Follow these simple driving tips to increase MPGs...
MPG ratings on used cars vary from driver to driver, and most EPA ratings over estimate the actual miles per gallon your car receives. Why? Because EPA ratings are based on labratory tests that don't simulate the environment you typically drive in. They do not account for hills, braking, acceleration or wind resistance, all facts of everyday driving.
If you really want to achieve a higher increased MPGs, follow these simple driving tips..
Driving Tips to Increase Your Car's MPGs
Accelerating to Better Gas Mileage
Driving with a lead foot consumers much more fuel than normal. Accelerate evenly, keeping your RPMs around 2,500 or lower if possible and your car will burn less fuel and be more fuel efficient. The energy it takes to accelerate a car is exponentially greater than the energy it takes to keep that car moving at a consistent speed. There's no point in racing off to the next stop light, just to sit and wait again for the light to turn green!
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Braking for MPG Ratings
Brake sooner and bring the car to a stop over a longer period of time. Every time you break you lose valuable momentum which keeps your car in the higher MPG bracket. If you are forcing your car to stop quicker, you will most likely have to accelerate faster, and therfore will burn more fuel on the other end.
Cornering for Better MPGs
Momentum is the name of the game, and you should try to conserve as much momentum as possible. This doesn't mean accelerating into a turn. When you approach a corner or exit ramp slow down to a fairly good speed and take the turn gradually at a speed you can maintain throughout the entire curve. Try to preserve your speed but don't go too fast, because you will only lose speed if you are forced to overturn. You also risk losing control during the turn, and that will waste a large amount of fuel. Manage the turn at the right speed, you will be able to come out of the turn with much more momentum, and you won't have to gun the accelerator to get back up to speed.
Stop Lights and Stop-and-Go Traffic
Time your stop-and-go driving to conserve more fuel and raise your MPGs. Approach all lights with caution, braking well in advance, so you spend less time idling, and if possible, coast to the light, as it turns green so you aren't accelerating from a dead stop. If you can, and if it is safe to do so, time stop lights so you preserve your car's momentum and continue through the light as it turns green, without stopping.
Always keep safety in mind. Don't brake too soon if it puts your car or another car at risk of an accident. If it is safe to do so, you can avoid having to gun the accelerator, and guzzle more gallons of gas, only to wait at the next stop light. You will burn precious fuel while you wait for the light to turn green.
Take the Highway for Better MPGs
If you are used to driving fast on the highway, be warned, you are buring more fuel each and every mile you drive. Since, most cars are designed to deliver higher gas mileage and MPGs at the posted speed limit (so they can deliver better EPA MPG ratings), driving close to the speed limit is the more fuel efficient route. You can drive under the limit by five miles too, when it is safe to do so, that is not illegal. Just be sure to get in the right lane and watch for merging vehicles. Driving faster will get you there faster, but you'll have less money to spend when you do.
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