Fuel Efficiency Tips to Help Save You Gas and Money
With gas prices at record levels, everyone is looking for ways to help save money at the pump. Below are 10 tips, from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), to help you conserve gas - things you can do and services the Certified Service experts can provide to help improve your mileage.
10 Ways To Help You Save Gas
- Tune Up: Properly tuning your engine can improve fuel economy by as much as 4%. Fixing a serious issue - such as a faulty oxygen sensor - can boost mileage up to 40%.
- Pump Up: Properly inflated tires improve gas mileage by up to 3.3%.
- Unpack: An extra 100 pounds of cargo reduces fuel economy up to 2%. A loaded roof rack cuts fuel economy by up to 5%.
- Slow Down: Gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Every 5 mph over 60 mph is like adding an additional 29 cents per gallon for gas.
- Avoid Idling: A car gets 0 mpg when the engine is idling. Idling can use a quarter to a half gallon of fuel per hour, depending on engine size and air conditioner use.
- Chill Out: Speeding, rapid acceleration and braking can lower gas mileage by 33% on the highway and 5% in city driving.
- Put It in Overdrive: Using an overdrive gear on the highway saves both fuel and engine wear.
- Unclog: Replacing a severely plugged air filter on an older car with a carbureted engine improves fuel economy by up to 14%.
- Use the Right Oil: Using the manufacturer's recommended grade of oil improves fuel economy by 1% - 2%.
- Plan Your Trips: Plan routes and timing to avoid heavy periods of traffic congestion.
Additional Ways The Certified Service Experts Can Help
The Certified Service experts at your local Chevrolet, Buick, GMC and Cadillac dealer can also inspect your vehicle and perform services that can help your vehicle operate at peak performance. These inspections and services may include items such as:
- Change engine oil, using the recommended grade of motor oil.
- Check and change your air filter.
- Inspect and, if necessary, replace a clogged fuel filter.
- Adjust tire pressure to manufacturer-recommended specs.
- Inspect/clean intake system.
- Inspect/replace emissions components and/or a faulty oxygen sensor.
- Inspect brakes for proper adjustment.
- Inspect power steering system and perform a steering alignment, if necessary.
- Align front suspension.
- Clean or replace dirty or malfunctioning fuel injectors.
- Inspect/replace spark plugs and spark plug wires.
- Check exhaust for clogged catalytic converter.
- Examine exhaust gas recirculation system.
- Check automatic transmission/torque converter for proper fluid levels and shifting.
- Inspect coils and clean connections.
- Examine/replace cracked or broken vacuum hoses.
- Perform diagnostic check for stored problem codes on your vehicle's computer that indicate malfunctioning systems.
Our Maintenance Schedule Tool can help you determine the right time for maintenance on your vehicle based on your current mileage. Refer to your vehicle's Owner Manual for your complete maintenance schedule. To help ensure you're getting the most out of your fuel economy and to receive the services above, use our dealer locator to find your closest Chevrolet, Buick, GMC or Cadillac dealer.
