By Sejin Kim

Remember the days when a gallon of fuel used to cost less than a dollar, and you could drive around in a big SUV without worrying about the toll that it would have on your wallet? Sadly, it seems like those days are all but gone. You might not have much of a say about how much you are willing to pay for gas, there are some ways to reduce your total costs without having to drive less. Here are a few simple tips that can help you get back on the road.

Tip #1: Keep it under 55

When you are looking to buy a car, you will notice that the vehicle has two different gas mileage ratings, one for city miles and one for highway miles. Cars are usually more efficient on the highway because they are able to maintain a steady speed and don’t have constantly speed up from 0-50 like they would have to on surface roads with stoplights.

Studies have shown that this level of efficiency is dependent on how fast a car is going. Anytime a car passed 55 mph, it has to work hard to achieve the goals and the advantage of driving at steady speeds begins to decline. For every 10 mph you drive over 55, you are losing about 4 miles per gallon in fuel economy.

Tip #2: Keep the tyres inflated

Tyres that are underinflated drag along with the road and create friction. This friction forces the car to put out more force to keep the car moving and takes up more gas. If you pay attention to the condition of your tyres and always remember to inflate the tyres to the factory recommendations, they will roll more fluidly and cost you less in gas while you drive.

Tip #3: Reduce A/C usage

The pump that forces air conditioning into your cabin and cools you down is located within the engine compartment. When you turn it on, it forces the engine to work harder to supply power to the air conditioner in addition to the work that it is already required to perform. Some researchers suggest that using the air conditioner could reduce fuel mileage by up to 20%. Instead, keep the windows open or go without air conditioning.

Tip #4: Turn off the car engine during long waits

If you are stuck in traffic or waiting for someone in their driveway, turn off the car rather than letting it sit idle. When you are in park mode or have your foot on the brakes, the engine is still operating even though you aren’t moving. As long as the engine is running and the pistons are turning, it is going to be using up gas. It requires much less fuel to start your vehicle back up then it does to keep in running when you aren’t going anywhere.

Tip #5: Change the filters

Change out the air and oil filters regularly to ensure that engine is getting the sustenance that it needs. If you neglect something like an air filter, the engine can’t get the air it needs to combust and this reduces the efficiency.