Check Your Air Filter
car, save gas, tank, money
Money stuck in a gas tank of a car.
Nearly one in four cars needs an air filter replacement. A clean air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10%.
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Cost Savings: 20 cents a gallon*.
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* Cost estimates in this feature are based on $2-a-gallon gas, and assume that the car goes from the worst possible condition to the best.
Straighten Up
car, tires, save gas, alignment
line of tires
Poor alignment not only causes tires to wear out more quickly, but also forces your engine to work harder. Align your tires, and save up to 10%.
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Cost Savings: 20 cents per gallon.
Tune Up
car, save gas, tune up, wrench, engine
A wrench in the foreground, with a car engine in the background.
When was your last tune up? A properly maintained engine can improve mileage by up to 4%.
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Cost Savings: 8 cents a gallon.
Pump \'em Up
save gas, car, tires, inflation
Tall stack of car tires.
More than one-quarter of vehicles are driving on deflated tires. The average under-inflation of 7.5 pounds causes a loss of 2.8% in fuel efficiency.
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Cost Savings: 6 cents per gallon.
Check Your Gas Cap
save gas, car, gas cap
Gas pump nozzle, as seen from within the gas tank.
Believe it or not, it\'s been estimated that nearly 17% of cars on the road have broken or missing gas caps. What\'s the big deal? Escaping fumes not only hurt fuel economy but release smog-causing compounds into the air. Avoid air pollution and improving fuel mileage is as easy as replacing a bad gas cap.
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Cost Savings: 1 cent per gallon.
Slow Down
save gas, car, steering wheel, dashboard, driving
A hand on a steering wheel, with dashboard visible.
For every 5 mph you reduce highway speed, you can reduce fuel consumption by 7%.
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Cost Savings: 14 cents (by reducing speed from 70 mph to 65 mph).
Drive More Smoothly
car, dog, save gas
Cute dog with its head stuck out a car window
Avoiding jack-rabbit starts and stops, and herky-jerky driving will improve fuel economy. Don\'t believe it? Lousy driving on the highway can add as much as one-third to your gas bill.
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Cost Savings: 66 cents a gallon.
Lay Off The Brakes
save gas, pedals, car, gas, brake, clutch
Brake, gas and clutch pedals below the driver\'s seat of a car.
Riding with your foot on the brake pedal will not only wear out brake pads (which will cost you at the maintenance shop) but can also increase gas consumption by as much as 35%.
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Cost Savings: 70 cents per gallon.
Lighten Up
car, roof rack, luggage, save gas
A car with roof rack full of luggage.
For every 100 extra pounds carried around, your vehicle loses 1 to 2% in fuel efficiency. Don\'t drive around with too much junk in the trunk.
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Cost Savings: 3 cents per gallon (assuming 100 pounds of weight removed).
Don\'t Idle
car, exhaust, tailpipe, idle, idling, save gas
Exhaust from a car tailpipe.
Besides causing pollution, idling wastes gas. If stopped for more than 30 seconds, turn off the engine, and don\'t bother to \"warm up\" your car before driving -- it is not necessary.
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Cost Savings: 1 cent per gallon, for every three minutes you avoid idling.
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