Tips To Put You On The Road To Fuel Economy by Liz Allison (NAPSA)—Small changes in the way you drive can have a big effect on the fuel economy of just about anycar. Here are a few tips for making trips to the pump moreefficient: Pressure Check: Government studies show that keeping your tires inflated to the recommended pressure can improve fuel economy by up to 3 percent. And you can bump those savings up to around 5 percent simply by using the proper grade of motoroil. Shape Up With a Tune-Up: = Fixing a car that’s noticeably out of _ tune can improve gas mileage by 4 percent. You can often save money on car main- tenance by joining a car club such as Allison AutoVantage. e Filter Maintenance: Something as simple as a healthy air filter can improve your car’s gas mileage by as muchas10 percent. Slow Down: Each 5 mph you drive over 60 mphis like paying an additional 20 cents per gallon of gas. Don’t Be Aggressive: Accelerating and braking abruptly can lower your gas mileage by as much as 38 percent on the highway and 5 percentin thecity. Cruise, Don’t Lose: Each time you accelerate, your car expends more energy. Constant braking and accelerating causes less fuel efficiency and a faster trip to the pump. Use cruise con- trol wheneverpossible. Combine Trips: Make a plan before you head out for errands and combine trips in your car. Making multiple short drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional 20 cents per gallon of gas. trips from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as one long multipurposetrip. Consider a Hybrid: If you are in the market for a newcar, hybrid-electric vehicles combine the best features of the internal combustion engine with an electric motor. Another money-saving factor: the Energy Policy Act of 2005 established a federal tax credit for certain hybrids. e Shop Around: If hybrids aren't for you, there arestill plenty of conventional automobiles that can save you big bucks at the pump. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, the differ- ence between a car that gets 20 mpg and one that gets 30 mpg amounts to about $744 per year. Liz Allison, a spokesperson for AutoVantage, is a NASCAR TV personality, radio host and best-selling author. She has served as a racing ana- lyst for TNT, CNN/SI, TNN, CNN, ESPN and ESPN2. Members ofAutoVantage can save on car care at some 19,000 service loca- tions. To learn more, visit www.auto vantage.com or call (800) 876-7787.
