Safe ways to drastically increase gas mileage

I’m sure you’re seeing a trend on a lot of the blogs and web pages out there with gas prices as they are giving you tips to save gas. They’re telling you to keep your maintenance schedule, carpool, and even change your vehicle. Well what about those of us that don’t feel that isn’t enough, or think we can get even more out of it? Now, I’m not telling you to ignore their advice, as they are the building blocks to maximizing your fuel economy.

Before I even get going, there are a couple of things I’m assuming you’re doing already to keep your car in shape and at the best operating potential. These include: using gas grade per instructed by your manual, changing your oil (with the type intended for your engine) every 3000-5000 miles, checking your air filter to make sure it’s clean, and keeping your tires inflated to their proper pressure. If you weren’t doing that already, you may see a significant increase in your gas mileage just doing that (an estimated 5-20% depending on the amount of change).

The next step is to change your habits about when you choose to drive. (more…)