There are a number of things you can do to both increase fuel efficiency and extend the life of your vehicle. Your car or truck is among your most valuable possessions, and you should do everything you can to extend its life. Moreover, many of the actions and auto repairs listed below can save you money on fuel.
Slow Down
Driving slower is perhaps the simplest thing you can do to both save on fuel and reduce the wear and tear on your engine. Best of all, slowing down costs you nothing. In addition to improving your fuel efficiency, slowing down and driving more carefully significantly decreases your chances of getting into a fatal accident.
Maintain Your Tire Pressure
Under-inflated tires decrease your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, but they’re also unsafe. If your tires are under-inflated even a little, it increases the tire rolling resistance, which means your engine has to work harder to make your tires roll fast enough. You should check your vehicle’s tire pressure once a month, at a minimum, even if you don’t think there’s an issue.
Reduce Your Vehicle’s Weight
Every 100 pounds your vehicle carries equals a 1% to 2% decrease in fuel efficiency, and smaller cars are even more affected by excess weight. If you can, leave your toolbox, golf clubs, and other heavy items at home. If you’re concerned about your motorhome’s gas mileage, definitely reduce your weight, both for fuel efficiency and safety.
Install a Common Rail Injector
This fix may cost you a little bit of money up front, but it will pay off in fuel savings. A common rail injector is an important component in both diesel and gas direct injection systems. The big difference between a direct injection system compared to a standard injection is the way the fuel is mixed with air. The fuel is injected directly into the combustion chamber, rather than mixing with air in the intake manifold. This makes the fuel burn more thoroughly and evenly, thus increasing fuel efficiency.
Install a Vacuum Gauge
A vacuum gauge is an inexpensive and low-tech fix to increase fuel efficiency. A higher vacuum level in the manifold means higher mileage, and the vacuum gauge monitors the manifold vacuum level. With a little practice and an eye on the vacuum gauge, a driver can learn to drive in a way that maintains a steady, high manifold pressure. That will help to improve your car’s gas mileage.
These are just a few ideas to not only help to improve your gas mileage, but also reduce the wear and tear on your car.