7 Driving Habits That Waste Gas Mileage

With gas prices being what they are, no one can afford to waste it. Luckily, it can be as simple as changing one's driving habits to conserve gasoline once it's in the tank. Keep reading to check out these seven common driving habits that could be wasting your gas mileage.

1. Speeding

The faster you drive, the more gasoline you'll use as speeding forces your car to operate at a higher level. Driving 80 miles per hour or faster creates higher air resistance, decreasing your gas mileage.

2. Unnecessary Idling

When you idle your car for more than 30 seconds, it wastes fuel and pollutes the air. When stopped for more than a minute, turn off the engine to preserve fuel.

3. Heavy Braking and Acceleration

When you drive aggressively, it forces the engine to work harder. Taking off like a race car driver and hitting the brakes too hard wastes gasoline.

4. Carrying Extra Weight

Heavy or excessive items carried in a car makes the vehicle work harder and use more gasoline. If you don't need certain items, take them out of the car.

5. Excessive Short Trips

When you take too many short trips in your car, your engine does not have time to warm up fully. This causes excess fuel to be wasted starting the engine, accelerating, and braking. Combine errands to conserve fuel.

6. Failure to Maintain Tires and Alignment

When you don't take your car in to have the tires aligned on a schedule, you risk their longevity. When tires are out of balance, they tend to wobble over time. This causes unnecessary friction when the wheels are rolling that ultimately leads to poor MPG.

7. Skipping Routine Engine Maintenance

For a car engine to have a long life and work at optimal levels, it must be properly maintained. When a car lacks routine engine inspections, oil changes, and fluid checks, the opportunity to find small problems before they have time to become major issues is missed. A poorly maintained vehicle will also burn oil faster and waste fuel. With locations in Columbia, Jefferson City, and St. Louis, MO, our certified technicians at Custom Complete Automotive can help you keep your car running efficiently. To learn more about our auto repair and maintenance services, contact us today!