most) and it's free. Use it. Cruise control makes driving a lot easier and it saves gas. It stops sudden acceleration and maintains a constant speed, which you cannot do with your foot. It also helps prevent speeding tickets.

Keep the muffler bearings lubricated for optimal performance. Use synthetic halogen fluid only (the blue kind), instead of the standard SAE 40 variety. Be sure to use thinner brake pads on the next brake job. By using pads with less friction material, you will create less drag between the pad and the rotor. Finally, inflate the tires with a product called HeliGel. This is a helium based gel that is injected into the tires of the vehicle. Once the gel hits the air in the tires, it vaporizes into helium gas and will lower the vehicle weight by 30-50 pounds.

Drive your car like the way you would a bicycle. Coast down hills and slingshot the car around, this is especially easy to do with a manual transmission. Look ahead for stop signs and red lights, coast your car to stops. Every car has a cruising speed, for SUV's that sweet spot is usually at 55 mph, for cars it's usually 65 mph and higher. Follow these tips and you will get great mpg.

This won't work. The gas guage is not an exact measure of how much gas you have. Usually, you use more than half the tank before the guage reads half full, which will indicate fantastic mileage for the first half of the tank.

Everyone is talking about air resistance, cleaning, etc. but the REAL way to get better gas milage is to put in as many high performance parts as you can get, the more the better, plus your car looks and SOUNDS good too!!

Being a pilot, there is somthing to be said about drag. Drag increases as speed increases. You end up burning more fuel trying to maintain your high speed. ..duh.. For those who don't like to slow down on open highways, try following instead of driving past everyone. The NASCAR drivers do it. It's called 'drafting' ...the car behind the leader uses less fuel. I don't mean tailgate the guy in front of you. But it is true, the guy in front has more drag. Drive in his wake!

Here's a little advice from overseas. I have checked with the help of an onboard computer to find the best ways of saving fuel. When you're going downhill, try to move with the momentum of the car. If going uphill, select one gear lower and don't try to maintain the same speed you had before the hill (just be happy with 85% of the speed you had). Also, keep track of what kind of gas you put in. Keep a log or something to find out who gives you the best gas.

Avoid carrying extra weight in the trunk of your car. Remove clutter from the trunk. I like to put somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 tank of gas in the tank. Why should I burn gas to carry gas?

Try installing a camper shell for trucks, they tend to bevave a little more at speed (with equal distribution of vehicle weight)and devert the air more efficiently. The wash and wax concept (for wind resistance)is a farce. Also, add fuel injector cleaner.

Keeping your headlights on does not affect your gas mileage. The car's alternator is spinning at all times when the engine is running. Your car headlights do not use 5-7 mpg in gas!

Misaligned front and/or rear wheel alignment affects fuel efficiency. Dragging front disc brakes also have a drastic effect on gas mileage. Have alignment checked as well as a 4-wheel total brake inspection.

Slow down and avoid carrying extra weight. Also, try to keep your car washed and waxed... this provides less "resistance" for the car.

Most fuel is wasted braking. Acceleration converts energy (gas) to momentum. Braking uses friction to reduce momentum. Brake early at lights and slow down instead of stopping if possible. The car behind you also saves fuel (but the driver may get angry).

Run your tank to almost empty prior to filling up! This gives you a "fresh" tank each time. The difference between cool gas and air temperature gas can be as much as a gallon difference in expanded capacity. You will see the difference! You are paying for the lesser amount.

When a steady speed is possible, use the cruise control and keep the speed moderate. High speeds use more fuel. Try to combine errand needs so that many errands can be accomplished in one trip.

It is actually more efficient to use your air-conditioning when you're traveling over 65mph. At and over that speed with your windows down creates wind resistance causing you to use more gas.

An alternator is much harder to rotate when it is required to power a heavy load, such as headlights, and even harder for a heater-fan on high. This causes drag on the engine and burns more fuel. Leave the lights and fans off!

1. Exhaust headers will (in varying amounts) help mileage, it depends on the engine type. However, as someone noted, driving habits can turn possible mileage gains into losses. Headers help remove exhaust gases more efficiently, leaving a cleaner cylinder for the next cycle and helping your engine to breathe better. 2. Replace the gear oil in your differential(s) with synthetic gear oil. A friend did this in his 4 x 4, including the transmission and the transfer case, and saw a mileage gain. I believe he used the same SAE number.

Replace the stock air filter in your car with an air filter that allows for increased air flow. (An example is a "K&N Filter".) This will give a slight boost to a car's HP. If you don't change your driving habits, this will increase your mileage. If you don't know where to find such air filters, do a search online or ask a mechanic.

Run your tank to almost empty prior to filling up! This gives you a "fresh" tank each time. The difference between cool gas and air temperature gas can be as much as a gallon difference in expanded capacity. You will see the difference! You are paying for the lesser amount.

Replace the stock air filter in your car with an air filter that allows for increased air flow. (An example is a "K&N Filter".) This will give a slight boost to a car's HP. If you don't change your driving habits, this will increase your mileage. If you don't know where to find such air filters, do a search online or ask a mechanic.

Keep your headlights off if they don't need to be on. The energy that powers your headlights doesn't come from nowhere, it comes from your gas. Some cars use up to 5-7 mpg more with headlights on.

Most fuel is wasted braking. Acceleration converts energy (gas) to momentum. Braking uses friction to reduce momentum. Brake early at lights and slow down instead of stopping if possible. The car behind you also saves fuel (but the driver may get angry).