Driving tips

You can improve your fuel economy by following a few common-sense driving tips:

• Avoid high speeds. Driving at 60 mph rather than 70 mph will improve your gas mileage by about 15%.
• Avoid ‘jackrabbit’ starts. When getting up to speed, accelerate gradually.
• Use overdrive. If your manual or automatic transmission is equipped with overdrive, use it at highway speeds.
• Minimize weight. Don’t drive around with unnecessary items: extra weight decreases gas mileage.
• Minimize drag. Don’t put items on your roof rack if you can fit them in your car or trunk.
• Use air conditioning only when necessary. Your vehicle’s air conditioner consumes fuel. On moderate days, roll down the windows or open the air vents.
• Keep tires properly inflated.
• Keep wheels aligned. Periodic wheel alignments will improve your fuel economy.
• Get regular tune-ups and maintenance checks. An out-of-tune engine will reduce your fuel economy, as will dragging brakes or low transmission fluid.