SALT LAKE CITY — Saving money on gas is a top priority for many drivers, especially as fuel prices fluctuate. Several simple maintenance habits and driving behaviors can help improve your vehicle's fuel efficiency without requiring major changes to your routine.
"Gas is something everybody has to spend a little bit of money on or sometimes a lot of money on,” Julian Paredes, AAA Arizona spokesperson, said. “So, every little thing that you can do can definitely add up."
Properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by more than 3% per tire, according to AAA. While this might seem minimal, the savings add up significantly over time. "Make sure that your tire pressure is up to where it should be, look on the door, the driver's door, and it will tell you the pressure those tires should be running at,” Dave Martin, auto shop owner, said. “It's the most efficient for that vehicle. Put it up to those and make sure it stays at that pressure. That will keep the drag down."
Watch: The impact that tires have on your vehicle's fuel efficiency
If you need help checking tire pressure, most tire shops offer free tire checks if you stop by and ask.
Another effective way to improve fuel economy is to remove unnecessary items from your vehicle. "Get your junk out of the trunk,” Martin Said. “It happens, you know we all pile stuff up in our cars and the next thing we know we have a lot of stuff in there which is, you know, it just weighs the car down and causes a drag and of course you are going to burn more fuel.”
AAA has conducted studies showing that extra weight in vehicles increases fuel consumption during acceleration. This effect is more pronounced in smaller cars compared to larger models.
Watch: How slowing down can increase the distance your vehicle will go
Your driving behavior can also significantly impact fuel efficiency. Those quick starts from stop lights and racing to the next intersection before slamming on your brakes might feel satisfying, but they're costing you at the pump. "Avoid the drag racing to every stop light, you know we all see it happen, I have probably done it you know when I am in a hurry and you floor it all the way to the next stop light and you stop at the next stop light and you floor it to the next one - avoid that, use the cruise control whenever you can use the cruise control that steady speeds really makes a big difference in how much fuel you are going to burn," Martin said.
AAA recommends avoiding "jackrabbit starts" that consume excessive fuel and advises drivers to maintain the speed limit. On highways, aerodynamic drag causes fuel economy to drop significantly as speeds increase.
For better fuel efficiency, accelerate smoothly with light to moderate throttle. This allows your automatic transmission to upshift into higher gears sooner, reducing engine RPM and saving fuel, which translates directly to saving money.
