Top 10 Car Maintenance Tips for Improving Fuel Efficiency

Introduction

Since the prices of gas are changing so often, everyone today wants to get better gas mileage if ever he is a driver. The good news is, there are many ways in which you can increase your car’s miles per gallon by making minor changes to your general upkeep. 

There is high fuel consumption if your car is not maintained. 

But for drivers willing to invest some time and effort into their car care, this article will give you ten simple and spectacular tips for the best mpg. 

Starting with making sure your tires are filled to the correct pressure to using the right type of motor oil for your car, here are some quite simple measures that can result in major savings in your fuel consumption. 

By using all or even half of these recommendations, your car will be much more fuel efficient than it is now.

1. Ensure That Your Tires Are Well Inflated

One of the simplest things you can do to improve your fuel economy is to make sure the tires are properly inflated to PSI listed on the driver’s side door jamb or in the owner’s manual. 

This is because underinflated will increase the rolling resistance with the pavement which in turns decrease the gas mileage tremendously. Well inflated tires will permit less friction and therefore your engine will run more smoothly. 

Once a month you should at least check your tire pressure and if it is low you should make sure to pump them up. With the portable tire inflator, the only one to have is if you want to have an inflating hand when you want it to be to the right levels.  

2. Fill Up With the Right Grade Of Motor Oil

The use of the correct API, ILSAC, or other standard recommended grade of motor oil by the vehicle manufacturer is important depending on your car’s make, model and year. 

The low quality oils are not very efficient while most of the vehicles today require synthetic or higher quality Mineral Wheeling oil. 

The other category is the viscosity or thickness of the oil, with most car makers today recommending the 5W-20 or 5W-30 oils. Ensure that you are using the recommended oil form the manufacturer as this will increase your gpm rating.

3. Replace a Clogged Air Filter

 

A grimy or blocked air filter makes your engine work even harder simply to suck in air as it operates. When you replace a congested air filter, your engine can draw fresh air in the same way, efficiently combust the fuel and boost your car’s fuel economy.

In other words, most mechanics suggest having the air filters replaced about once every 12,000 and 15,000 miles. It only costs $15-20 to do it yourself and it only takes minutes.  

4. For High-Performance Engines Should Use Premium Gas

Although self-service regular gasoline is appropriate for most cars, cars with high-performance or high-compression engines should actually use higher octane gasoline according to automakers. 

These types of motors should be run with premium 91+ octane gas because it is less likely to knock when used in the motors. As a result, the use of regular grade when the ‘premium’ is required will compromise the operation of the engine and a consumer’s mpg. 

Generally, check your owner’s manual to know which of the two octane ratings is most appropriate to use in your car.

5. Reduce Excess Weight 

The more weight an engine has to shift around the more stress it is under and the more fuel it shall have to consume. To help reduce that extra weight, dispose of nonessential stuff from your car. 

This ranges from large machines, instruments and stacks of rubbish that are likely to pile up within the rooms. A few hundred pounds do count in terms of the engine factor and the overall consumption of gas and any small vehicle would know the difference. 

Simply maintaining the cleanliness of your truck’s trunk and cabin will actually increase fuel efficiency.

6. Cruise Control must be used during highway driving.

I think cruise control is useful for maintaining steadier throttle inputs from your foot at constant high speed heavily evaded from a car. 

Riding on the clutch frequently causes excessive acceleration and braking resulting in low fuel consumption. Cruise control maintains your automobile at regular speed on flat terrains to ensure high fuel efficiency. 

He should allow the holiday cruise to give a gradual increase or decrease in velocity to avoid constant foot pedal adjustment.

7. Never let the engine run aimlessly  

Turning the engine while seated in park is extremely wasteful; required fuel yet the vehicle is not in motion. Cut off your engine should you expect to idle for more than half a minute, unless circumstances are unsafe. 

It only takes a couple of minutes to run the engine and people will do things such as waiting in most shopping centre parking lots or picking up kids from school where they can easily switch off their idling motors. 

While reactivating an engine is less fuel consumption if compared to the idling period, you start to move faster.

8. Drive safely, without overly vigorous aggression, and always as a precaution against the aggression of other road users.

As sure methods of reducing the fuel economy one can list such aggressive driving behaviours as speeding, accelerating rapidly, and frequent use of the brake pedal. Stick to speed limit signs and ease off the brake to creeping speed instead of slamming it at the red lights. 

Always maintain more than usual distance from other vehicles since you may be forced to stop abruptly due to traffic constraints. 

These defensive driving postures sustain speed and if set, demand a raw use of throttle hence increasing the MPG.  

9. Spark Plugs Should Be Checked At Some Recommended Interval

Ensuring your spark plugs are perfectly replaced as recommended in the manufacturer’s manual means your car’s engine is operating to its greatest ability. Old plugs fail to ignite the fuel properly forming load which compels the motor to Strain and work harder while on road. 

New spark plugs ensure they arrive at the correct time for the combustion of gas, and control the way the gas burns. Almost all automobiles require the replacement of their plugs annually or 30000 miles based on the car’s reminder system.  

10. Heating of a faulty oxygen sensor.

A bad oxygen sensor gives your car’s main computer wrong information about the air/fuel mix making the engine to run either too rich or lean. 

When the oxygen sensor fails, the fuel metering and combustion are compromised, and thus gas is wasted. O2 sensors tend to die around the 60,000 mile mark on an average car. Your mechanic should be able to find any oxygen sensor trouble codes that pop up on your check engine light. 

Replacing a bad O2 sensor puts back the emission controls in their default state and makes them as efficient as before.

Conclusion

An undone car maintenance will lead to low fuel efficiency in the long run of the car’s usage. However, carrying out these ten simple, cheap repairs and adjustments assists get the most miles per gallon regardless of the age of the car or its mileage. 

From blowing up flat tires to replacing dusty air filters, maintenance really plays a decisive role in boosting the mileage. Furthermore, some of driving behaviours that are targeted by efficiency enhancement campaigns such as aggressive taking of a car truly leads to increased efficiency and of course better gas mileage. 

They will help you save your money at pumps!