ORLANDO, Fla. – For Friday’s Trooper Steve on Patrol, we took a look at something just about all of us are feeling lately, gas prices.
While I wish I had the magic solution to make the numbers at the pump go down, the reality is I can’t control the price. What I can do, though, is help remind everyone of a few driving habits that can take a little bit of the sting out of filling up.
The stream happened right from behind the wheel of Results-1 as we talked about some of the things drivers can do to help stretch that tank of gas just a little bit further.
The first one is probably the biggest offender: aggressive driving. Rapid acceleration and hard braking burn through fuel faster than most people realize. When you smoothly accelerate and give yourself plenty of space to slow down, your vehicle doesn’t have to work nearly as hard, and that can translate into better fuel economy.
Another thing we talked about is speed. The faster you go, the harder your engine has to work. Most vehicles hit their most efficient range somewhere around typical city speeds, so when you’re pushing well beyond that on the highway, you’re also pushing your fuel consumption higher.
We also discussed something simple that often gets overlooked: tire pressure. Under-inflated tires create more rolling resistance, which means your engine has to work harder just to move the car down the road. Keeping your tires properly inflated can actually improve fuel efficiency and help your tires last longer, too.
And finally, there’s the extra weight many of us carry around without realizing it. If your trunk has turned into long-term storage or you’ve got heavy items riding along that don’t need to be there, that extra weight forces your engine to burn more fuel.
None of these tips is going to magically cut your gas bill in half, but when you combine them together, they can make a noticeable difference over time.
If you want to check out the full conversation and ride along with us, you can watch the Trooper Steve on Patrol stream at the top of this story, where we break it all down and talk about a few ways to keep a little more money in your wallet the next time you hit the pump.