One of the best things you can do in increasing gas mileage in your your vehicle is to keep it as well tuned as you possibly can.
This means taking note of those regularly scheduled maintenance checkups that you so often ignore.
Studies indicate that a car with an engine that is poorly tuned will increase the amount of fuel consumption from 10 to 20 percent and that certainly will not help you in increasing gas mileage!
Government studies shows that when you tune up a car that is due for a checkup or one that has emissions problems, you can increase the gas mileage by up to 4.1 percent.
Pay attention to the signals that your car is giving you.
When the red message light on your dashboard lights up letting you know that it’s time to “check your gauges” make sure that you have your car looked at as soon as you can.
If you are uncertain when the last time was that you had your car serviced you may be able to contact the mechanic that last did the work for you.
If they keep accurate records your mechanic will be able to give you a date for your last maintenance visit and help you schedule a new one at the same time. With that said let's get on with our first set of tips for increasing gas mileage.
Change the oil in your car:
Change the oil in your car on a regular basis. When you keep the oil in your car clean you reduce the wear that is caused by friction in the moving parts of your car’s engine.
Keeping track of your last oil change will save you money at the gas pump and help you in increasing gas mileage..
Use the right grade of oil:
Make sure that you are using the right grade of oil that is required by your car or truck. Oil grades are measured in viscosity, which determines how much the oil can resist flow. Grades of oil include:
0W (this is the thinnest) (“W” stands for winter)
5W to 25W
20 to 60 (60 is the thickest)
Check with the owner’s manual that comes with your car for more information about the grade of oil that is required by your car.
Make sure that you use the right grade of oil to ensure that your car runs as smoothly as it should in all types of weather.
If you find that you are always running out of oil when you need it you can buy car oil in bulk at stores such as Costco so that you always have oil available for your vehicle.
If you can’t change the oil in the car yourself ask a family or friend to give you a hand.