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How to Get the Best Gas Mileage

Looking to get the biggest bang for your buck? There are several ways to get better gas mileage in your car. Here are a few suggestions on what you can do.

Off-road tire

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Check the air in your tires. Keeping your tires properly filled is proven to improve your gas mileage, as you can eliminate any drag on your car. However, making sure that all of your tires are at the same number can also improve your gas mileage because you are preventing the car from pulling form one side or the other. Whenever you are heading for an hour-long drive or more, be sure to check the pressure in your tires, as unbalanced tired can significantly affect your gas mileage. Remember that over inflated tires will negatively affect your gas mileage just as much as low pressure.

Check your car’s alignment. If your car’s alignment is crooked, you are going to get seriously reduced gas mileage. Not only that, but you will be wearing down on your tires, meaning they will need to be replaced sooner. You should have your alignment checked every 25,000 miles, or whenever you get your car looked over before a long trip. You may be able to notice when your alignment is off, however, as your car will pull to one side, meaning you will need to turn the steering wheel a little crooked in order to drive straight.

Drive differently. Not accelerating as quickly, driving at the speed limit, and slowing down sufficiently for turns are all good ways to increase your gas mileage. To gauge how to change your driving, try to keep your car’s revolutions per minute under 2000 when driving around town. Keeping your engine from getting stressed out during your every day driving will not only extend the life of your car, but can also improve your gas mileage.

If you are trying to get the best mileage for the least amount of fuel for your car, keeping good habits with your tire pressure, alignment, and daily driving are some of the best ways to get the best fuel economy.w

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Sticker Shock-looking at fuel costs

New fuel economy label in 2008 shows estimated...
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What are consumers looking for on a car sticker when it comes to fuel efficiency? A poll that was recently conducted by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and the DOT (Department of Transportation) sheds some light on that particular question.
The top three, according to the poll, were fuel economy ratings, annual fuel costs, and fuel economy letter grade. Surprisingly the annual fuel costs was the most important, and the others followed meagerly behind.
The EPA and DOT conducted their survey according to the redesigned vehicles coming up, and the stickers that will be placed in the window of them on a car dealers lot. The EPA estimates that these new stickers will begin to be displayed on vehicles by the year 20112.
More than 55% of the consumers polled believed that fuel efficiency per city, highway, and combined miles per gallon (mpg) was a mandatory number that they looked for when choosing a vehicle.
Secondly was the annual fuel cost. A mere 15% of the consumers polled looked at this particular number. Some believe that if you are purchasing a $10,000 car that the annual fuel costs of $2,000 (for example) should be put on the sticker as well. Also, another surprising fact those that found this aspect important also would rather see monthly estimated fuel costs instead of annually. The EPA estimates that to fuel a vehicle for 5 years, the cost be around $10,000. Looking at those numbers definitely put a different focus than the normal things that potential buyers look for.
When it came to the letter grades on the sticker, most consumers didnt really take it into account when making a decision. From those consumers polled, it was an overall consensus that the letter grade aspect was confusing to them.
Lastly, surprisingly the least worried about point was greenhouse emission. Most customers polled didnt even take into account the environment or the pollution issue

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Family vehicle-Minivan

2010 Honda Odyssey photographed in Bowie, Mary...
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The all-American family vehicle has been the mini-van over the last few years for all those busy parents. They are practical, useful, and very accommodating when hauling infants in car seats, young children, pets, sports equipment and much more.
The features that come with most minivans make them the wise choice when it comes to finding the vehicle that will fit all your family needs. They offer lowered step platforms for easy loading of children, spacious seating, slider doors, entertainment systems, and many safety features.
Some of the models that are now available are:
• Honda Odyssey- by most reviewers, this is the highest rated minivan currently on the market. It offers the V6 engine, and gets 28 mpg (miles per gallon) on the highway. The base pricing start at around $28,000 for the LX, and goes up to around $43, 250 for the luxurious Touring Elite Model. The quality and reliability are at the top of the list. The Honda Odyssey is a low maintenance minivan, which is ideal for those growing families and their finances. In addition, they have a high resale and trade in value.
• Toyota Sienna- The Toyota Sienna has many of the same features as the Odyssey, except they are slightly lower in cost. The base price starts at around $24,460, and can go up to $39,970. It comes in a powerful V6, and offers an eight-seat bench. This might be a better choice for a large family or a family intending on expanding.
• Kia Sedona- The Kia is not as fancy as the Odyssey or Sienna, but it has great safety ratings, and economically priced from $24,000 to $29,000. The comfort and quiet ride is good for those long family trips with the kids. They also offer an outstanding warranty plan.
These are only a few of the options that consumers have to choose from when looking for a priced right, reliable minivan for their family.

Filed Under: Tips for Buying a Car Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

MPG, EPA, what they do

Most consumers in the market for buying a vehicle look at multiple things, but one of the main ones is the fuel efficiency. With the economy, gas prices are volatile and continue to be, for those customers looking to buy or lease an automobile take into account the best gas mileage.
Trying to understand the gas MPG (miles per gallon) can be a confusing process, but the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) measure mileage by the MPG’s and has two ways they classify this method. They are city mileage and highway mileage. In the city the vehicle uses more fuel due to the frequent stops and starts with stop signs, stop lights etc. The highway mileage is typically better mileage due to the constant steady speed without all the stops and starts.
There are some other factors that play a part in the amount of miles per gallon your vehicle gets. Some of those are the following:
A manual transmission generally gets better gas mileage than an automatic transmission.
A 4 cylinder engine is typically more fuel efficient.
The 4-wheel drives generally have poor fuel efficiency compared to a 2-wheel drive.
Certain automobile tires will affect your MPG’s as well. Terrain and snow tires use more fuel than basic highway tires due to more rolling resistance when operating.
A few ways to help you improve your vehicle on mileage is to monitor the tire air pressure, it is recommended to us octane-rated fuel, try to avoid excessive idling, and avoiding frequent stops and starts. However, the fuel efficiency is important, be sure not to overlook other amenities that you may need such as vehicle capacity, cargo space, safety ratings and so forth.
There are a few rated automobiles that are coined as good mileage picks:
Small compact cars- Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Fit. Midsize cars-Toyota Camry Hybrid. Small SUV’s (sports utility vehicle)-Subaru Forester, Toyota RAV4. Mid-sized SUV’s-Lexus RX400h, Ford Escape Hybrid.

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Choosing The Right Model For Your Family Some Useful Tips

Choosing the right automobile can be a very stressful task. You will be interested in performance and power. Your spouse will probably be interested in appearance. Your kids will probably want a cool automobile that they can show off when you drop them off at school.

In such a scenario, people often end up choosing the wrong make and model. If your family consists of 2 adults and 3 young kids today, going in for a small vehicle can backfire unless you are prepared to replace your vehicle with a bigger car in the future. The small vehicle may be suitable for your needs today.

However, what about five years from now? Unless you have a replacement plan, you may end up stuffing all your family into the small vehicle. In such a scenario, a trip in the family car may turn out to be an embarrassment instead of a fun experience.

Secondly, you will have to consider your budget and your income capacity as well. Fuel prices are not going to come down any time in the near future. Fuel consumption, despite your best efforts, will not come down beyond a certain level. In such a scenario, going in for an expensive gas guzzling car can sound the death knell for your finances. On the other hand, choosing a model that offers fantastic fuel economy can make a huge difference to your finances.

If you intend to have just one automobile for your home, it must be very reliable at all times. If it breaks down every stone very often, your entire domestic life is thrown out of gear very often. You may end up spending a lot of money making arrangements for alternate transportation. In such a scenario, identifying the most reliable model with the help of the web and other sources makes more sense.

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Filed Under: Tips for Buying a Car Tagged With: , , , , , , ,