While it's always smart to conserve natural resources, the cost of gas over the past few years has made even the most wasteful individuals think twice. Whatever your motivation, here are a few gas saving techniques from the professionals at Charlie's Columbia CARSTAR in Columbia, Illinois.
- Monitor tires. Under-inflated tires or poorly aligned wheels waste fuel by forcing the engine to work harder. (Let the tires cool off before examining the air pressure.) Out-of-line wheels, as evidenced by irregular tread wear, should always be aligned by a professional.
- Get rid of extra weight. Remove unnecessary items from the automobile. Keep only essentials in the trunk area. Less weight means improved mileage.
- Combine trips and errands in the Waterloo, Southern Illinois, Millstadt, Freeburg, and New Athens, IL area. Some trips may be unneeded. Also, try to travel when traffic is light so you can avoid stop-and-go conditions.
- Avoid excessive idling. Shut off the motor while waiting for friends and family.
- Follow speed limits. Speeding reduces your gas mileage.
- Drive gently. Abrupt accelerations guzzle gasoline. Foretell traffic patterns in advance and adjust your speed gradually.
- Use windows and air conditioning smartly. Your mileage ought to improve if you keep the windows closed at highway speeds, because air drag is reduced. This applies even with the air conditioning on - assuming that the system is in good working order. But turn the air conditioner off in stop-and-go traffic to save fuel.
- Keep your engine in top working order. A well-maintained engine operates at maximum efficiency, making the most of gas mileage. Follow the service schedules listed in the owner's manual. Replace filters and fluids as recommended; have engine performance problems (rough idling, poor acceleration, etc.) corrected at an auto body repair facility. Given today's high-tech engines, it's advisable to have this sort of work done by auto technicians who are ASE certified in engine performance. Charlie's Columbia CARSTAR in Columbia, IL always utilizes ASE certified technicians.
