[horselover]

Title says it all.

I purchased my first vehicle today, a 1991 Plymouth Grand Voyager, $20 will fill almost half a tank.

How do I make the most of it on an older vehicle? I don't have the windows open when I drive.

[Stepper]

Hey Horselover! Probably the two easiest things to do are to make sure your tires are inflated to the proper pressure and to avoid carrying around stuff you don't need in the car.

Here's how to find out the correct tire pressure for your car, from Ask.cars.com (http://ask.cars.com/2007/05/how_do_i_find_t.html):

"Having the correct tire pressure is extremely important for getting good gas mileage and the most life out of your tires. Your car has a specific tire pressure that will give the best gas mileage, handling and tire life for that car, and it’s written right on the door of the car. That’s the one you should follow when filling up.

"On newer cars, the recommended pressure is most commonly listed on a sticker inside the driver’s door. If there’s no sticker on the door, you can usually find the specs in the owner’s manual. Most passenger cars will recommend 32 to 35 psi in the tires when they’re cold. The reason you check them cold is that as tires roll along the road, friction between them and the road generates heat, increasing tire pressure. For the most consistent tire-pressure reading, make sure the car has been sitting overnight, or at least has been parked for a few hours.

"Do not inflate your tires to the pressure listed on the tire itself. That number is the maximum pressure the tire can hold, not the recommended pressure for the vehicle. Tricky, huh?

"Over-inflating your tires will give you a bouncy ride and an ill-handling car, while under-inflated tires can develop premature wear from increased friction. Either way, not having your tires at their recommended pressure will negatively affect tire wear and vehicle performance."

Another way to improve gas mileage is to keep your car at 55 mph on the highway. It is the most efficient speed. Avoiding fast starts and stops during city driving helps too.

[tater03]

Yes, I would have to agree with all the above. The biggest thing I have heard is to watch that tire pressure. I never knew this until my husband told me. Another thing is don't let your tank get real close to "E". That will suck up the grit from the bottom of the tank and can make your car run not as well and use more gas.

[horselover]

Oh yikes!

We ran down to just over E tonight and had to get gas. The mileage seems to be very low too.

We went about 140KMs on just under half a tank on a 3.3L engine.

I always stop and start slowly, except in emergency situations which are rare.

It looks like(rough guess) we get about 300Km's to a tank of gas, which will cost about $50 for a full tank.

I hear that highway driving is better on mileage since it has less stop and go, is that right?

[workinman]

yes, highway mileage will be better than 'around town' mileage.

make sure that your air cleaner is clean... a basic tune up of spark plugs and wires, fuel and air cleaner change can never hurt!

[horselover]

Cool. I think I need some engine coolant, but otherwise everything else looks pretty good right now.

[mrs.tinsley]

There is a gasoline filter cleaner of some sort.. that you can buy.. I'm not sure what it's called, but my hubby buys it from the $1 store every once in a while.. you just add it to the tank after a new fill and vuala!

[horselover]

I'll have to check into that, thanks for the tip.

[Timetrvlr]

Originally Posted by horselover

Oh yikes!

We ran down to just over E tonight and had to get gas. The mileage seems to be very low too.

We went about 140KMs on just under half a tank on a 3.3L engine.

I always stop and start slowly, except in emergency situations which are rare.

It looks like(rough guess) we get about 300Km's to a tank of gas, which will cost about $50 for a full tank.

I hear that highway driving is better on mileage since it has less stop and go, is that right?

I see you have discovered another "secret" of getting better gas mileage!
The best tip of all was keeping proper air pressure in your tires; next best is learning to drive economically and you have started on that road.

Actually, this is a new highway sport called "Hypermiling". The extreme practitioners of this hang out on the Green Hybrid message board. Some of these people get over 100mpg but most are in the 50mpg range.

[horselover]

Well, I wont be worrying about the mileage since the car is scrap now.