Fuel Efficiency Tips from NAPA Auto PARTS

Have you ever wondered why despite the soaring gas prices, the demand for it has not dropped? As far as I can remember my Economics professor taught us that once prices increase, demand goes down. Unfortunately, gasoline is a commodity that we simply can’t live without at least for now.

At present, gasoline prices have increased to a jaw-dropping $4 per galloon but did this prevent our fellow Americans from traveling? Hell, no!

And this exactly what motivates Kit Johnson, 2007 NAPA Technician of the Year from East Helena, Montana to come up with these very useful tips:

• Plan ahead - When going out to run errands, map an efficient route to handle all of your tasks in one trip and not backtrack. Also, observing the speed limit can have a significant impact on fuel usage. With most vehicles, increasing your speed from 55 mph to 65 mph will increase fuel consumption by about 20 percent.
• Try to predict the flow - In heavy traffic avoid constant accelerating and braking. Research suggests driving techniques can influence car fuel efficiency by as much as 30 percent.
• Don’t drive with your windows open – Driving with your windows down drastically reduces your fuel efficiency, far more so than when using the air conditioning during highway driving. In the upcoming warmer months keep the windows open during city driving and the air conditioning on during trips where you exceed 55 mph.
• Keep the load light - Your vehicle could stand to lose a few pounds. Those heavy bags of sand and salt you may carry around in your trunk during winter serve no useful purpose in spring, summer and fall. The extra weight just means wasted fuel and unnecessary emissions. Treat your trunk to a spring cleaning!
• Avoid excessive idling - Believe it or not, unnecessary idling is one of the biggest problems among motorists. Most of today’s newer cars do not benefit from idling more than 30 seconds. In fact, the opposite is true: in addition to wasting fuel, excessive idling can contaminate engine oil and damage engine components.
• Vehicle gas caps - Nearly 17 percent of all vehicles have gas caps that are damaged, loose or missing resulting in 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.
• Under-inflated tires - When tires aren’t inflated properly, it’s like driving with the parking brake. According to Johnson, under-inflated tires can cut fuel economy by two percent per pound, which means if your tire pressure is 27 pounds per square inch (psi) when it should be 32 psi, you’ve reduced your gas mileage by 10 percent! An alternative can be Nitrogen-filled tires which don’t allow oxygen to migrate out and doesn’t degrade the rubber through oxidation allowing the tires to stay fuller, longer.
• Worn spark plugs - A vehicle can have either four, six, eight, or ten spark plugs, which fire as many as 3 million times every 1,000 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 clogged with dirt, dust or bugs chokes off the air and creates a "rich" mixture - too much gas being burned for the amount of air - which wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent, saving about 20 cents a gallon.
• Watch that engine light! – The engine light is also a sensor that handles fuel management. It could be a warning of gas or oil leaks. Remember that even the smallest leak can turn into a large hole in the wallet if not caught and fixed.
  

But just a reminder folks from Johnson, aside from the tips given better driving habits and car maintenance is the best and easiest way. Happy driving!