Save on Fuel by Maintaining your Vehicle!
Jun 29 '01
The Bottom Line Basic maintenance will save you money NOW and LATER!
Regular maintenance will not only improve the performance and extend the life of your vehicle, but it will INCREASE YOUR GAS MILEAGE!!! Increasing your gas mileage allows you to use less gas, in turn, saving you money at the gas pumps.
Here are the basics on keeping up with vehicle maintenance and how that will save you money on fuel:
~ Tires & Brakes ~
The simplest way to improve your vehicle's fuel consumption is to make sure your TIRES are properly inflated. A law requires all manufacturers to label the tire with the correct amount of pressure needed. You can find this on the outside of your tire, around the edge, marked with PSI (pounds per square inch). If your tire is labeled PSI 35, then you should keep 35 pounds of pressure in the tire at all times unless your vehicle manual states differently. If the tire is labeled 35-40, then you should use the highest number for best results as long as it's within the limits of what the manual says as well.
Usually tires deflate around 1 PSI a month OR 1 PSI for every 10-degree drop in temperature. How does this effect fuel consumption? Well, a tire under inflated by 2 PSI will lead to a 1% increase in fuel consumption. Best advice is to check your tire pressure once a month! It only takes a few minutes and at most gas stations, air is free!
Also, make sure to rotate your tires and keep up with alignments according to the manufacturer's directions. This will not only help with fuel consumption, but will increase the life of your tires.
Another thing people don’t thing about is the friction worn BRAKES cause. Worn or wrongly adjusted brakes will cause more resistance during braking. Resistance can cause drag and drag can cause increased fuel consumption. By keeping up with your brakes, you will also be saving yourself an extra bill for new rotors.
~ Oil & Filters ~
Oil should be changed in most vehicles every 3 months or 3,000-5,000 miles. Clean oil in an engine reduces friction and removes unwanted substances from the engine. There are brands of oil available that actually reduce friction and may increase fuel economy by up to 3%. Try to purchase oil labeled API (American Petroleum Institute) since they have certified the oil fuel-efficient. Remember to change your oil filter as well. Keeping up with oil changes may cost approximately $20 every 3 months, but will save you money in the long run.
Also, air filters can become clogged which may increase fuel consumption. If you keep up with your air filter, not only are you protecting your engine, but you could be saving up to 10% on fuel consumption. Air filters are relatively inexpensive and fairly easy to change.
~ Tune-Up ~
Depending on the type of vehicle you drive, your owner's manual will recommend certain maintenance you need to keep up with, how often and why. A poorly tuned engine may possibly increase fuel consumption between 10%-20%.
A tune-up may consist of checking your spark plugs and wires, all belts, brake, power steering & transmission fluids, engine coolant, hoses, rear and front axle fluids and the idle. Improper fluid levels can increase fuel consumption, even over filling. Many times you can check most of these yourself, but taking your car into a shop will not break your wallet!
Regular tune-ups will save you money in more ways than fuel. If you keep up with the little things, it may prevent bigger things from happening. It is much cheaper to replace filters and change fluids than to replace a transmission. Better to pay $20 here and there than $2,000 all at once.
Percentages were provided by the Department of Energy's (DOE) "Annual Energy Outlook 2001".
For more information on conserving fuel, The Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency have provided information at www.fueleconomy.gov
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