For people who are worried about the gas price inflation and the poor state of the industry, but don't have enough money to buy a new fuel efficient car, here are some basic tips that will provide noticeable gas mileage improvements:
1. Avoid overstocking your trunk. People tend to stuff a lot of things into their trunk, thinking that they may have a use for it somewhere down the road. Unfortunately, doing so will increase the overall weight of your vehicle and create more rolling resistance, which also increases the amount of gas it needs to run. Try to keep the things you bring along to a bare minimum. If your car has a bicycle or ski rack installed, you may want to remove it if you're not using them. Aside from weighing down the car, they also tend to create more aerodynamic drag.
2. Try to keep your tank half-full if you're not planning a long trip. All of that gas you didn't get also adds to the overall weight of your car. Additionally, try to get your tank refilled during the coolest time of the day. Gas is usually denser when it's cold, and the difference is that a car's engine will consume fuel based on weight, while a gas pump dispenses fuel by volume. This means you will get more gas for the same money if you do it during the early morning or late at night.
3. Avoid slamming the brakes like a madman. A lot of drivers, particularly novice ones, have a habit of slamming on the brakes in order to speed up the stopping process. The idea behind this is that the more you break, the more you need to accelerate again. Every single kick-start requires the engine to expend more gas than it usually needs.
4. On the other hand, try not to abuse the gas pedal. For the same reason that stomping on the brakes frequently hurts your gas mileage, aggressive acceleration also increases your gas consumption greatly. But try not to overdo it and drive like a snail - find the sweetspot that lets you maintain a speed that isn't too fast yet doesn't get in the way of other drivers. Drive on the right lane if you have to.
5. Use the terrain to your advantage. If you're all alone on the road and there's a downhill, try to decelerate the engines and just leave it to inertia to bring your car down.
6. Regularly have your car tuned up. It's true that your fuel savings will never make up for the cost of a tune-up, but if you consider the fact that a regular tune-up will also increase the performance and reliability of your car, which means savings on the cost of repair, then regular tune ups are still a good idea regardless of whether you are trying to conserve gas or not.
7. Finally, try to plan your routes ahead. The less you drive, the more gas you will not use up. Try to plan ahead which roads you're going to use. Avoid heavy traffic and make sure you get the least distance.
You can find out more about how to Improve Your Gas Mileage as well as much more information on increasing your gas mileage and saving money at
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