Be sure tires are inflated to the proper P.S.I. (Pounds per square inch.) Properly inflated tires help conserve fuel. Use the recommended pressure listed on the tire and not in the owners manual that will give you a safe pressure incase the tires on your car are not original or the car manufacturer changed tire brands and did not follow through by changing the owner’s manual. A tire pressure gage can be purchased for about a dollar almost anywhere, and the 75 cents for air will be worth the cost if a place that has free air cannot be found.
Put on a new gas cap. A gas cap that does not seal properly can allow unneeded evaporation out of a gas tank; the evaporation is fuel leaving the system. With a good quality gas cap put on properly it will increase the amount of fuel that can be used to operate the vehicle between fill-ups.
Watch for lead-foot syndrome. Accelerating too quickly at lights and from other stops uses more fuel then what it takes when accelerating more slowly. It also causes less damage on the engine and will require less breaking which will also save fuel.
Put some fuel injector cleaner in the gas tank. Ethanol leaves a lot of carbon deposits in an engine that can clog vital parts such as fuel injectors. This starves the engine of both performance and fuel economy. By cleaning out the deposits an engine will run smoother perform better and receive better gas mileage. A bottle of Gumout Fuel Injection Cleaner will cost about $3 if the vehicle heavy build up a consideration to take into account is a stronger cleaner like Seafoam that costs about $9. Be sure that what you are purchasing is intended to go in the gas tank many of the companies that make fuel injection cleaners do the same for transmissions and the products are typically placed side by side on the shelf but are not interchangeable. Be sure to follow manufacture instructions.
Check the “Check Engine” light. If a “Check Engine” light (Also could be service engine soon) is illuminated the vehicle is not getting the best fuel economy. If the vehicle is a 1996 or newer it has an ODBE II system which is an on-board diagnostic system that says exactly what is wrong with a code. A code reader is required to read the code these can be expensive but Auto Zone will read the codes for free. The codes meaning can typically be found through an internet search. From there the vehicle can fixed by you or as knowledge that an auto technician is fixing the right thing on the vehicle.
If a vehicle is due for a tune up soon get one done. If the vehicle was not just purchased or are unsure if it’s time to do a tune up, it probably time for one. It can be taken to an auto technician or if bravery is a strong suite you can do it yourself. A manual on auto repair that can be obtained from the library that is specific to your vehicle is extremely helpful. A manual published by Chilton’s or Haynes will give step by step instructions in removal and installation.
Wait on the performance enhancing parts. Turbo chargers and other performance enhancing parts will lower fuel economy. They will make the vehicle faster but at a cost of using more fuel for the life of the vehicle. Sure, Performance parts are cool but a new HD flat screen TV for your place would be just as cool and another alternative for the money.