The Two Most Important Things For Improving Fuel Economy


Nobody likes to spend more money than they have to on gas, especially if you have to put premium fuel in you car, which is often a requirement when you're driving a high-end, complex performance machine like a Mercedes-Benz.

These following tips help you improve fuel economy, as well as reduce the wear and tear on your car and help prevent expensive repairs, so you keep more money in your pocket.

Keep Your Car Well-Maintained

A well-maintained vehicle performs at a high level, which results in better fuel economy. For example, changing your oil at the appropriate intervals, often during an A and B service, helps your car get better fuel mileage.

The oil in your vehicle lubricates many different parts, and as the oil gets old it starts to break down, leading to a reduction in efficiency. Replacing the old oil—preferably with synthetic oil—allows your car to run more efficiently and get better fuel economy.

If you have a newer model, you may have a dashboard light that notifies you when it's time to take your Mercedes-Benz in for maintenance.

If not, you can keep a notebook with detailed records of your vehicle maintenance, so you'll know when it's time to bring your car to the mechanic. Often, your Mercedes-Benz mechanic will have detailed notes of your visits as well.

Having properly inflated tires reduces the amount of fuel your car uses by about three percent. Check your car's tire pressure every month, though it's even better to check weekly if you have the time.

On average, your car loses approximately 1 PSI every four weeks, and in the winter, your tire pressure goes down because of the thermal contraction of the air.

Making sure your tires are properly inflated also helps prevent uneven tire wear. It's recommended to add air to your tires when you've driven less than two miles and when it's cold outside. If it's hot outside, or you've driven for a while, add 3 PSI more than you normally would to compensate.

The recommended PSI for your tires depends on your car, and there's often a sticker on your car door telling you what PSI to inflate the tires to. If you don't see this sticker, check your owner's manual or call your mechanic.

Make sure to check your air filter, as well. A dirty air filter reduces fuel mileage and efficiency, and can also cause your engine to stall while your car is idling.

Another helpful tip that many people don't know is to reduce how much your car weighs. Every 100 pounds in your car causes your vehicle to use approximately one to two percent more gas.

Check your car for items that don't need to be in there and remove them to reduce your car's weight. When you're filling up with gas, fill the tank halfway to reduce vehicle weight, as 10 gallons of gas weighs about 60 pounds.

However, don't let your tank fall below a quarter tank because this could damage your fuel pump.

Review Your Driving Habits

The way you drive can drastically influence your vehicle's fuel economy. While you're on the highway, use cruise control whenever possible because maintaining a consistent speed helps improve fuel economy.

Try not to accelerate too fast, as this causes your car to use a lot of gas, and monitoring your RPM gauge is an easy way to directly control how much gas your car is using.

Generally, your car doesn't need to go past 3,000 RPM, and if possible, it's best to stay under 2,000 RPM. Furthermore, don't drive faster than you have to.

When you're traveling faster than 60 miles-per-hour your fuel economy rapidly decreases.

Finally, try to avoid using your brakes unless you have to because braking wastes the energy from the fuel you've already burned.

It's better to coast and let your speed naturally decrease instead of stepping on the brakes and quickly slowing down the car.

Monitor ahead while you're driving and look for traffic jams and slow down early, or take your foot off the gas when you notice an upcoming red light from afar.

Another benefit of coasting toward the red light instead of braking is that you're more likely to get a green light by the time you close to the traffic light.

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