ALT-9 Ways to Increase your Trucks Gas Mileage
The cost per barrel of fuel is shooting up and almost every country is suffering from the consequences that it brings. The problem is largely felt by third world countries where many people are dependent on public vehicles. Issues on fare hike and increase in prices of basic commodities had been expected as their prices are synergistic with oil price in the world market.
The best thing that we can do despite the seemingly hopeless situation with the issue of oil prices is to start within ourselves some of the basic fuel saving measures to make the best out of our money as well as our vehicles capacity in saving gas. Here are some helpful tips in gaining the best fuel mileage for your truck.
HAVE A REGULAR CHECK-UP OF YOUR TRUCK
The truck should be well maintained. The engine and the parts should be in proper condition. The tire should be well inflated and properly aligned since if this would not be in proper maintenance, they would decrease its performance that would mean increase in gas usage. Proper pressure on tire could help increase your truck's mpg by 30% more.
A properly maintained truck would also lessen chances of having car troubles in the middle of your driving. A truck in good condition would make its performance better as the engine, and all the spare parts would be working well reducing possible drag and any other incidences that, in one way or another, would need an increase in gas consumption.
REMOVE EXTRA BAGGAGE
We may sometimes put extra baggage in the truck that are beyond what we need. This adds additional weight that would mean extra energy needed to run the truck, therefore, the mpg would not be efficient. Whenever you would use the truck in transporting materials and other goods, always consider to carry only the ones that you will be needing and leave behind excess weight so that gas would be used more efficiently.
MAINTAIN SPEED
Unwanted speeding and slowing down of car even in highways would result in burning of more gas. You should maintain speed and drive steadily especially when you have the luxury of a good flow of traffic in highways. You may opt using the cruise control to maintain an energy saving speed which means not being too speedy. Too high velocity would also require a lot of gas to be used up.
CHOOSE YOUR GAS
Different types of gas are available in gas stations but it doesn't mean that the most expensive would be the best gas for your truck. Always browse the manufacturer's manual on which gas is most suitable for your vehicle. In the absence of a specific gas, you may opt to use the ones with detergent additives since this would help in cleaning the system.
TURN THE ENGINE OFF WHEN IT IS NOT NEEDED
You may be stocked in a heavy traffic situation and your truck would be in an idle state for some time. During such instance, it is best to turn off the engine so as to make the gas usage zero. When you arrive in your destination and you have parked already, promptly turn off the engine. Many drivers leave the engine turned on when dropping by on short errands like for example in buying at a convenient store. This is not a good habit as it would use up more gas.
MAXIMIZE YOUR ROUTES
It is best to plan ahead of time when it comes to using the truck in going to your destinations. If possible, choose the shortest distance in going to your destination. You can make use of minor streets if it would help you avoid heavy traffic.
You can also opt to do combine errands to save gas. If you have to deliver some goods, for example, you can do it while you fetch your child from school or while you go to get some groceries. This would save you lots of money.
MAXIMIZE THE NATURE'S COOLING SYSTEM
This simply means that while driving, especially in the country, its better to open your truck's window and savor fresh air and let it cool you instead of turning on your air conditioner. This would save your gas from being used up since the air-cooling systems of your truck would need to convert this gas to energy to make it work. On hot summer days, always park your truck under a shade for this would not heat up the inside of your car and if ever you really would need to use the air conditioning system, it would not require much fuel consumption.
HITCH YOUR CAR
The proper term for this would be carpooling. Even if it is not always possible especially in highly urbanized cities, it would be a good option if an opportunity comes that you could hitch your truck to your friend's vehicle. This would surely save you a lot of money. So if you plan to go on some places with a friend who will be bringing his truck also, try to consider this option.
USE YOUR FEET
Some of us get too hooked with the use of our truck that we always bring it even for short distance errands. People had become lazy and depend much on their vehicles. In times like this, it would be better to do some waking exercise so that the gas of your truck would be saved for other more important work in the future. Aside from saving your gas, walking would also be a healthy option to stretch up the sleeping muscles.
Many auto companies have made fuel efficiency as a consideration in manufacturing their latest cars. Customers are also going with this trend as many are now more budget conscious due to the increasing prices of fuel all over the world. The best thing that you can do with the truck that you currently have is to make the most of its fuel efficiency. It may not be the top of the line model with the most fuel efficient features but you can transform it into one by religiously following the ways to increase gas mileage discussed in this article.
References:
