In Canada the long weekend is just a few days away (yeah!!) – and the unofficial start of the summer driving season.

With gas prices near record highs in parts of the country – 145.8/L in Vancouver, 129.5/L in Halifax, 133.4/L in St. John’s, and 124.9/L in Toronto as examples – it pays to discover ways to decrease your gas usage and increase your car’s gas mileage. It’s good for your wallet and the environment.

So what can you do to maximize your car’s gas mileage??

Lose the bike rack, storage box or canoe (sometimes hard to do) on the roof of your car. Any of these additions to the roof changes the shape of the car and make it less aerodynamic. In a gas powered car, fuel efficiency can be reduced by between 10 and 30% depending on what you’re carrying. An empty roof rack can reduce efficiency by 12% while carrying a bicycle on top can reduce your fuel efficiency by a whopping 30%.

Driving an electric car with a load on top can severely impact your range. As a test, a 2011 Nissan Leaf, outfitted with a roof rack, was driven just 10 miles to a store on a battery that was ¾ charged. The predicted range without a rack was between 50 to 60 miles and with an empty roof rack just 35 miles. The reality was that a quarter of the charge was consumed in just 10 miles. Then with the addition of a 95 pound shelving unit to the top of the car, the 10 mile return trip consumed the bulk of the charge. If you drive an electric car and don’t want to be charging every 30 miles, then realistically you won’t be able to carry anything on the top.

Don’t idle. This seems like a no brainer to me but for those of you that need convincing consider this – a quarter to half a gallon of gasoline is used per hour depending on the engine size and air conditioner use.

Leave the heavy items behind. Fuel consumption is increased by 1-2%  for every extra 100 pounds you carry. This factor is particularly important in cities with so much stop and go driving. Once you hit the highways – assuming no slowdowns because of construction, traffic or accidents, it becomes less of a problem.

Slow down. Fuel economy decreases rapidly above 100 km/h (60mph).

Increasing fuel consumption

Use cruise control. You reduce fuel consumption by maintaining a constant speed.

Properly inflated tires can reduce fuel consumption by 3%. When was the last time you got your tires checked? Winter driving – aka cold driving – reduces PSI (pounds per square inch) by about 1 PSI per month.

A dirty engine air filter will decrease fuel efficiency. If you drive on dusty, dirty roads a lot you’ll need to change it more frequently.

Avoid braking whenever possible – but use a little common sense here. Accelerating after braking consumes more energy than driving at a constant speed. Coast to those red lights if you can.

Break for bison!

Have you any tips you’d like to add on how to maximize your car’s gas mileage??

Related posts you might like:

• Greening Up Your Travels – Green Travel Tip #1
• Greening Up Your  Travels: What Makes a Hotel Green?

Leigh McAdam

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Photo credit: Roof rack, Odometer, Bison