While choosing to drive as your main form of transportation for travel can save you a lot of money as compared to flying, you’ll likely still be paying a pretty penny for the gas that you need to fuel your car with. So if you’re concerned with maximizing your money and cutting back on wasteful travel spending, learning how to get better fuel economy with your vehicle is a great way for you to accomplish both of these goals. To show you how this can be done, here are three tips for getting better gas mileage for your vehicle when you’re on a road trip.
Control Your Lead Foot
The way that you drive your car can have a big impact on how economic your gas mileage is able to be. According to Ed Piotrowski, a contributor to How Stuff Works, controlling your lead foot should be one of the first things you address if you’re wanting to get better gas mileage. If you slow down a bit, you can save yourself a lot of money at the pump. Additionally, by not braking or accelerating rapidly, you’ll use less gas when you’re driving as well.
Turn Off The Engine When You Can
Whenever your car is running, it’s going to be using gas. With this in mind, it makes sense to try to turn your car off whenever you can so as to cut down on your gas usage and on emissions. Not only does this mean that you shouldn’t leave your car to “warm up” for any period of time, but Dan Schointuch, a contributor to Money Talk News, shares that you may also want to consider turning off your car whenever you’re at a red light. Any chance that you can take to turn your engine off, even for just a few minutes, will help you to conserve gas and getting better gas mileage along your trip.
Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated
Another seemingly small thing that can have a big impact on your fuel economy, according to The Family Handyman Magazine and The Reader’s Digest Canada, is keeping your tires properly inflated. And because most people drive their cars without their tires being properly inflated, they’re not getting the best possible gas mileage that their car can have. To ensure that your tires are properly inflated, simply buy an inexpensive tire gauge and check the pressure when you fill up for gas. If the pressure is below the recommended amount, add some air so that you can start getting the best possible gas mileage for your car.
If you’ve got a road trip coming up, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you start getting better fuel economy.