10 Cheap and Easy Ways to Increase Your Gas Mileage

Almost every time that we turn on the radio or television, we hear that gas prices are rising. At the last report, the nationwide average was $3.93 for a gallon. How much does this translate for you in annual fuel costs?

If you are the typical driver who drives 15,000 miles a year, pays about $4 per gallon, and gets 25 miles per gallon, you are paying $2360 annually just to get to work and back. That is quite a bit of money.

We can't control the price of gas, but we can have some effect on how far we can stretch our mileage. Here are 10 tips that you can put into practice to keep more of your money in your pocket.

1. Check your tires - Make sure that you are using the narrowest tires that you can and that they are properly inflated. Sizing and adequate air pressure will decrease drag on the pavement to help your wheels roll with the least resistance.

2. Lighten your load - Check the trunk for coolers, lawn chairs, bags of clothes that never made it to the donation center or newspapers. This extra weight makes the car heavier resulting in more strain on the engine and more tire on the ground.

3. Use cruise control - A constant engine speed will level out the fuel that your car requires from moment to moment. This pacing will save you like you wouldn't believe.

4. Use synthetic oil - This will allow your car's engine to work more smoothly at higher temperatures. Again, the less that your car has to work, the farther that you will go on a tank.

5. Remove your ski and luggage racks - This will decrease the drag that your car creates as it moves through the air, lowers your weight overall, and gets more tire off the pavement.

6. Draft behind big trucks on the highway - Use their size to your advantage. With less wind resistance, you can move through the air much easier resulting in less drag, which works in your favor. I once took a 25 miles per gallon car up to 40 on a long trip doing this.

7. Use overdrive on the interstate - This will lower your car's rpm's to a more efficient level while still doing the same amount of work.

8. Avoid fad products that make ridiculous claims - There is no magic bullet to getting better mileage. If it sounds too good to be true, it is.

9. Pickup trucks go with the tailgate up - Studies show that the turbulence that is created behind the cab when the tailgate is down creates drag on the vehicle. I know this is contrary to what you think that you might know, but it's true.

10. Change your air filter - A car with a cleaner filter has a smoother running engine. Less strain means longer distances between pit stops.

Just when the end will come to the run up in the gas prices is unclear. If you are like many, you need your car to get to work everyday, get to the grocery store, get the kids to soccer, and to school. We can't change the price of the fuel, but we can change our habits. Altering behavior just a bit will produce a definite benefit at the pumps.

Write me a note about your triumphs. I love to hear stories about people taking charge and making a difference.

Greg Nixon is a high school English teacher who includes personal finance issues into his language arts curriculum. He began the mini-lessons after he noticed that most of his soon-to-be graduating seniors needed help understanding how money works. Please see his blog, The Student Financial Times, for more topics that he covers in class weekly

By Greg Nixon