With post-Hurricane Ike gas prices soaring to new highs, the Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency offer these tips to get more for your green:
• Keep the car tuned. A faulty oxygen sensor, for example, can reduce mileage by as much as 40 percent.
• Properly inflate tires. Every 1 psi drop in pressure can lower mileage by .4 percent.
• Use the manufacturer’s recommended motor oil with “energy conserving” on its American Petroleum Institute label.
• Stop aggressive driving. Speeding, rapid acceleration and braking reduces mileage
by up to 33 percent on the highway and by 5 percent in the city.
• Obey the speed limit. Gas mileage decreases rapidly above 60 mph.
• Use the overdrive gear if available to reduce engine speed.
• Use cruise control to maintain a steady speed on the highway.
• Pack lightly and avoid putting items on the vehicle’s roof.
• Turn the car off when stopped for longer than one minute. Idling gets 0 mpg.
• Combine errands and plan routes. Several short trips taken from cold starts can use twice as much fuel as a multipurpose trip of the same distance with a warm engine.
• Ride bikes, walk or telecommute. Using public transportation and car pooling can save gas and money.