cartoon of a man being robbed by the gas pump

Stop Getting Robbed of Your Gas - Fuel Saving Tips

Gas does not seem to be going down, so Braxton Automotive wants to offer gas-saving maintenance and driving tips that really work!

Braxton Automotive recommends these fuel-saving tips:

  • Vehicle Gas Caps - About 17% vehicles on the roads have gas caps that are either damaged, loose or are missing altogether, causing 147 million gallons of gas to vaporize every year.
  • Under Inflated Tires - When tires aren't inflated properly it's like driving with the parking brake on and can cost a mile or two per gallon.
  • Worn Spark Plugs - A vehicle can have 4, 6, or 8 spark plugs, which fire as many as 3 million times every 1,000 miles, resulting in a lot of heat and electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Spark plugs need to be replaced regularly.
  • Dirty Air Filters - An air filter that is 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%, saving about 15 cents a gallon.

Fuel-saving driving tips include:

  • Don't Drive Aggressively - Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as 33% on highways and 5% on city streets.
  • Avoid Excessive Idling - Sitting idle gets zero miles per gallon. Letting the vehicle warm up for 1-2 minutes is sufficient.
  • Observe the Speed Limit - Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. To maintain a constant speed on the highway, Braxton Automotive recommends using your cruise control feature