Save gas. Save money. Save the environment.

by Kent Graham

December 2nd, 2008

You don’t have to wait for electric cars to “drive greener.” By following these tips for reducing your vehicle’s fuel consumption, you can be friendlier to the environment – not to mention your wallet.

• Limit idling (no matter how small your vehicle, idling gets you 0 mpg)
• Avoid quick starts and stops (can improve fuel efficiency by 33% at highway speeds and 5% at city speeds)
• Slow down (every 5 mph over 55 mph reduces mpg by up to 10%)
• Lighten your cargo load (every 100 lbs. reduces mpg by up to 2%)
• Turn off air conditioning (air reduces mpg by 20%)
• Use cruise control (a steady speed can boost fuel efficiency)
• Tighten gas cap (loose caps cause fuel to evaporate)
• Keep tires properly inflated (can improve mpg by over 3%)
• Rotate and align tires (misalignment hinders fuel economy)
• Give your engine a tune-up if it’s due (can improve mpg by 4%)
• Replace dirty air filters (clean filters can improve mpg by as much as 10%)

For more tips on improving fuel efficiency, visit www.fueleconomy.gov.