Fuel Saving Tips

As fuel costs fluctuate and concerns about the environment increase, it’s helpful to be familiar with all the ways proper maintenance can help you save fuel.

Using The Right Oil

You can improve your gas mileage by up to two percent by using the manufacturer’s recommended grade of motor oil.* Your recommended grade can be found in your Owner Guide, but it can vary depending on your driving conditions. Our experts have a full line of Motorcraft^® oil and filter products on hand and will use the correct grade for your vehicle every time you come in for an oil change.

Keeping Your Tires Properly Inflated

You can improve your gas mileage by up to 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Under-inflated tires can lower gas mileage by 0.3 percent for every one PSI drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer*. The operating vehicle tire inflation pressure that Ford Motor Company certifies and recommends for normal use is found on a Certification Decal or Tire Decal, usually located on the driver’s door or door pillar, or the glove box. (Tire pressure information does NOT appear in the Owner Guide, as the US Government requires it to be permanently affixed to the vehicle.) Make sure not to exceed that number, though, because overinflated tires can be just as bad.

Keeping Your Engine Tuned

Fixing a car that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve gas mileage by an average of 4 percent*. But here’s the real bonus – if our experts find a malfunctioning oxygen sensor, replacing it can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent*.

Other Regular Maintenance

Wheel alignments, shock and strut inspections, and replacing worn fuel filters or spark plugs can all help optimize your fuel economy too. Together, all these vehicle maintenance operations can improve your mileage by up to 25 percent*.

*Sources: fueleconomy.gov, ftc.gov, epa.gov, drivingskillsforlife.com.

Drive To Maximize Your Fuel Economy

Combine Trips

Making lots of short trips means you’re driving with your engine cold. And that uses more fuel than making one long trip with an engine that’s warmed up. Try combining your short trips around town as much as possible to optimize your fuel economy.

Drive Sensibly

Aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than just gas money.

Observe The Speed Limit

While each vehicle reaches its optimal fuel economy at a different speed (or range of speeds), gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds above 100 kph (approximately 62 mph).

Remove Excess Weight

Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds or 45.5 kilograms in your vehicle could reduce your miles per gallon (mpg) or kilometers per liter by up to 2 percent. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicles weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Avoid Excessive Idling

Idling reduces average fuel economy. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines. If you know you’ll be stopped for a while, it’s actually better to turn off your engine instead of idling.

Use Cruise Control

Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Use Overdrive Gears

When you use overdrive gearing, your cars engine speed goes down. This saves gas and reduces engine wear.