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Earth Day Tips to Drive Green

Whether you are an adamant, passive, or somewhere in between in terms of living a “green” life, there are steps you can take that can both help the environment and save you money on fuel. Whether your car is old or new, big or small: there are a lot of ways to turn your Kanata/Stittsville car into a more eco-friendly one. By following our tips and keeping your Kanata/Stittsville car properly maintained at an area garage like G&I can save real money and reduce your carbon footprint at the same time. A real win/win!

Weight Watchers – the more you have in your trunk or weight on your car, the more gas you will use.  You can’t control how much your car weighs, but you can control what you are hauling. Avoid keeping unnecessary or heavy objects in your car and find somewhere else to keep those items when they’re not in use.

Maintain the Correct Tire Pressure – Proper tire pressure can improve gas mileage by 3%. Today’s newer cars tend to have a setting on the dash that will tell you each tire’s current pressure, but you don’t need that to keep track of the pressure in your Kanata/Stittsville tires.  Purchase an inexpensive tire gauge and check your tire pressure regularly and before long trips. You can find what your tires should be inflated to in your manual.

Avoid Excessive Idling – Just like you turn out lights in rooms that you are not in, turn off your car when you are just sitting and idling.

Drive Better – The hardest area for you to address may also be the easiest way to save gas. Aggressive driving might be in your nature, but it is costing you at the pump.  Reducing aggressive acceleration can save you unbelievable amounts of gas. Some estimates show it can save up to 37%.

Replace Your Air Filter Clean – When you are getting an oil change at a local Stittsville/Kanata garage, you are often shown the air filter and while you may look at it and it is looking a little dirty… you may say to yourself… I can get one more cycle out of that.  You may not be saving at all with this tact as changing an air filter can improve your fuel economy by as much as 10%. Another option is reusable air filters – ask us about how these can save you money over the long haul. Important tip here: make sure your reusable air filter is completely dry before reinstalling to prevent it from collecting bacteria and fungus.

Cruising – Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas. In Edmunds.com green driving tests, using cruise control produced up to 14% savings in fuel economy with an average savings of 7%.

Tune Ups – Get into your favorite Stittsville/Kanata garage (G&I) for regular tune-ups as the Car Care Council reports a well-tuned car can run 4% more efficiently. And if you have something as troublesome as a faulty oxygen sensor, fixing it can improve gas mileage by as much as 40 percent

Reduce Air Conditioner Use –  It is no secret that AC can be a monster fuel consumer.  When the weather is pleasant, put your windows down with one exception – highway driving.  The drag at high speeds can offset or be a bigger energy waster than using your vent.

Keep an Eye on Your Fuel Economy – Check your mileage when you fill up.  Most newer cars will show you the average fuel economy of each tank of gas. Just press the button to reset the calculation at every fill up and track your numbers using a notebook, or use a handy smartphone app. Regular monitoring can show you trends in your fuel economy can alert you when you need to come visit your friends at your favorite Stittsville/Kanata garage (G&I), and alert you to possible service issues early so you can fix your car before it breaks down or another more serious issue arrises. Car repairs tend to be a domino-like situation… the longer you avoid it, the more catastrophic repairs tend to be.

Happy Earth Day… we hope to see you soon so that your car can love our mother earth!