How I Increased My Gas Mileage By 30 Percent!

By: Carl Brown

I do a LOT of driving. Probably more than I need to. It costs me $40 to fill my tank at the current prices of $3 per gallon. And I do that 3 times a week!

I'm also not one who takes care of my vehicles. I have a small '95 Dodge Avenger that runs, but it burns oil and pops & sputters. I've done very little with it since I bought it except add gas (and oil).

When I got fed up with the cost of gas, I decided to check the gas mileage. I ran it through a tank, and was actually impressed to find I was getting 25 mpg through a combination of highway and city driving. While not what I thought it should be, I was impressed with the mileage I got (I'm actually impressed it runs at all).

Well, I did some research, and I discovered several no-cost or low-cost things I could do to increase my mileage. I did those things and was absolutely astounded by the improvements I was able to make!

Well, here's what I did to begin my experiment to squeeze every last mile out of a gallon of gas. I began with a car that was in rough shape anyway, so any improvement in maintenance, I expected, would result in a substantial increase in gas mileage. Of course, if you keep your vehicle well maintained, you'll no doubt have less "success" than me, but with a little diligence you should see some improvement as well.

So, what exactly did I do to achieve a nearly 30% increase in gas mileage?

1) Check the tires: As a kid, you probably remember trying to ride a bike with a flat (or nearly flat) tire. Remember the effort it took to get the bike moving? I still remember the incredible strain to my legs as I tried to get the bike up to speed. If you're driving on low tires, your car's doing the same thing. It takes an incredible amount of energy to get that vehicle moving--even with all 4 tires inflated to the correct pressure. My own rear tires were both 12-14 pounds under recommended pressure. The figures I read suggest I may have gained as much as 3 miles per gallon by simply keeping my tires up to the correct pressure.

2) Replace the Air Filter: Even if you don't think it's too bad, it won't hurt to replace it. According to the FTC, you can increase your gas mileage up to 10% by simply replacing you air filter (link). If you can't see light through it, it HAS to be replaced. But if you haven't replaced it in a while, do it anyway.

3) Change the Oil Regularly: Dirty oil not only decreases engine life, it also becomes thicker, causing increased engine friction. Change your oil according to manufacturer's directions. Cleain oil greatly reduces friction (and increase engine life).

Well, there are just a few of the things I did to increase my mileage by 30%. Making those few simple & low-cost changes will result in BIG savings.

If you'd like even more ideas to save gas, simply click the link below. They're all free, cheap, and easy.

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