Travel Cheaper With These Gas-Saving Tips

While it is always wise to conserve natural resources, the cost of gas over the past couple of years has made even the most wasteful people think twice. No matter what your motivation, here are some gas saving techniques from the professionals at Kurt's CARSTAR Collision Center in Maryville, Illinois.

• Keep an eye on your tires. Under-inflated tires or inadequately aligned wheels waste fuel by pushing the engine to work harder. (Let the tires cool down prior to checking the air pressure.) Out-of-line wheels, as demonstrated by irregular tread wear, should always be aligned professionally.
• Eliminate unwanted weight. Remove unnecessary items from the vehicle. Keep only essentials in the trunk area. Less weight means improved mileage.
• Combine trips and errands in the Maryville, Collinsville, Troy, Collinsville, Glen Carbon, and Highland, Illinois area. Some trips may be unnecessary. Also, try to travel whenever traffic is light so you're able to steer clear of stop-and-go conditions.
• Avoid excessive idling. Turn off the motor while waiting for family and friends.
• Follow speed limits. Exceeding the speed limit reduces your gas mileage.
• Drive gently. Sudden accelerations guzzle gas. Foretell traffic patterns in advance and adjust your speed gradually.
• Use windows and air conditioning carefully. Your mileage ought to improve if you keep the windows closed at highway speeds, because air drag is reduced. This is true even with the air conditioning on - assuming that the system is in good working order. But turn the air conditioning off in stop-and-go traffic to conserve fuel.
• Keep the engine of your car in top working order. A well maintained engine operates at maximum efficiency, making the most of fuel consumption. Follow the service schedules listed in the owner's manual. Replace filters and fluids as suggested; have engine performance problems (rough idling, poor acceleration, etc.) fixed at an auto body repair facility. Given today's high-tech engines, it is best to have this sort of work done by auto technicians who're ASE certified in engine performance. Kurt's CARSTAR Collision Center in Maryville, Illinois always uses ASE certified technicians.

These conservation tips won't only save gasoline, they will help extend the lifetime of the vehicle. If you have any further auto body questions, visit Kurt's CARSTAR Collision Center for the answers you need.