Finance Roll

You can spend significant amounts of money to increase your car's gas mileage, but here are several suggestions for doing that at no extra cost.

1. Reconsider Roof Racks

First, whenever possible you can save money by carrying items inside your vehicle rather than on roof-mounted racks. Carrying bulky items on roof racks adds drag to your vehicle, reducing your car efficiency and gas mileage.

2. Reduce Your Speed

Next, avoid high speed driving whenever possible. The simple act of reducing your speed from 65 to 55 miles an hour can save as much as 15 percent on your fuel costs...which is a significant savings, and no cost to you.

3. Rest the Air

A third free technique simply involves rolling down your windows and turning off your air conditioner whenever practical to do so. If it's not overly hot outside, just rolling down the window and letting in fresh air can reduce the temperature inside your car.

However, faster speeds also create drag with the windows down. The best way to determine this is to check your gas mileage with your windows down and again at the same speed with the windows up and the air-conditioning on. Many new cars have computers which tell you your miles per gallon.

4. Read Your Manual

Another wonderful (and free) way to save gas is by shifting into overdrive (which is usually fourth speed in an automatic transmission) when you are going to be driving at a higher speed for any length of time. Check your owner's manual for information of all your vehicle particulars.

5. Review Tire Pressure

Finally, just keeping your tires inflated to the correct pressure can significantly improve your mileage. It does not cost anything and air is usually free. So, checking your tire pressure is one of the most efficient ways to save money on your fuel costs. Again, check your vehicle owner's manual for the ideal pressure, rather than going by the psi listed on the sidewall of your tires. Besides saving money for excess fuel, you'll also save money on replacing tires too soon.

You do not have to spend money to save money on fuel economy. In fact, you can increase your vehicle's gas mileage without spending any money at all. Take care of your car, your finances, and you will also feel good about doing your part in reducing our dependency on oil.

Thank you for being kind to our environment.