You don’t need to leave your car in the garage and find alternate means of transport to avoid using gas.

It’s fair to say that the price of gas doesn’t seem to be returning to the low prices it once was. However, don’t let rising gas prices prevent you from enjoying the benefits of driving your vehicle.

Improving Your Gas Usage

Instead, there are some simple changes which you can make to your driving habits which can reduce your gas usage without reducing your vehicle usage. Bill Rigdon AMSOIL Dealer has prepared a post with some of the most common ways.

Choose Brakes Instead of Gears

If you drive a manual transmission then there is a good chance that you exhibit two driving behaviors which can lead to unnecessary gas usage.

• Resist the urge to move down through your gears to slow your vehicle and, instead, take your foot off the gas pedal and use your brake to bring you to a complete stop.
• Instead of racing to reach the next red light as soon as possible by pushing each gear as far as it can go, listen to your engine and change gears when it tells you that it is ready.

Both of the above habits increase the RPM of your engine, which means more gas usage.

No Warming Up

If you learned that you should warm up your engine each morning to prevent engine damage, then what you actually learned was to warm up the oil inside your engine which has become thick due to the cold overnight temperature, and can’t protect your engine until it returns to its former consistency. Synthetic oil, on the other hand, has been designed to withstand cold temperatures and maintain a protective consistency throughout. By switching to synthetic engine oil, you not only no longer need to spend time warming up your engine each morning, but you don’t have to waste gas doing it. Click here to buy Signature Series 0W-20 Synthetic Motor Oil and give your vehicle a synthetic oil change to improve its performance and reduce gas usage. To find out more about a synthetic oil change or to place an order, speak with an expert on the topic at Bill Rigdon AMSOIL Dealer by calling (503) 329-9004 or visit the online store.

Choose Your Routes

Take a look through the errands you need to complete each week and look for places in close proximity to each other which could be done on the same day. Once you have this:

• Identify the best times to complete your drives to reduce traffic.
• Find routes which assist in limiting the time you spend waiting for traffic.
• Locate routes which minimize the miles you drive.
• Can you park in a range of places which allow you to walk to multiple errands?

Each of these tips can help you to improve your fuel economy by reducing the number of miles you drive and the amount of time you spend stuck in traffic, both of which use gas. If, despite your planning, you find yourself stuck in traffic and don’t anticipate moving for 3 minutes, switch off your engine and save the gas.

Choosing Between the Window or the Air Conditioner

Whenever it becomes hot inside your vehicle, you instinctively reach for the air conditioning switch to make you and your passengers comfortable. However, this puts a strain on your engine and uses additional gas. Driving around town If you are driving around town and at moderate speed, then the best option is to lower your windows and allow the air to circulate and reduce the temperature in your vehicle. This doesn’t require any gas and is effective. When taking this tip, be sure to lower your rear windows slightly, if not all the way,. Doing this can encourage air to flow into your front windows and push out stale and hot air out from the rear. Freeway driving If you are cruising along the freeway then the additional wind resistance requires your engine to work harder to keep you moving forward, which in turn uses more gas. In these instances, the better choice can be to use your air conditioner.

Keep Your Gas Usage down with a Synthetic Oil Change in Portland, OR

Basic at-home maintenance like a synthetic oil change is a great way to improve the performance of your engine and reduce your gas usage. To find out more or to place an order, speak with a friendly professional at Bill Rigdon AMSOIL Dealer by calling (503) 329-9004.