Action Tips: Save Gasoline

With the national average price of regular gas almost $4 per gallon, people are scrambling to find ways to conserve energy and money. Follow these 10 simple tips:

Check Your Air Filter

• A clean air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10%. Nearly one in four cars needs an air filter replacement.
  
  Cost Savings: 38 cents a gallon.

Straighten Up

• Poor alignment not only causes tires to wear out more quickly, but also forces your engine to work harder, which can reduce fuel economy by as much as 10%.
  
  Cost Savings: 38 cents per gallon.

Tune Up

• A properly tuned engine can improve mileage by 4%.
  
  Cost Savings: 15 cents a gallon.

Pump 'em Up

• More than one-quarter of vehicles have improperly inflated tires. The average under-inflation of 7.5 pounds causes a loss of 2.8% in fuel efficiency.
  
  Cost Savings: 10 cents per gallon.

Check Your Cap

• An estimated 17% of cars on the road have broken or missing gas caps, which not only reduces gas mileage but may harm the environment.
  
  Cost Savings: 4 cents per gallon.

Slow Down

• By slowing down 5mph, you can reduce fuel consumption by 7%.
  
  Cost Savings: 28 cents, by reducing speed from 70 mph to 65 mph.

Drive More Smoothly

• The more smoothly you accelerate and decelerate, the better your gas mileage, with potential gas savings of 33% on the highway and 5% around town.
  
  Cost Savings: 19-126 cents a gallon.

Don't Give Your Foot a Brake

• Riding with your foot on the brake not only wears out brakes but can also increase gas consumption by as much as 35%.
  
  Cost Savings: 134 cents per gallon.

Lighten Up

• For every 100 extra pounds carried around, your vehicle loses 1 to 2% in fuel efficiency.
  
  Cost Savings: 7 cents per gallon, per 100 pounds of weight removed.

Don't Be Idle

• Besides causing pollution, idling wastes gas. If stopped for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine, except while in traffic of course. And don't bother to 'warm up' your car before driving -- it's not necessary.
  
  Cost Savings: 2 cents per gallon, for every two minutes you avoid idling.
  
  
  
  Source:
  
  The Daily Green
  
  Tips to save gas
  
  Environmental Protection Agency

Calculated based on regular gas national average week of April 22, 2011