How to Save Money on Gas and Electricity

There are a lots of tiny, little things that you can tweak your car that will help improve gas mileage and save money on gas. The best part is, most of the ways to save money on gas and improve your gas mileage are part of routine maintenance and should be done anyway. So, if you are taking care of your car, then you are already taking step one in how to save money on gas.

Tip 1 to save money on gas. Properly inflate your tires. You’d be surprised at how you can save gas with this one. See, the firmer your tires, the more easily they roll across the pavement. What you are doing is minimizing the resistance on the tires, and less pull means saving gas! Inflate them to the manufacturer’s specifications which are located on the inside of the driver side door. Be sure to check your air pressure at least 1-2 times per month, or more if the weather changes temperature often. If you are changing your oil every 3 months or 3000 miles, then you should have the oil changing guys check. This is usually part of the service check points.

Tip 2 to how to save money on gas. Remove excess dead weight. Go on a diet. (Just Kidding!) Get rid of things you don’t need to be in the car. My wife and I have a funny debate. I never keep my gas tank full. Just about half. One reason is the gas weighs something, so I would rather have less, it costs less per fill, and I’m not carrying so much weight. An additional 100 pounds of weight uses up to an additional 2-4% more gas. Extra weight equals extra fuel! Again, when you are adding weight, you are adding resistance to the car.

Tip 3 Tune up your car. Your spark plugs and distributor cap are responsible for sending the “fire” to your engine. When they get old, they perform less efficiently which causes reduced fuel efficiency as well. What happens over time is the spark plugs get “fouled” and they don’t burn or spark as efficiently in the chamber where the gas vapor is ignited. Also, as time goes on, the wires get old and they don’t carry the charge as well. You will notice that your car either runs rough or even your running temperature goes up when your plugs are starting to go bad. So save gas by keeping the plugs and wires in good condition.

Tip 4 on how to save money on gas. Change your car’s filters. Your air filter and fuel filter affect your gas mileage. A dirty air filter has less of an effect on newer cars because their computers can generally make adjustments on the go. But it is true of older cars. In general, dirty filters equals lower mileage. Take the air filter out, and hold it up to the sun. if you can’t see light coming through the filter, then you need to change it. At least change the filter once a year. On fuel filters, check your owners manual, or consult your trusted mechanic…or call Click and Clack the Tapert Brothers on NPR!

Tip 5 Keep your tires aligned. Tires that are out of alignment can cause damage to your tires, suspension, alignment system, and decrease fuel efficiency. Again, when your tires are mis aligned, they are all pulling in different directions, and that again causes drag on the car. More drag, less gas mileage, and less gas saving.

Start with these 5 quick tips on how to save money on gas, and you should see some improvement. They are quick and you can do most your self.