How to Increase Your Gas Mileage

Are the prices of gasoline eating a hole in your pocketbook? This is true for the average American consumer but what can you do to remedy it? You can take the practice steps outlined in this article, you will not need the help of a mechanic and you will probably lessen the burn of gasoline prices. So let's take a look at various remedies that can be used to increase gas mileage.

Properly inflating your tires is the number thing people forget to do, this is one of the biggest causes of gas consumption. Even if your tires are 5 pounds under inflated this could cause a %10 decrease in gas mileage, but how many people actually check their tires? Well many car manufacturers advise checking the pressure of your tires at least once a month, and more often if you travel a lot. You can locate the proper operating pressure on the sidewall of your tires; most notably it will be 32 psi (pounds per square inch), even a store bought tire pressure gauge should give you an ideal whether or not you are under inflated. Note: automobile manufacturers suggest that properly inflating your tires will also increase handling.

Checking for clogged air filters is a way to decrease gas mileage. If your air filter is clogged this will not only reduce performance, but also reduce your gas mileage because the clogged engine has burn oil faster in order to achieve the same amount of power from the engine that would be found using a clean air filter. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter increase gas mileage but it will also reduce pollution, which benefits all of us.

Addition weight is another factor in decreased gas mileage, the more weight an automobile has to carry will result in more gasoline being burned to fuel it. Even as little as 10 extra pounds could result in additional gas consumption, so how can you remedy this problem? Only take things that are necessary in on trips, such as a cell phone. Removing useless items will save you gas mileage in the long term.

If you are driving on the freeway you should always roll your windows up, and turn the air conditioner on. Driving with your windows down can cause a dramatic increase in air drag, which results in horrible gas consumption. Rolling down the windows makes the engine have to work harder, which means that driving with the windows up will probably create a more efficient car.

Never rev an engine, not only does this cause unnecessary fuel burning, but it causes ware to the engine. If you are going out for a drive on a warm summer day, let your car idle for 2 minutes, this will help the engine warm up and in return cause better gas mileage.

Using all of these things combined could result in savings on gasoline, the most important thing to do while trying to save on gas is to drive responsibly and sensibly.