Don't Be Fuelish - 10 Ways to Increase Your Gas Mileage

 Owning and maintaining a car is a costly venture. And, of  course, the gas your car guzzles makes up a big portion of  the expense. Squeezing more miles from every gallon is within  everyone's reach - if you follow some of these common sense  rules:

 1. Make tire pressure a priority. Check your pressure often.  Underinflated tires increase resistance and are the number  one cause of avoidable fuel loss.

 2. Wheel alignment alert. Misaligned, unbalanced wheels hurt  mileage by causing tires to shimmy and drag sideways. If your  car pulls to either side on straight, flat roads, if the  steering wheel vibrates, or if your tires show irregular  wear, it's time to check and correct alignment.

 3. Keep brakes in shape. Dragging brakes also hamper fuel  efficiency, and the culprit is usually a maladjusted or stuck  parking brake. Have it checked once a year.

 4. The right gasoline makes a difference. Most cars today are  designed to run on regular gas. But after a few years,  accumulated carbon deposits inside the engine can cause fuel  to burn unevenly and ignite prematurely. If your car "knocks"  try another brand of regular gas...since even similarly rated  fuels can vary slightly in octane.

 5. An oil change for the better. Change your oil and filter  every 3,000 miles to avoid engine friction from dirt. The  time your car really burns fuel is while it's "warming up".  Thin or thick oils lubricate just about the same, but a  light?viscosity oil flows easier during this warm?-up period,  so use the lightest oil recommended in your owner's manual.

 6. Choose proper spark plugs. Owner's manuals specify a range  of spark plugs from hot to cold. Choose hotter plugs if  you're driving around town; colder plugs for frequent highway  driving. One misfiring spark plug can reduce fuel mileage by  as much as 30 percent!

 7. Keep filters clean. Check the paper air filter every 5,000  miles by holding it up to a light bulb. If light doesn't  shine through it, replace it. And if your car is hard to  start, hesitates or loses power, clogged fuel filters may be  the cause.

 8. Keep wind resistance down. Fancy add?ons - even roof  luggage and bike racks - can reduce your mileage by  increasing wind drag. Store as much in the car as possible.

 9. Use air conditioning wisely. The drag caused by open  windows when driving over 50 mph is greater than the energy  required to run the air conditioner. So you can get the most  fuel efficiency by using the A/C on the highway, and rolling  down the windows while driving in town.

 10. Be a smart driver. Stop?and?start driving really burns  fuel. So, do your best to keep it at a minimum. For example,  if you have cruise control, use it to keep highway speeds as  steady as possible. Shift manual transmissions into neutral  before stopping. And, if you can, consider changing driving  routes to avoid excessive stopping and idling