DETORIT, M.I. – Fuel mileage can be increased with simple changes in driving. Small shifts may help create the most efficient driving routine possible for owners. It is important to take into account the driver’s actions, the vehicle and especially the exterior environment. Every little shift can cause a big difference in fuel efficiency.

Chevrolet recently decided to run an experiment between two drivers using the same vehicle. The two drivers were tracked as they completed normal activities on a morning commute to see the difference between each driver’s fuel economy.

Both GM fuel-economy engineers would be driving a Chevrolet Cruze LT. The estimated fuel economy for this vehicle is 24 mpg city and 36 mpg highway. Conditions included driving for 20 minutes, city and highway, as well as a stopping for coffee. Engineer A drove with efficient driving habits while Engineer B did not. The following are the results of the drives:

Engineer A: averaged 37 mpg
Engineer B: averaged 21 mpg

Based on 15,000 a year and $4 a gallon for gas, the difference in driving habits means Engineer A would spend $1,621 per year on gas while Engineer B would spent $1,236 more with a total of $2,857 per year in gas accumulated by both drivers

According to Roger Clark, Manager of the GM Energy Center, in a General Motor press release, “With a well-maintained car, the best drivers get up to 25 percent more miles per gallon than average. When you combine a poorly maintained car with inefficient driving habits, the fuel economy of the worst drivers can be 50 percent below average.”

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Clark added, “The fuel economy of every vehicle is greatly affected by how you drive, and how you care for your vehicle. Often, relatively small changes to your driving habits and vehicle maintenance can make the difference between being on the bottom, or the top, of the fuel-economy scale.”

After studying both sets of driver data, here are some fuel mileage best practices and what not to do while driving.

Five Best Practices

Turn off the engine whenever possible. Fifteen minutes of idling burns through an average of a quarter of a gallon.
Drive smoothly. Accelerating quickly and hitting the brakes can lower gas mileage by 20 percent.
Drive 70 mph instead of 80. The 10 mph difference can save up to four mpg on the highway.
Use cruise control on the highway to maintain efficiency. Speeding up and slowing down lowers the efficiency of the vehicle.
Keep windows rolled up on the highway. The increased air pressure with the windows down means the engine works harder, so it consumes more energy.

Five What-Not-To Dos

Let tires drive with low pressure. Although air pressure lower than recommended will not change the drive, it will cause the vehicle to work harder. Ten pounds of pressure lower can take more than three percent of fuel efficiency away.
Leave car decorations/ornaments up while driving. Up to a third of fuel is used to overcome wind resistance, so any added change will shift the aerodynamics in a big way.
Carrying heavy or extra items in the trunk. Every 100 pounds of weight reduces the fuel mileage by two percent, so remove any unneeded items from the vehicle when traveling.
Ignore the ‘check engine’ light. Serious engine problems can cause fuel economy to decline up to 40 percent.
Not running errands together and spreading them out. A cold engine is 50 percent less efficient than an engine running at operating temperature, so a day of errands is better than one errand every day of the week.

Fuel mileage may be affected by the smallest of changes. By following these best practices and not doing the others, consumers may see an increase in their fuel mileage.

MI Auto Times covers all Michigan automotive news all the time, featuring newly released vehicle recall information, relevant Michigan automaker news, vehicle ratings and comparisons, and everything else auto-related Michigan and world readers need to know.

Got a hot tip? Send your news tips to news@miautotimes.comor connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/MichiganAutoTimes.[Source(s): GM Media] 
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