Car Care Tips for Fuel Efficiency

1. Keeping your car properly tuned can increase gas mileage by 4 percent.   2. Replacing dirty air filters can improve mileage by as much as 14 percent.   3. Changing oil regularly can gain you a mile per gallon.   4. Replacing dirty spark plugs will improve mileage by 2 miles per gallon.   5. Keeping your tires properly inflated will improve gas mileage by 3 percent.   6. Avoid excessive idling. Warming up a vehicle for 1 or 2 minutes is sufficient.   7. Avoid quick starts and stops. Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as 33 percent.   8. Observe the speed limit. Gas mileage decreases rapidly above 60 mph.   9. Consolidate your trips and errands. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much gas as one long multi-purpose trip.   10. Don't haul unneeded items in the trunk. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk can reduce fuel economy by 2 percent.