Take Control Of Rising Gas Prices

Take Control Of Rising Gas Prices

Summary: Rising gas prices are prompting many drivers to fill up on gas-saving tips.

Take Control Of Rising Gas Prices

Article Body: Rising gas prices are prompting many drivers to fill up on gas-saving tips.

Fortunately, drivers can add miles to every gallon they pump by following a few easy and inexpensive maintenance tips from the Car Care Council:

Vehicle gas caps-About percent of the vehicles on the road have gas caps that are either damaged, loose or are missing altogether, causing million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.

Underinflated tires-When tires aren't inflated properly, it's like driving with the parking brake on and can cost a mile or two per gallon.

Worn spark plugs-A vehicle can have either four, six or eight spark plugs, which fire as many as million times every , miles, resulting in a lot of heat, electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel.

Dirty air filters-An air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air, wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as percent, saving about cents a gallon.

Don't be an aggressive driver -Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as percent on the highway and percent on city streets, which results in seven to cents per gallon.

Avoid excessive idling-Sitting idle gets zero miles per gallon. Let the vehicle warm up for one to two minutes only.

Observe the speed limit-Each mpg driven over will result in an additional cents per gallon. To maintain a constant speed on the highway, cruise control is recommended.

Combining errands into one trip saves gas and time. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance.

Avoid carrying unneeded heavy items in the truck. An extra pounds can cut fuel efficiency by a percent or two.

As part of the "Be Car Care Aware" education campaign, the Car Care Council offers a free service interval schedule to help take the guesswork out of what vehicle systems need to be routinely inspected and when service or repair should be performed.