Money Sense Tips

The price of the fuel has increased but it is not as bad as last year at this time. You can still go on a summer road trip and have a great time by making use of the tips I am going share below.

• Make sure your driving routes and times help you avoid gas-burning back-ups. Use your cell phone or GPS device for up-to-the-minute updates that may help you alter your route appropriately to stay on time and out of traffic.

• Stay within posted speed limits: Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Obey speed limits. But for every 5 MPH you drive over 60 MPH, you reduce gas mileage by up to 8 percent.

• Avoid aggressive driving: You can improve gas mileage up to 5 percent if you avoid “jackrabbit” starts and stops by anticipating traffic and driving gently.

• Turn off the engine if you anticipate a wait: Remember that idle cars are the fuel waster’s playthings.

• Combine errands. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm.

• Use overdrive gears and cruise control when appropriate.

• Pack light. Remove excess weight from the trunk: An extra 100 pounds in the trunk can reduce a typical car’s fuel economy by up to 2 percent. Remove golf clubs, pool supplies and other unnecessary items in your trunk. A loaded roof rack can decrease fuel economy by 5 percent.

• Keep your roof clear: A loaded roof rack or carrier creates wind resistance and can decrease fuel economy by 5 percent.

• Make sure your tires are properly inflated and aligned: That can increase gas mileage up to 3 percent.

• Check and replace air filters regularly. Replacing clogged filters can increase gas mileage up to 10 percent.

• Tune up. We do this before every road trip. Once we found out our brake pads were nearly toast but had time to replace in time for our trip. Have your car checked by a shop. A tune up may improve fuel economy by 4 percent.

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