15. Avoid topping off
Try to avoid "topping off" at the gas pumps. When you purchase just a bit of gas at the gas station the pump doesn't have enough time to really activate, resulting in short bursts of fuel that may short change you from the amount of gas that you are purchasing. The best time to replenish your gas tank is when you have half a tank or less left in your vehicle, or when you find a gas price that you just can't afford to miss.
16. Avoid running your gas tank too close to empty
Try not to drive your car when the gas gauge is on empty. You may think that you using very little gas when your car is on empty, but you are in fact using more gas because your vehicle is running less efficiently as it tries to accelerate and decelerate in a normal fashion. Keep your gas level above the quarter tank mark if at all possible.
17. Avoid buying gasohol
You should never purchase gasohol for your car since it contains only two-thirds of the energy of gasoline. This means that you would need to buy much more gasohol to go the same distance on a tank of gasoline. Gasohol is a mixture of ethanol (alcohol made from grain) and gas, and is used by some farmers to help cut the amount of pollution in the air. Even if you are traveling and it seems like the only fuel choice for miles is gasohol try to avoid buying this type of adapted fuel.
18. Avoid buying gas from a just replenished gas station
When a gas station has its underground tanks filled, the particles at the bottom of the tank are stirred up. These particles can become mixed in with the gas that you are putting into your car, which can lead to efficiency problems. The particles can clog your fuel filter, causing your car to stall and start with some difficulty. If the gas station that you have decided to stop at has the lowest gas price in your area you may want to think about taking the time to come back at a later time rather than stopping at the next gas station that is offering a higher price for gas.
19. Keep your car well tuned
One of the best things that you can do is to keep your vehicle as well tuned as you possibly can. This means taking note of those regularly scheduled maintenance checkups that you so often ignore. Studies indicate that a car with an engine that is poorly tuned will increase the amount of fuel consumption from 10 to 20 percent. Information found at www·fueleconomy·gov/ shows that when you tune up a car that is due for a checkup or one that has emissions problems, you can increase the gas mileage by up to 4.1 percent.
Pay attention to the signals that your car is giving you. When the red message light on your dashboard lights up letting you know that it's time to "check your gauges" make sure that you have your car looked at as soon as you can. If you are uncertain when the last time was that you had your car serviced you may be able to contact the mechanic that last did the work for you. If they keep accurate records your mechanic will be able to give you a date for your last maintenance visit and help you schedule a new one at the same time.