Tips to Help You Increase Gas Mileage in Your Vehicle

If you're like everyone else at the planet, you want to find ways to increase gas mileage so that the money you spend at the gas pumps goes a little further. First of all you have to know how much mileage you are getting from the gas you put in your tank so that you can determine if you are increasing the mileage and thus saving any money. Watch the level of the gas in the tank until it is almost empty. When you pull into the gas pump, write down the amount of mileage showing on the odometer. Then fill up your tank and when you fill up the tank again you can check the mileage to see how far you drove on that amount of gas by dividing the number of miles into the number of gallons/liters.

Now you can start using tips to help you increase this mileage and see what difference it makes in the longer distances you can travel on the same amount.

1. Reduce your speed on the highway. Although you may think you get there faster by going 5 miles over the speed limit, you are not saving that much time at all. However, by driving at higher speeds you are using up an extra 10% of your gas. Just think about a car you passed on the road. If you had to pull in for some reason, how long would it be before that car passed you? Not very long at all.

2. If your vehicle is equipped with cruise control, use it whenever possible. This reduces the number of times you have to use your brake. When you use the brake frequently, this increases the amount of gas you use.

3. Extra weight in your vehicle has a direct impact on gas consumption. Remove the extra weight so that the engine doesn't have to work as hard for you to drive the vehicle.

4. Believe it or not, air-conditioning also increases the amount of gas you use and this reduces your mileage. When possible lower the windows to allow cool air to circulate through the vehicle. Only using the air conditioning when it is absolutely necessary is one way you can increase your mileage.

5. Do you take several short trips in one day for running errands? You can cut down on the amount of gas you burn when you combine all the trips in one. This way you won't be returning home and then starting out again and in so doing you won't have as much mileage.

6. If you drive your car to work each day, consider taking the bus, walking or carpooling with your colleagues. This will cut down on the amount of gas you have to burn and won't put any miles on your vehicle.

7. Keeping your car in good running condition will help you increase the mileage as well. This means having your oil changed on a regular basis so that the engine does not have work harder with thick oil. The tire pressure is also an important aspect because a vehicle with a tire that is not inflated enough will burn more gas.