Saving Energy: Driving and Car Maintenance

By Taylor Nelson

More than two-thirds of the total oil consumption of U.S. goes to transportation - mainly in the form of gasoline. An average American consumes 500 gallons of gas annually. And with the unpredictable cost of fuel and the growing concern for the environment, saving energy by becoming a better driver and keeping your car properly maintained becomes a must. Consider the following tips to increase fuel efficiency and therefore, save energy

Proper Driving

Lighten up. Remove unnecessary things from your car. Extra weight consumes fuel.

Avoid idling. Driving 0 miles per hour doesn't mean that you don't consume fuel. A car engine that is running consumes fuel whether it is moving or not. Do not waste fuel by idling to preheat your engine. Once you start your engine, drive.

If you are stuck on a long traffic, turn off your engine. This technique enables hybrid cars to save fuel. By default, hybrid cars automatically shuts down its engine at full stop. Hence, it ceases fuel consumption from idling.

Go inside the restaurant instead of doing a drive thru. Park your car and turn off the engine. Small acts can actually amount to huge savings.

Use your cruise control if your vehicle has one. Activating this feature enables you to maintain a constant speed and of course, to save on fuel.

Drive sensibly. Abrupt acceleration, speeding and hard breaking due to driving aggressively decreases your fuel efficiency by as much as 33% in the highway and 5% if you are cruising in the city.

Avoid high speeds. You car's fuel efficiency lessens when you are on 60 miles per hour.

If you are driving a car with manual transmission, shift to the highest drivable gear. High gear at low speed requires less pressure on the gas pedal compared to low gear at high revolution.

Estimate the distance before you hit break. If you know that a stop light or your final stop is near, avoid accelerating. Excessive acceleration needs excessive breaking, avoid these two situations. Another thing you have to check on is your air-conditioning system, as using it increases your gas consumption. If you could turn it off and just open your windows, just do that. Do not use your roof rack if the item can be placed in your trunk or inside the car. Placing a heavy stuff on your rack produces a drag and lessen fuel efficiency by 5%. Moreover, observe the recommended tire pressure.

If you have the budget, switch to a hybrid car. This kind of vehicle has higher fuel efficiency than the usual gasoline-engine transportations. Furthermore, they have no or almost zero carbon dioxide emission. To be able to save more fuel and contribute to the betterment of the environment, electric cars and other vehicles that use alternate resources are just the answers.

A car that is light, aerodynamic and has a small engine maximizes fuel efficiency. Hence, when you are planning to to buy a car, remember these 3 vital elements that are found in small cars, and not those gas-hungry SUVs.

Car Maintenance

Regularly clean your air filters. Clogged ones stops the air to infiltrate the cylinder which results to decreased quality of car performance and heightened fuel consumption.

Keep your wheels properly aligned.

Have your car checked regularly and subject it for tune up. Also, have your oil changed, to free your cars from fuel efficiency concerns produced by dragging brakes, low transmission fluids and transmission problems.

You take it a little further by carpooling or riding a public transit. Of course, this kind of strategy can save fuel consumption.

Only use the proper type of oil on your car.

Saving energy begins at home and extends on the road. Make these things a habit to save cash, help the environment and extend the service of your car. - 21396

About the Author:

Increase your car's mileage and fuel efficiency with these Earth for Energy tips. To learn more about Taylor Nelson's and his website visit FastVideoReviews.com.