With gasoline prices pumping our wallets dry, it's time to suggest sensible ways to keep the family transport budget as much in line as possible. That doesn't mean resorting to hard-to-follow advice such as running out and trading in a year-old vehicle or terminating a lease early just to get a more fuel-efficient daily driver. Here are my top five ways to get the most mileage on your daily commute.
Set your alarm clock 10 minutes earlier and use the extra time to reduce your road speed. If you're the average driver, you tool along at 95 to 100 km/h on two-lane highways with a posted 80 km/h limit and anywhere from 115 to 120 on the 100-km/h freeways. Keep it under 90 on those two-lane highways and under 110 on the freeways and you'll reduce your fuel intake by at least 10 per cent. Notice I am not saying ride right on the limit; after all, we all know we will tick off our fellow commuters and back up traffic.
If your engine's air filter hasn't been changed or checked in the last three or four months, pull out your owner's manual and find out where it is and how to check it. If it has any grit or grime on it, or is discoloured, toss it. Driving with a dirty air filter can cost you anywhere from 15 to 20 per cent more fuel on average.
Put your car on a diet. Check the trunk and clean out the collection of boxes, sports equipment, snow brushes and shovels, books and those donations to clothing bins. Dump the empty drink containers and the five-pound collection of CDs you never listen to anyway. Keep the bathroom scales handy and if your car sheds 10 pounds or more, celebrate. It will make a difference at the pump.
Spend the $10 it takes to get yourself a good tire gauge and learn how to use it. Check the tire pressures monthly (more often in the winter).
Leave the drag-racing attitude at home. No one is impressed anymore by jackrabbit starts or tire-squawking.
--Canwest News Service
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