Car Care for Better Mileage

Driving for Miles
Nothing you do mechanically will have as much effect on fuel mileage as the way you drive. Acceleration requires more horsepower and additional fuel, so how hard and how fast you accelerate determines how much fuel you'll burn. The key is to accelerate smoothly and evenly, staying with traffic, and look ahead so you can anticipate when you will need more power to climb a grade so that you can slowly increase your speed. World famous race driver Jackie Stewart described it best as driving as if there was an egg under the gas pedal.


Another driver-controlled item that has a big influence on mileage is the air conditioning. Air conditioning is one of those parasitic losses that can be eliminated by simply turning off a switch. This is a big one—usually worth 1-2 mpg. Turn on the vents and crack the windows for a huge fuel saving.


We've covered most of what makes sense in the quest for better fuel mileage. There are other major changes such as special gear ratios and torque converters that may provide even larger fuel economy improvements. But when you pencil out the total cost involved, you would have to own the vehicle for 10-15 years to see a return on your investment. A better plan is to trade your vehicle in on a newer, more fuel-efficient model.