Driving Green and Keeping Green

Even if you are an ardent environmentalist not everyone can afford to get a new hybrid. Don’t let this get you down, though. There are many, many ways that you can make your driving experience greener and, in most cases, it might keep some green in your wallet.

Cruise Control

Any time you’re controlling the speed of your car you aren’t staying steady. There’s a constant adjustment through accelerations and
deceleration that can use more gasoline than necessary. When you’re driving on a long road trip, make sure to turn it on to avoid those costly accelerations and increase your gas mileage significantly.

Coast to a Stop

Accelerating all the way to your stops is simply wasteful. Instead, slow down before you reach that stop sign or stoplight. Not only will it keep your car from accelerating all the way to the stop but it may also help you avoid accelerating from a dead stop. It may feel like you’re going too slowly to the light but it will still be red when you get to it (whether you’re wasting gas or not).

Plan Your Trip

It’s annoying to drive more than you have to. It’s annoying to be stuck in traffic and having a 20-minute trip turn into a hour long excursion. Do you know what else it is? Wasteful. Not planning out your trips can cause you to drive around more than you should have or be stuck in traffic for hours on end which, obviously, wastes more gas than necessary hurting the planet and hurting your wallet.

Turn Off the Air Conditioner

This may not be everyone’s favorite option on a hot summer day but turning off your air conditioner can ensure that you’re getting the most bang for your buck at the pump. By rolling down your window and opening up the vents you can keep cool and save a significant amount of gas and other expensive, environmentally harmful chemicals while extending the life of your air conditioner.

Shift Quickly

If you drive a manual transmission vehicle then you may know the importance of knowing when to shift so your car doesn’t stall. But, in addition to shifting to keep your car running, shifting as early as possible can prevent you from harming your transmission and wasting gas on unused power.

Proper Tire Inflation

Making sure that your tires are properly inflated is not only the safe thing to do and increases the life of your tires, it also helps your gas mileage by allowing your car to work less to move more effectively. This works to increase your green driving habits and increases the green in your wallet.

Clean Out Your Car

Your car is a lot more like you than you may think. Just as you need more food to sustain yourself after hours of weight lifting and cardio, your car will need more to maintain itself if your car is overloaded with unnecessary items. Cleaning out your car won’t make the biggest difference in the world but, as they say, “a penny saved is a penny earned.”

For all your car maintenance needs, and to ask about more ways to increase your gas mileage, including continuing car maintenance, call us at (303)573-1335 or visit us at 1112 Speer Blvd in Denver.