Your fuel economy can get affected by the way you drive. Rapidly accelerating from a full stop or driving at high speeds increases your vehicle's gas consumption, whereas maintaining a consistent speed and heeding posted speed limits can yield a more efficient drive that allows you to maximize each tank. In order to get better gas mileage and make fewer stops at gas stations around Maryland, take these tips into account. 1. Take Trip Planning Seriously Before heading out for your errands, road trip, or daily commute, plan the exact route you will take. Minimizing backtracking and unnecessary turnarounds will add up to both time and gas saved. Avoid peak traffic times and shop in stores or locations that take care of more than one of your errands at a time, such as choosing a shopping center with your bank branch attached, or a grocery store that also sells the pet items you need. more 2. Drive Carefully and Conservatively Avoid quick starts, hard braking, and rapid acceleration, all of which can lower your fuel economy on the highway by 15 to 30 percent. Engaging in these behaviors in stop-and-go traffic can decrease your fuel economy by 10 to 40 percent. So, when driving in heavy traffic, it's best to slowly follow the flow of traffic instead of speeding to close every gap that appears. 3. Avoid Idling Excessively Roughly one quarter to one half gallon of fuel per hour is consumed by your car engine while idling. A warm engine only takes about 10 seconds worth of fuel to restart, meaning that shutting off your engine when it's safe to do so is beneficial if you will be stopped for more than a minute. 4. Use Toll Road Passes Where applicable, take advantage of toll road passes. These express lanes save fuel by eliminating the need to slow down at toll booths as well as minimize the use of braking and accelerating since there are typically fewer cars and better-flowing traffic in these lanes. 5. Take Advantage of Cruise Control Driving at constant speeds saves gas. When possible, and safe to do so, utilize the cruise control feature in your vehicle. However, take care not to use cruise control on icy or slippery roads as the potential to lose control of your vehicle is greater in these particular road conditions. 6. Anticipate Road and Weather Conditions Paying attention to the traffic ahead and any fluctuating weather can help you anticipate what you will need your vehicle to do. If you notice many brake lights ahead, take your foot off of the accelerator to give your vehicle the chance to slow down on its own instead of braking hard at the last second. Keep Your Car Performance Great with Routine Service in New Carrollton When you begin applying these mileage-saving suggestions, you'll begin to notice how much money you're really saving, even when fuel prices fluctuate. Come by DARCARS Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM of New Carrollton today and see what fuel-efficient vehicles we have available that can help you save even more. Also, remember to schedule routine service for your car to ensure that it stays operating at its best.
