Tips for better utilizing your fuel economy.
- Turn the nozzle When you have finished filling up your gas tank try turning the nozzle of the hose a full 180 degrees. This will drain a bit more gas into your tank; in some cases up to an entire half cup that would otherwise be a bonus to the next gas customer. Once you get into the habit of turning the hose you'll find yourself doing it without thinking. That extra half cup that you get each time that you fill your gas tank can add up to a lot of extra gas at the end of the year that you never have known about.
- High octane gas MILES PER GALLON BOOSTER For most cars these days, buying higher octane gas is a waste of your money. Regular unleaded has approximately 87 octane already and is fine for your vehicle. By avoiding buying high octane gas you'll be saving a large amount of money over a period of time. High octane gas is always more expensive at the gas pumps so the next time that you feel guilty for filling up your SUV with regular gas you can be assured that no harm will come to your vehicle. Octane is simply a measurement of how difficult it is to ignite the gas in your car and has nothing to do with the quality of the gas. If you are experiencing engine pings, rattles, or knocks you can switch to high octane gas. However, you shouldn't be experiencing any of those knocks and rattles if you are keeping your vehicle maintained and making sure that you don't miss those scheduled maintenance checkups. If you are driving a new model car you definitely shouldn't be hearing any pings or rattles and if you are you should take your vehicle to a mechanic.
- Avoid topping off Try to avoid "topping off" at the gas pumps. When you purchase just a bit of gas at the gas station the pump doesn't have enough time to really activate, resulting in short bursts of fuel that may short change you from the amount of gas that you are purchasing. The best time to replenish your gas tank is when you have half a tank or less left in your vehicle, or when you find a gas price that you just can't afford to miss.
- Avoid running your gas tank too close to empty Try not to drive your car when the gas gauge is on empty. You may think that you using very little gas when your car is on empty, but you are in fact using more gas because your vehicle is running less efficiently as it tries to accelerate and decelerate in a normal fashion. Keep your gas level above the quarter tank mark if at all possible.
- Avoid buying gasohol You should never purchase gasohol for your car since it contains only two-thirds of the energy of gasoline. This means that you would need to buy much more gasohol to go the same distance on a tank of gasoline. Gasohol is a mixture of ethanol (alcohol made from grain) and gas, and is used by some farmers to help cut the amount of pollution in the air. Even if you are traveling and it seems like the only fuel choice for miles is gasohol try to avoid buying this type of adapted fuel.
- Avoid buying gas from a just replenished gas station When a gas station has its underground tanks filled, the particles at the bottom of the tank are stirred up. These particles can become mixed in with the gas that you are putting into your car, which can lead to efficiency problems. The particles can clog your fuel filter, causing your car to stall and start with some difficulty. If the gas station that you have decided to stop at has the lowest gas price in your area you may want to think about taking the time to come back at a later time rather than stopping at the next gas station that is offering a higher price for gas.
- Keep your car well tuned One of the best things that you can do is to keep your vehicle as well tuned as you possibly can. This means taking note of those regularly scheduled maintenance checkups that you so often ignore. Studies indicate that a car with an engine that is poorly tuned will increase the amount of fuel consumption from 10 to 20 percent. Information found at formatting linkshows that when you tune up a car that is due for a checkup or one that has emissions problems, you can increase the gas mileage by up to 4.1 percent.
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