Gas prices are not coming down anytime soon, and paying four dollars or more for a gallon of gas will eat into your wallet pretty quickly. But automotive experts say there are some things that you can do to help improve your fuel economy. Our Jeff Gunter explains.
Let's start where the rubber meets the road, your tires. Keeping your tires at the recommended air pressure can go a long way to improving your miles per gallon. But while you are down there it might be a good time to check your alignment.
"If you have abnormal tire wear, you most likely have an alignment issue," stated Nathan Mailhot, Automotive Instructor at UNOH. "What an alignment issue does is it causes your front tires to kind of sit off to the side and their scrubbing as your going down the road. It causes excessive wear and it puts more force on the engine as you drive down the road, dramatically reducing fuel economy."
Mailhot also says making sure that you are using the recommended fuel type for your vehicle will help it run more efficiently and as well as avoiding rapid starts and stop.
"Using your cruise control can also be very beneficial because it holds you at a steady state speed so you don't consume as much fuel," added Mailhot.
Plus, cleaning out some unwanted heavy objects in your car will help your fuel economy, and don't forget to stay on top of your car's maintenance.
"Including spark plugs, oil changes, timing belts, as well as looking for a check engine light. If you have a check engine light, I would advise that you get it looked at immediately to improve your overall fuel economy," said Mailhot.
Plus, having a plan if you are running errands is a smart idea.
"If you are going to go out in public and you are going to drive around, I would really spend a couple minutes and figure out where you are going to go so you don't have to backtrack," suggested Mailhot.
Doing the little things could make a big difference in how often you are filling up over the next few months.
