**Tips for Improving Your Fuel Economy**

Here are a few things you can do [today]{.underline} to get better fuel
mileage from your existing vehicle.

1.  **Drive Sensibly**\
    Think \"steady and smooth\" as you drive and take the long view of
    the road so you can brake easy. Don't mash the gas when you start up
    and don't brake hard to stop. Up to a 33% improvement in highway
    fuel economy can be realized by changing aggressive driving
    habits---that translates into a savings potential of more than 180
    gallons of fuel or \$550 per year!\*

2.  **Drive the Speed Limit**

> On the highway, you can assume that with each 5 mph you drive over 60
> mph your fuel economy drops by 5%. In town, driving at the speed limit
> will give you more green lights, improve your gas mileage, reduce
> idling time, and reduce the wear and tear on your brakes. Using the
> highway example, when you drive 75 mph vs. 55 mph it's like burning an
> extra gallon of fuel every 100 miles you drive. So, if you drive
> 10,000 highway miles, your savings could be as much as \$300 per
> year.\*

3.  **Selectively Use Cruise Control**\
    Edmonds.com states that you can improve your fuel economy by up to
    14% by engaging cruise control when appropriate. Using cruise
    control smoothes out the accelerator input and encourages the driver
    not to react to every change in traffic. However, it is
    counterproductive to use cruise control in hilly terrain; it tries
    to maintain the set speed and will use a lot of extra fuel
    downshifting and accelerating faster than typical. Using cruise
    control on 10,000 of the miles you drive in a year could save you
    nearly \$200 and more than 60 gallons of fuel.\*

4.  **Avoid Excessive Idling**\
    When your vehicle's engine is idling it gets 0 mpg, contributes to
    air pollution, and causes engine wear. It is more efficient to turn
    the engine off while you wait and restart the car when your wait is
    over. The California Energy Commission (CEC) recommends that you
    shut off your car anytime you are waiting for more than 10 seconds.
    CEC asserts that an idling vehicle consumes as much as 1 gallon of
    fuel per hour. Based on the commission's statement that most people
    idle 5-10 minutes per day, the savings translate into more than
    \$150 per year.\*

5.  **Follow the Recommended Maintenance**\
    A vehicle that is well maintained operates with greater efficiency
    and ultimately improves overall vehicle performance and fuel
    economy. Fouled spark plugs, a dirty air filter, or a clogged fuel
    filter will have an adverse effect on your fuel economy. Check your
    vehicle's owner\'s manual for maintenance recommendations and
    schedule check-ups accordingly.

6.  **Keep Your Tires Properly Inflated**\
    Under-inflated tires require more energy to roll and, consequently,
    more fuel is consumed. If you keep your tires inflated properly, you
    can improve your fuel economy by as much as 2.5%.The recommended
    tire pressure can be found in your owner\'s manual or on a sticker
    on the doorjamb of your car, not on the tire itself. Buy a
    tire-pressure gauge and check your tires monthly. For more info see
    <http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/vehicles/fuel_economy_tires_light.html>.

7.  **Remove Excess Weight**\
    Weight requires energy to move, so carrying around excess weight
    will negatively affect your fuel economy. Remove unnecessary items
    including the roof rack when you're not using it. An extra 100
    pounds of weight can reduce your fuel economy by up to 2%.

8.  **Use the Highest Gear Possible**\
    To improve your fuel economy, drive in the highest gear possible
    when you are cruising at a steady speed.

9.  **Keep Your Car Clean**\
    Keeping your car washed and waxed may reduce drag and improve
    aerodynamics. Engineer Tom Wagner, Jr. reported to Stretcher.com a
    7% improvement in fuel economy during a 1,600-mile road trip as the
    result of keeping his truck clean. Highly aerodynamic cars may not
    yield any noticeable improvement, but the cleaner they are the
    better they look!

10. **Think Before You Open Your Windows**\
    Air conditioning uses fuel. Driving with your windows rolled down
    while traveling at a high speed increases drag on the vehicle and
    may cause more fuel consumption than using the air conditioner. If
    you need it, roll up the windows and turn on the air conditioning
    when you're driving on the highway. If you are driving at a slow
    speed, turn off the air conditioner and roll your windows down.

11. **Combine Your Errands into One Efficient Trip**\
    Several short trips, all starting with a cold start, can use twice
    as much fuel as one trip with several stops and may cause you to
    travel more miles. Plan your trips efficiently.

12. **Consider Replacing Worn Out Tires with Low Rolling Resistance
    Tires**

> Low rolling resistance tires are designed to improve fuel economy by
> reducing the amount of fuel it takes to push the tire down the road.
> The tire\'s inflation pressure, weight, tread design, and materials
> contribute to how easy the tire rolls down the highway. A 2003
> California Energy Commission (CEC) study has estimated a fuel savings
> of 1.5% to 4.5% from using low rolling resistance tires. If a car's
> mileage improves from 20 mpg to 21 mpg, simply by using lower rolling
> resistance tires, its fuel savings are nearly \$100 per year.
>
> \* Assumptions for calculations: \$3.00 per gallon for fuel, 20 miles
> per gallon before change, and 15,000 miles per year.