9 Tips to improve fuel mileage for Wonder Lake drivers

Have you adjusted your driving to meet the realities of high gasoline prices here in Wonder Lake? If so, you have plenty of company. Many people simply aren’t driving as much because of the are paying more at the pump.

There isn’t much you can do about the cost of gasoline, or diesel fuel in Wonder Lake if your vehicle happens to run on that. Fortunately, however, cars, trucks and SUVs these days are designed to get better gas mileage than in years gone by. Still, that only helps so much.

If the price at the pump is taking to big of a bite out of your wallet these days, one other thing you can do is to ensure that your vehicle is getting the most miles possible out of every gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel.

What can you do to improve your fuel mileage? Here are several ideas. They won’t, necessarily, allow you to drive the way you used to, but they can help:

Maintain proper tire inflation. This is probably the first place to get to ensure your maximizing your vehicle’s mileage. Check the tires regularly and make sure they’re filled to owner’s manual specifications.
Try to avoid leaving the car idling for extended periods. When the engine is running, and you’re not going anywhere, your gas mileage is a big goose egg.
Plan you trips to avoid unnecessary travel. If you’re driving places you don’t need to go, you’re using gasoline to get there.
Ensure that your vehicle is running at its peak performance. It’s a good idea to bring it in to a trusted auto repair shop and have it checked out.
Make sure the tires are aligned. Misaligned tires may work against each other and use fuel to do so.
Avoid jack-rabbit starts and stops. Don’t stomp on the gas peddle or the brake. Try to gradually increase and decrease speed.
If you’re one of those people who likes to drive with one foot on the brake peddle, keep in mind that you may be adding drag to the car that will reduce mileage.
Go inside to order that hamburger or to make that bank transaction. Sitting in line with the engine running is wasting gasoline and reducing your fuel mileage.
Use apps to find the lowest priced fuel along your route of travel.

You can’t do anything about the cost at the pump here in Wonder Lake or the surrounding area. But you can do something about reducing the amount of fuel you use when you drive. The short list above can help.

Comments

Is your antifreeze safe from freezing this Richmond winter

You still have time to have it checked Well, there’s no denying it – winter tends to get chilly here in Richmond. We have to deal with snow and ice on the roads, scraping the same off our windows and windshield, and staying warm while we drive. Of course, you had your antifreeze checked before winter rolled into town. What?! You didn’t have your antifreeze checked before winter clamped down on Richmond? So, how’s your antifreeze doing? If you haven’t had it checked, there’s really no way of knowing, is there? This car has overheated in the middle of a Richmond winter. But, on the other end of the spectrum, the antifreeze can also freeze if it's not up to its job. Hopefully, you haven’t had a serious problem with your antifreeze already. If you did, you’d probably know. When antifreeze fails, it’s a potentially catastrophic condition for your vehicle’s engine. You could have hoses that have burst because of freezing antifreeze. Worse than that, your engine block may have crac...

Blocks of ice falling from cars in McHenry could cause accidents or damage

We’ve all seen those blocks of snow falling from behind the rear tires of a car when the snow rolls into McHenry . Fortunately, they’re just packed snow that will disintegrate under your vehicle’s tires as you simply drive right through them, right? Don’t count on it. Those blocks of snow are often packed so tight, condensed by the thaw-and-freeze cycle, that they’re anything but oversized snowballs . They’re often more like boulders. Hit one of those blocks and the collision between the block and one of your tires could send you careening off the road or into oncoming traffic. In some cases, they’re so solid you could pound them with a sledgehammer with little effect. They truly can represent a serious road hazard. The problem is that it’s difficult to tell how solidly they’re packed when you see them on the road, left their unwittingly by another driver. Either way, your best bet is to try to avoid them. But you want to be careful dodging blocks of ice in the road, too. You need...

October 20 Hootenanny will benefit veterans with PTSD

Been to a Hootenanny lately? When you read that question did you ask, “What?” Well, if you have gone to a Hootenanny in a while, or if you don’t know what a hootenanny is, we have an event for Oct. 20 that will clear up either question. From 6 p.m. to Midnight, Saturday, Oct. 20, MC3, the McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce business networking group, is helping to host an inaugural Veterans R&R Wild Horse Hootenanny at Beyond Stable Farm (11129 Rte. 176, Woodstock). The event will benefit Veterans R&R Operation Wild Horse. Operation Wild Horse serves veterans with PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Working with the horses has proven to have an incredibly calming effect on the veterans. And, it’s good for the horses, too, rescued wild mustangs. This means that the hootenanny is for a very good cause. But, it’s also a lot of fun. So, what is a hootenanny? According to a Google search, a hootenanny is “an informal gathering with folk music and sometimes dancing.” The V...

Performance Unlimited Blog

Search This Blog