Fuel saving tips

Inflate your tires to their maximum recommended pressure. High pressure in tires enables you to accelerate with less gas and coast farther. It also enhances turn-in capability and facilitates better tire longevity.

2. Use the lowest weight oil recommended for your vehicle. Low-weight oil is easier to pump through an engine, and the engine components will interact more efficiently.

3. Change your air filter at least once a year. Engines work harder when they have to pull air through a dirty filter.

4. Drive as if you hypothetically do not have brakes. Gerdes says that drivers usually burn fuel to get up to an excessive speed, then throw that energy away by slamming on the brakes at a stop sign or red light. Thus, he asks drivers to imagine driving a brakeless vehicle and adjust their driving style accordingly. He recommends accelerating only as needed, and coasting up to red lights and stop signs when possible.

5. Don’t use cruise control or worry about keeping a constant speed — instead, be concerned with not changing the load on your engine. In other words, it’s acceptable to slow down as you go up a hill, as long as your engine continues to work only as hard as it did when you were on level ground. You’ll make up the loss in speed on the other side of the hill due to the assistance of gravity.

6. Don't drive above the speed limit. The faster you go, the more you increase drag on the car from the wind, consuming more fuel.

7. Turn your engine off if you are idling for more than 10 seconds. Idling is one of the worst fuel wasters.

8. Practice “potential parking.” First, seek out the highest point of a parking lot and, if parking lot topography permits, coast uphill into a spot where you can face out, allowing you to coast right out when you depart.

9. Instead of relying on your fuel gauge, odometer and your long division skills, install a ScanGauge (scanguage.com) automotive computer that calculates and displays your fuel consumption. Many luxury vehicles already have this functionality.

10. Sweat it out sans A/C. Running a mechanical and electrical accessory like air conditioning steals fuel from the engine and decreases fuel economy. Operating the air conditioner on its maximum setting can reduce miles per gallon by up to 25 percent.