Winter is here and so are higher prices at the pump. In fact, gas prices are at their highest point in more than two years, about $3.10 per gallon on average nationally, according to AAA.
While motorists can't control the price of gas, they can take care of their vehicles in order to maximize fuel savings.
"Gas prices have been sneaking up on us lately," said Rich White, executive director of the Car Care Council. "Simply checking the tires, air filters, spark plugs and gas caps can make a significant difference in the vehicle's fuel economy."
The Car Care Council offers these fuel-saving maintenance tips:
Keep your car properly tuned to improve gas mileage by an average of 4 percent.
Keep tires properly inflated and improve gas mileage by 3 percent.
Replace dirty or clogged air filters on older vehicles to improve gas mileage by as much as 14 percent.
Replace dirty spark plugs, which can reduce mileage by two miles per gallon.
Change oil regularly and gain another mile per gallon.
Driving behavior also impacts fuel efficiency. The council offers these gas-saving driving tips:
Observe the speed limit. Gas mileage decreases rapidly above 60 mph.
Avoid excessive idling. Idling gets zero miles per gallon. Warming up the vehicle for one or two minutes is sufficient.
Avoid quick starts and stops. Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent in the city.
Consolidate trips. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much gas as one longer multi-purpose trip.
Don't haul unneeded items in the trunk. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk reduces fuel economy by 1 to 2 percent.
For more information, visit carcare.org.
— Seka Palikuca,