5 tips to increase your gas mileage

As summer approaches, that usually means vacation time for the family. When considering your vacation destination, cost is almost always a factor. This often ends up leaving people grounded, nudging them towards opting for a road trip instead of flying. But, even if you go “Griswold,” you still want to keep your cost down. One of the ways to do that is to maximize your gas mileage before you hit the road. So, we have put together a list of 5 tips to increase your gas mileage.

1. Replace your air filter. A clean air filter improves air flow to the engine. This causes your engine to work more efficiently. That means it will take less acceleration to get the car moving, which means less gas that you have to give it to get up to your desired speed.
2. Check your tire pressure. You want to do this anyway to extend the life of your tires. Over the course of a winter, as temperatures fluctuate, you can lose tire pressure. That reduction in pressure leads to more of the tire making contact with the road. That gives you more resistance, and lower fuel efficiency. Inflating the tires to their recommended pressure alleviates that resistance. It should be noted, that there is no benefit to over inflating your tires. Some people have bought into the myth that the more air you have above the recommended pressure, further reduces the resistance with the road. There is no data to support that myth. Furthermore, overinflating your tires reduces their life span, which means buying tires more frequently, which completely negates the idea of trying to save money.
3. Manage your air conditioning. This is really a series of tips within a tip. Managing your air conditioning is difficult in South Louisiana. Ideally, the best gas mileage comes with the windows rolled up and the air conditioning turned off as the a/c is a major strain on fuel. But, I think we can all agree that that is never going to happen during a Louisiana summer. So, you are left with managing the a/c you use. Try parking in the shade when you can. Roll down your windows when you first get in the car to let the hot air out. Provided it’s comfortable, keep the windows down when you are traveling under 40 miles an hour, and don’t turn on the air until the windows are up. Above 40 miles per hour, switch to the a/c, because once you start getting to higher speeds, the windows being down creates more drag than the drain on the gas caused by the a/c.
4. Keep your engine properly tuned. Fortunately, today’s vehicles have no problem sharing with you when there is something that needs to be addressed. Also, keeping with your service schedule at your Volkswagen dealer, means that you will be as tuned as you can be most of the time. But, if you drive an older vehicle, or don’t get regular maintenance, and something goes wrong, you can end up wasting as much in lost fuel efficiency as you can by paying to have your vehicle fixed. The most common problem that seems unimportant, but costs you dearly is having a faulty oxygen sensor. This can leave a 30 to 40% dent in your fuel efficiency. That means you will be back at the pump a third more often than you are now.
5. Get your foot off the floor. The harder you accelerate, the more gas you use. By easing out of red lights and stop signs, you can reduce the amount of gas it takes to get you moving. Naturally, you don’t want to get the driver behind you mad, but you’re not drag racing either. The best way to describe what you should be doing, is to “accelerate smoothly.” A secondary tip to accompany this is to keep your speed down over all. The faster you are going, the more drag your vehicle creates. Anything over 55 miles per hour, and the drag increases significantly as you continue to raise you speed. So, every time you wonder if you’re “making good time,” try to keep in mind that “good time” can easily be negated by more frequently needing to stop for gas.

There are dozens, if not hundreds of ways to improve your gas mileage. Adopting as many as you can is better for your car and better for your wallet. If we can help along the way, please contact our service department.

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