Driving Tips: Gas Prices Driving You Nuts Look At These Tips To Help Save At The Pump

Gas prices today are ridiculous. Many wish for a return to the days when gas was only $.75 a gallon. Unfortunately, those days are over and now gas prices are higher than ever. The prices of gas are hitting people where it hurts; in the pocket and in their social lives. Many families, in an effort to save money, have cut out after school activities and make their kids ride to school with someone else's mom. Despite the fact that cutting out all the fun in your lives is to help you save money, there are other ways to save at the pump that won't have you indoors all the time.

A huge reason why some people lose money at the pumps is that they are using the wrong kind of gas. Gas comes in three different levels of octane, regular, high grade, and super. Normally, cars can operate fine on the lower octane level. The regular grade is the cheapest, but when your engine starts to "ping" you should consider upgrading to the next level of octane. The difference in price between the two levels is a few pennies, but when your tank holds 40 gallons of gas, that can be a lot of pennies.

How your car is running and is maintained is also big deal when it comes to saving money on gas. Keeping your engine tuned, your fuel filters clean, fluid levels high, and changing your spark plugs, all adds precious fuel efficiency to your car. Want some proof?Well, when your engine is properly tuned you can get 4% more mileage out of your car. That is a lot of fuel in the long run.

Another gas saving innovation is oil changes. Changing your oil every 3,000 miles isn't a big money making scheme thought up my big oil companies, (like my wife likes to think), it helps save money on gas. When your engine is properly lubricated, it runs more efficiently, lowering the amount of fuel it consumes. This is all so logical, people. The kind of oil you use should be the best kind for your type of vehicle.

If you drive like a maniac, you are probably getting bad gas mileage. The faster your car goes, the more fuel it uses. Going 60mph or lower, (driving at speed limit in most cases), will help you keep your gas consumption down. A good idea for long trips is to use your car's cruise control. This will help you maintain the right speed throughout the trip. When you let your car sit idling you are wasting gas. Not only are you making the hole in the ozone layer bigger, you are wasting money. If you know that you are going to have to wait for a long time, turn your car off and just listen to the radio. Using your car's overdrive feature will help you save gas on the highway where speeds are over 35mph.

Now that you know there are different and better ways to save gas, than being a hermit and miser, go out and do what you want without worrying about paying more at the pump.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach, Florida. Find more about this as well as a car care products at www.carcarewizards.com

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Driving Tips: Gas Prices Driving You Nuts Look At These Tips To Help Save At The Pump

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