How to get better gas mileage

Want to get better mileage with your vehicle? Check out some possible causes for higher-than-average gas usage and cost.

Want to get better gas mileage? How are your filters working? Are the fuel injectors in danger of becoming blocked? Do you have a leak in the tank?

At the current high price of gas we need to get the best fuel mileage that the cars are made to get. There are many reasons why a car gets bad gas mileage. One might be the general operation of your vehicle. You need to keep on file the date for the last time you had a tune-up. If your spark plugs are worn out or worn down, this will allow more gas to get into your system. Some car owners regap these, but it is much better to replace them. And if your engine has not been tuned up in a while, the spark plug wire might be bad and the engine might not be running on all cylinders. Both can cause bad gas mileage.

But consider these possible causes as well. A dirty air cleaner can cause problems, so check yours periodically. Unscrew the bolts from the air cleaner cover and lift up; you might have a couple of vacuum hoses to pull off the cover but they won't give you any trouble. Take the old filter to the auto store and make sure they match up. Then clean the inside cover and put the new filter inside; place the clean cover back on. This procedure can be followed for most American-made vehicles. A new air filter can make a major difference.

When your car is getting bad gas mileage, it usually runs rough or misfires. But in some cases it could be due to improper air pressure in your tires. In the winter, check your tire pressure once a month. Another cause for bad gas mileage is the fuel filter. Most of the time if it is your fuel filter, your car won’t have good pick-up and will not run smoothly. Unless you work on cars much, you should have a mechanic check this. If your car is a little older, you might want to go to the auto store and buy a fuel system cleaner. Ask someone that work there which one is best for your make of car. And remember, you get what you pay for. I know people that drive hundreds of miles a week, and at every oil change they have the cleaner added. Some have accumulated over 150,000 miles on the vehicle. So paying ten or fifteen dollars more every three months can be worth it. Make sure you don’t have a bad exhaust system, because this will hurt your performance and your gas mileage.

Additional areas to keep an eye on include air filters, tire pressure, and distributed weight in the trunk. Make sure that your car timing is right, also. There are even more reasons you might be getting poor gas mileage, but these are the easier ones to check. If your car continues to demand costly fuel fill-ups more rapidly than you think is normal, have the vehicle checked out by an expert.