Ways to stretch your dollar at the gas pump

With the rising cost of fuel, getting the most for your money at the gas pump has become increasingly important for many motorists.

After all, if you’re going to pay a relatively considerable sum of money for something, you want to make the most of it, right? If you’re looking for ways to stretch your dollar farther by improving your vehicle’s mileage, there are plenty of ways to do so.

Following are some tips:

Drive sensibly. Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. According to studies by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency, these actions can lower your gas mileage by about 33% at highway speeds and by 5% on surface streets. In addition to the fuel savings, sensible driving is also safer.

Observe the speed limit. Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional 15 cents per gallon for gas. Observing the speed limit is also safer than speeding.

Remove excess weight. Cars carrying extra weight use more gas. Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your miles per gallon by up to 2%, according to the Federal Trade Commission. A loaded roof rack can decrease your fuel economy by 5%. Reduce aerodynamic drag and improve your fuel economy by placing items inside the trunk whenever possible.

Use cruise control. Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Use the overdrive gears. When you use overdrive gearing, your car’s engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.

Combine errands into one trip. This not only saves you time, but gas money as well. Several short trips made on a cold engine can use twice as much fuel as a longer, multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine’s warm. You’ll not only save fuel, but also reduce wear and tear on your car.

Avoid heavy traffic. If you can stagger your work hours to avoid peak rush hours, you’ll spend less time sitting in traffic — and therefore consume less fuel.

Switch cars periodically. If you own more than one vehicle, drive the one that gets the best gas mileage whenever possible.

When looking to buy a car, pay close attention to the number of miles per gallon a vehicle gets.

The difference between a car that gets 20 mpg and one that gets 30 mpg amounts to roughly $550 per year — assuming the national averages of 15,000 miles of driving annually and a fuel cost of $2.20 a gallon.

Even within a size class, there is a tremendous range of mile-per-gallon types from which to choose. For example, 2005 model compact cars range from 21 to 48 mpg. Choosing a vehicle at the upper end of that scale could save you hundreds of dollars in fuel costs each year.

Minimize air-conditioning use. When possible, close the windows and use the vents to bring in outside air or, if you can bear it, just roll down the windows.

Car pool. If you and a co-worker trade off on who drives which day or week, you can both save gas and money.

Check your tire pressure. It takes more fuel for the engine to propel an under-inflated tire than a properly inflated one. Beware over-inflation, which can lead to handling problems and uneven wear on the tires.

Most car manufacturers usually put labels stating the correct tire pressure on the edge of the door or door jamb, in the glove compartment or on the inside of the gas cap cover. If the label lists a certain pounds per square inch (psi) range, the higher number should be used in order to maximize fuel efficiency.

Change the air filter. This is an inexpensive part to buy and, depending on the car, even a beginner can learn to do it themselves. Check the owner’s manual for recommendations. Change this more often if you live in a particularly dusty area, travel on dirt or gravel roads or if you go off-roading for sport.

Also, unless your owner’s manual specifically recommends it, or your engine knocks without it, there’s really is no need to buy the highest octane gas.