10 Tips for Changing Your Driving Style to Save Gas

The price of gas is at an all time high. You can’t do anything about that, but you can change your driving style to save gas.

The dollar isn’t going as far as it was before and when you buddy offers you five bucks for a ride you might laugh at them, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need to go places and use some gas to get there. In order to save fuel and money, you’ll want to change some of the things you do when you’re behind the wheel.

1. Stop Being a Lead Foot

Its not the actual speed you drive that causes the most problems, but how fast and hard you accelerate or stop your car. The harder you accelerate the more fuel is wasted in the process. Slowly and gently press the accelerator and you’ll save more fuel. You don’t have to be the first person off the line from the stop light and you can drive in the slow lane where you won’t see the gas run out of your tank like you would a glass of water on a hot day.

2. Keep the Right Distance Between Your Car and the One in Front of You

Hard braking uses more gas than you might think. You can avoid the need to brake hard by staying farther away from the cars in front of you. The distance you leave should be greater the faster you travel on the road. This distance is usually measured by counting seconds between when the car on front of you passes a marker and you pass it as well. This is one of the best ways you can change your driving style to save gas.

3. Don’t Idle Your Car When You Shouldn’t

Even though it might be hot outside during the summer, you don’t need to sit in a parked car with it running. If you want to stay cool, go into the store with your spouse and find a bench you can sit on. If this isn’t an option for you, get out of your car and find a comfortable spot in the shade or roll down the windows and then turn the car off.

4. Plan and Combine Your Trips

One of the best ways to change your driving style to save gas is to drive less. This is accomplished by combining various trips to ensure you don’t need to go out as often. Make a few lists of what you need before you head out, plan your route, and make sure you head to the right places in the right order to save fuel and avoid driving as much as you would normally. Every time you head out, you should go to multiple places and those trips need to be fewer days each week.

5. Keep Your Car Properly Maintained

Your vehicle has a recommended service routine that you should stick to. As long as you bring your car in for service when the schedule dictates, you’re giving yourself the best chance for the car to operate efficiently. Proper maintenance translates to fuel savings. This is one of the best ways to change your driving style to save gas if you aren’t already having proper maintenance performed.

6. Drive With Your Windows Up on the Highway

The romance of driving a convertible with the top down is certainly fun and enticing, but it uses more fuel than if the top is up and the windows are closed. You can drive with your arm out the window in the city, but when you get out on the highway, close things up if you want to save gas. You can save up to 10 percent more fuel when you drive with the AC on low and the windows are up.

7. Your Tires Have a Lot to Do With Your Fuel Mileage

One of the most important things you can do to change your driving style and save gas is to check your tires and make sure they are working right for you. This means ensuring your tires have the proper air pressure inside them and they have decent tread as well. If your tires are properly inflated, you’ll have much better fuel mileage than when they are either under or overinflated, giving you an easier drive out on the road.

8. Maintain a Steady Speed (Use Cruise Control)

The easiest way to maintain a steady speed out on the highway, you need to use your cruise control feature. This system will set the speed you want to drive and keep you driving at the pace you want to enjoy. A steady pace of driving allows you to save fuel and avoid up and down speeds. Of course, if you’re driving in heavy traffic, you might not be able to use the cruise control to keep your speed steady.

9. Drive to Warm the Engine

When the weather is cold outside you don’t need to start your car and then go back in the house while the car warms up. Studies show that cars warm up faster while being driven down the road than they do in the driveway. One of the best ways to change your driving style to save gas is to get in and start driving. Your car will be warm and the engine will do what it should while you’re on the way to work.

10. Cut Down on the Weight

The more weight that’s inside your vehicle, the more gas you’ll use during every drive. If you want to save gas, you’ve got to reduce the weight of the vehicle you drive. Those heavy items you’ve got in the trunk don’t need to be there during every drive. If you don’t need it when you’re out today, it shouldn’t be in your car. Take things out of the car and cut the weight down to make sure you can save on fuel during your drive.

Use these ten tips to change your driving style and save gas while the prices are high. You don’t know when gas prices will come back down, if ever, but you can maximize your fuel savings.