Six ways you can improve your car's fuel efficiency

Six tips to maximize your car’s fuel performance to help stretch your gas dollars:

1. Check tire pressure – Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency estimates each tire, under-inflated by two pounds per square inch, causes a one per cent increase in fuel consumption. Make sure tires are inflated to the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. The correct tire pressure will also provide a safer ride and help reduce tire wear.

2. Let your engine breathe – Replacing a dirty, clogged air filter will go a long way in improving fuel efficiency. According to the United States’ federal government, a car’s gas mileage could improve by as much as 10 per cent with a clean air filter. In addition to the fuel savings, the new filter will help protect the engine.

3. Keep the fuel system clean – Carbon and resin buildup in a car’s fuel system reduces fuel efficiency. Have your fuel system including the fuel injector, intake valve and combustion chamber professionally cleaned by shops that use quality Fuel System cleaning products and Intake Cleaning system. Keeping the fuel system clean helps you maximize your engine’s performance and extend the life of the engine.

4. Take it easy and slow down – Driving a car at a high speed, “jackrabbit starts” and aggressive driving in traffic greatly reduce fuel efficiency. A European study cited by Natural Resources Canada’s Office of Energy Efficiency found rapid acceleration from stoplights and hard braking resulted in a 37 per cent jump in fuel consumption. Also, every time you “hit the gas” you get closer to the next refill. It takes 20 per cent more fuel to go the same distance at 120 kilometres an hour than it does at 100 kilometres an hour according to the Canadian Automobile Association and Natural Resources Canada.

5. Remove excess weight – Remove any unnecessary, heavy objects in the vehicle. An extra 100 pounds can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as two per cent.

6. Use air conditioning sparingly – Don’t just run the air conditioner out of habit. If it’s not too hot out, try using the fan setting alone or put down the windows and enjoy the sunshine. This helps get more kilometres per litre.