DETROIT — Gas prices are above $3 per gallon in most of metro Detroit, forcing some to find ways to make the most of the gas in their tanks.
“I try to drive not as much, but I also try to find the cheapest gas,” said Dwain Fennoy.
7 Action News wanted to know what other ways people can make the most out of their gas tanks, so we got in touch with auto expert John McElroy, who works for Autoline.tv.
He says the first thing you should do will only cost you a few quarters at the gas station.
“Walk out to your car, open the driver's door, and on the door jam you are going to see a yellow and white sticker that will tell you the proper air pressure to put in the tires – do it!” said McElroy.
Checking the air pressure in your tires is McElroy's number one tip for making the most out of your gas tank.
“People just don’t check their tire pressure and you know you should probably do it twice a year,” said McElroy.
The more air you have in the tires, the less gas you have to use to move the car.
The second way to save on gas, learn to coast.
“As you’re driving along look up ahead and get the big picture, if you see that there’s a light that is turning red, if you see there are a bunch of cars stopped at a stop sign, coast up there. The more you can coast the more fuel that you are going to save,” said McElroy.
Third, plan out your trips ahead of time so you don’t have to use your car as much.
“Don’t go do a little trip, come home, wait a while, go out and do another trip," he said. "Try to plan and do them all at once, because once your engine warms up, it’s a lot more efficient,” said McElroy.
There are some other tricks of the trade that might help but only slightly.
For example, slowing down will save you some money, but it will take you longer to get from point A to point B.
Some draft behind semis, but that can be dangerous.
“I’m not sure that is safe, I don’t think the truck drivers like it either, they want to be able to look in their mirrors and see you,” said McElroy.
Turning off the AC could help, but do you really wanna turn into a sweaty mess behind the wheel?
“If you’re on the highway and you roll down the windows, the air resistance is going to be worse than if you had the windows up and ran the air conditioning,? McElroy said.
If you put air in the tires, learn to coast, and plan out your trips McElroy says drivers could get anywhere from a 20 to 25 percent improvement in fuel economy.
