Optimize Your Fuel Efficiency
With gas prices what they are today, you want to make sure that you are maximizing your potential mileage whenever you’re on the road. So, how can you optimize your vehicle’s fuel efficiency, anyways?
As it turns out, there are a lot of practical ways to do it – It’s just a matter of developing a few little habits that can really go a long way towards saving you money. Let’s take a look at those and you can see what you think!
Keep An Eye On Your Tire Pressure
One of the first and best ways to make the most out of your mileage is to keep an eye on your tire pressure. Your wheels have a lot of weight on them, after all, but more importantly you are dealing with rolling resistance every time that you drive your vehicle.
When tires are not being kept at their recommended pressure, the amount of rolling resistance that you encounter is considerably more than it should be. Simply put – the higher the pressure (up to your maximum recommended PSI, of course), the less rolling resistance you’ll have
Resist The Urge To Tailgate
Tailgating is a really bad habit to get into, but it’s understandable. Sometimes it seems like there is simply not enough time in a day to do everything that you need and necessity means that you’re in a hurry.
Not only is this a very unsafe way to drive, but it’s also not a very practical one. That’s because when you are tailgating, you’re going to be more aggressively braking. What’s more, you’ll be doing this more often than you would if you were simply saving that aggressive braking for emergencies.
When you suddenly stop your momentum, aside from the unhealthy jarring that you experience, you’re also putting yourself in the position of now having to use more fuel to get back to your previous speed.
If you do this a lot, it really adds up in fuel cost, so try if you can to get into the habit of pacing yourself on trips. Not only is it the safer route, but it’s going to save you a lot of fuel!
Experiment With Rush Hour Routes
Rush hour is often one of the worst wasters of fuel that you’ll run into daily. Getting stuck in traffic, accelerating in bursts to try to get the most optimal spots, or even revving your engine in frustration to remind the person in front of you to get going – this all adds up.
If you’re willing to experiment a little to try out new rush hour routes, then you might be in for a pleasant and very cost-effective surprise. What’s more, there are plenty of apps these days that like Waze, PerfectRouteFinder, and RouteXL that can help you to map out your new routes or warn you of traffic surprises that you need to know about.
There might not be a better route, but you won’t know unless you try, and if you DO find a new one then the fuel savings and stress-relief you’ll get will be well worth your efforts!
Service Your Engine Regularly
Too often we forget to take the time to get our vehicles regularly serviced, instead waiting until something goes wrong to the point that we can’t drive them! Preventative maintenance is something that everyone should do. Not only does it look good if you want to resell the vehicle someday, but it also makes sure that your vehicle is in the best shape possible.
Not only that, but those regular checkups are your best chance at catching small problems before they have a chance to become major issues. Depending on your vehicle, this might mean a checkup every 5000, 7000, or 10,000 miles, so your preventative maintenance won’t even be much of a blip at all on your busy schedule!
Need Help With Your European Import In Ford, NJ? MNM Auto Repair Has Got You Covered!
Today we’ve talked about how to optimize your vehicle’s fuel efficiency and as you can see, a 
few basics can really go a long way.
Investing in a tire pressure gauge will let you check your tire pressure to minimize rolling resistance and the hit it takes on your fuel efficiency. Pacing your driving so that you don’t have to aggressively brake all the time can also help, and it never hurts to investigate some alternative routes to work – especially with all the fancy apps these days that can help.
Finally, preventative maintenance is the holy grail of maximizing your mileage, not only for fuel but for extending the life of your car. The important part is making sure that you go with a service provider who can accommodate your needs and if you own an European vehicle then you’re in luck – MNM Auto Repair can help.
At MNM Auto, we specialize in European vehicles like BMW, Audi, Mini, Mercedes, and more! Give us a call today or come in to see us and we can help you to get started maximizing your mileage and protecting your investment in that exquisite European engineering.
We know your vehicle and that REALLY makes a difference!
