Saving on fuel costs is always a priority
06/18/2012
Small business owners look for every cent of savings they can find. So, as we watch the price of gas float perilously between $3 and $4 this summer, you’ll find it beneficial to heed these Car Care Council fuel-saving tips:
- Check your cap. About 17 percent of vehicles on the road have gas caps that are either damaged, loose or missing altogether, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.
- Check the tires, too. When tires aren’t inflated properly it’s like driving with the parking brake on and can cost a mile or two per gallon.
- And the spark plugs. A vehicle can have either four, six or eight spark plugs, which fire as many as three million times every 1,000 miles, resulting in a lot of heat, electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. So replace spark plugs regularly.
- And air filter. An air filter clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air and creates a “rich” mixture – too much gas being burned for the amount of air, which wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.
- Lighten up. Leave what you won’t use at home to maximize mileage, especially anything on the roof. Bike, luggage roof racks, and poorly packed tools and equipment create drag too. Carry everything inside the vehicle if possible. A loaded roof rack lowers gas mileage more than the same weight carried inside. (more…)
