Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Top 5 Tips To Make Your Car More Efficient


When purchasing a new car, we want to choose the best features and designs that the car has for us. We want the best in the car's engine, in its features and its overall design. But no matter how careful we are in choosing the car that we will purchase, it will have its problems and flaws after a few years of usage. Every car that we use will lose its luster over time, and its value will be lessened because of this. Fortunately, there are ways for us to be able to keep our cars in shape even through the passage of time. Here are 5 ways to make your car more effective.

1. Keep your tires inflated

This helps improve your fuel economy, as well as the overall performance of your car. Just by maintaining your tires' pressure, you are able to lessen the mileage. This is due to the fact that when you have under-inflated tires, they increase the rolling resistance of the vehicle, since more surface area is in contact with the road. It also forces the tires to work more so as to maintain a certain speed. That is why you should always make sure the tires are properly inflated, especially before a long trip.

2. Ease on the weight

Though it may have become a habit to dump random things in your car, extra weight in your car will force the car to use up more energy. Though individually, those objects don't weigh much, but as a whole, they wear out your engine, which makes your car use up more fuel. In fact, just 100 pounds in excess in your car reduces its mileage per gallon of up to 2%, and can add four to eight cents per gallon. So next time, take off the extra load from your car. Your engine and your wallet will thank you.

3. Sometimes, the AC isn't that cool

When you can, it would be best to not use your car's air-conditioning. Using it really lessens your car's fuel economy from 10 to 20 percent. It also adds strain to the car's engine. By rolling down your windows, you can enjoy some fresh air and get to have a better feel of the road and the surroundings.

4. Use the right Oil

We should not take the car's oil for granted. Like any other part of the car, the car's oil is quite important. Using the right type of oil for the car can greatly improve the car's fuel efficiency. In fact, this can increase a car's gas mileage of up to 3%, which is 12 cents per gallon in savings, according to the Department of Energy. Go for the motor oil with "energy conserving" on its API performance label.

5. Tighten the gas cap

You should remember to always keep your gas cap tightly closed. This can cause your precious gas to evaporate. In fact, according to the Car Care Council, 147 million gallons of gas evaporate each year due to loose, missing or damaged gas caps. Though these items may seem insignificant, these gas caps can mean the difference between fuel efficiency and fuel saving.

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