Hypermiling: Fight Rising Gas Prices by Increasing Your Fuel Efficiency

Rising gas prices have created a lot of attention for hypermilers: people who use driving techniques to make their cars exceed the EPA fuel efficiency. Hypermiling is becoming very popular with gas prices rising over $4 per gallon. Many of the techniques used by hypermilers can actually be dangerous and in some place may even be illegal. However, there are number of driving habits you can learn from hypermilers that will greatly improve your fuel efficiency.

Keep a record of your car's gas mileage. The first step to improving your fuel efficiency is to understand what your gas mileage is in the beginning. Every time you fill up, you'll want to track somewhere how many gallons of fuel you purchased. If your car has a trip odometer, you can reset it at every fill up. Otherwise, you'll need to record the mileage at every fill up. Take the current odometer reading and subtract the reading from your last fill up to get the miles you've traveled between fueling. Divide that number by the number of gallons you last purchased and you'll have the miles per gallon for that tank of gas.

Keep your car well-maintained. Poor maintenance on your vehicle will reduce your fuel efficiency. With rising gas prices, maintenance will actually help you save money in the long run. Keep your oil changed and based on your mechanics recommendations, use the lightest weight oil for your car. Keep your tires inflated to the recommended level. A reduction of just 1 psi in your tires can decrease your fuel efficiency by approximately 1.4%. Keeping your tires balanced and wheels aligned will also help improve fuel efficiency. One item that usually doesn't get checked unless there's a problem is your car's oxygen sensor. The oxygen sensor controls the air and fuel mixture in your vehicle. If it's out of whack, you may be burning more fuel than your car needs.