Take It Easy on the Gas Pedal to Save Gas Money
Does Your Driving Style Affect Fuel Efficiency?
There is very little chance you’re not keeping an eye on fuel prices. The ever fluctuating price of gasoline is frustrating and makes it difficult for people to follow a monthly budget. Did you know that the way you drive your automobile can have a direct and largely measurable impact on its fuel economy? Every driver develops bad habits over the course of their time on the road. Whether it’s being too aggressive with the gas pedal or hitting the brakes too hard to stop, all of it puts additional stress on the vehicle, leading to noticeably worse fuel economy scores. Let’s take a look at a few simple things you can do to both lower fuel consumption and maximize the usable lifespan of your vehicle.
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3 Tips For Better Fuel Economy Scores
Before we get into the actual tips, our service team wanted to share the most important piece of advice of all, stay current on maintenance. Making sure you get your vehicle’s oil changed on time, having the tires rotated when needed and following the service intervals in the owner’s manual will all go a long way toward keeping your car, truck or SUV running in peak condition. Now for the actual tips for better fuel economy:
Take it Easy on the Gas
Few things will hurt fuel economy faster than hard acceleration, only to come to an intersection which requires hard braking. Rapid acceleration can lead to a 15 to 30 percent drop in fuel efficiency on the highway and as much as a 40 percent drop on surface streets in stop-and-go conditions. Also, use cruise control on the highway. All engines are designed to operate most efficiently at steady and sustained speeds.
Avoid Short Trips
Making frequent short trips won’t allow the engine to get warm enough for proper lubrication, leading to parts and components breaking down faster. Not only will this lead to expensive repair bills down the road, but the additional stress will certainly have a negative effect on your automobile’s long-term fuel economy. Similarly, letting your car idle for long periods of time is an enormous waste of fuel, plus it isn’t effective in getting the engine sufficiently warm to be effective.
Plan Your Trip or Route
Depending on where you live, rush hour traffic could be a real issue. Slow downs on the highway can also happen because of construction or accidents. Being stuck in these conditions can really hurt fuel economy. Using available technology like Waze or Google Maps can help you avoid these problems. You can also use these apps to find off-peak times to hit the road to run multiple errands to really maximize efficiency.
The Fifth Avenue Volkswagen Service Department is always available to help you keep your vehicle running in peak condition. Make an appointment with us, today, if you need one of our experts to examine your automobile’s health.