Some people shop around or time their trips, while others swear by loyalty cards. There are many ways to save a few bucks on gas, but a good place to start is improving your car's fuel economy.
Greg Pilecki is the owner of Downtown Auto Centre, and says his best advice is to convert your vehicle to propane. He says his shop is doing more conversions than ever.
It costs between $4000 and $5000 to make the switch, but Pilecki says it could save you up to60% at the pumps.
“I just went to Toronto and back and it cost me about 16 bucks,” Pilecki said.
If you're looking for something less extreme, there's a lot you can do. Pileckisays you should replace your air filter everythree to six months.
“When it came out of the factory it was running at its peak efficiency. And the closer you can keep to that peak efficiency, is where you're gonna be at,” he said.
Gas prices tend to fuel frustration.
“It's nuts! You're just constantly putting gas in your car,” said driver Angela Nelson.
“Every time you want to leave for the weekend, they go higher,” added driver Michael Stock.
So what you do behind the wheel also counts. Quick starts and fast stops are both shortcuts to the nearest gas station.
Pilecki suggests you use cruise control and slow down. He says when he reduced his speed on the highway from 120 km/h to 115 km/h he saved 9%
He also suggests keeping tabs on your tire pressure.
“You can increase your fuel economy by two to three cents a litre by just having the right tire pressure in the vehicle,” Pilecki said.
Another savvy way to save?
Pilecki recommends leaving your tank about half full if possible. Dragging around that excess weight reduces fuel economy.
