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Talking to the manager of a local gas station, I was surprised to learn how much gas they sold every single day. Even more surprising was learning that they were selling just as much gas at $4.25 per gallon as they were when gas was just $2.00 per gallon. That was surprising because since gas hit about $2.50 per gallon, I've been doing all I can to squeeze every fraction of a mile out of every gallon I use. These tips will help you save gas by changing how you drive and maintain your car.

Lighten the load. Every unnecessary pound in your vehicle translates into more gas used. Open the trunk or look in your pickup bed. What do you need and what don't you need? Take out that case of water and carry just what you plan to use. It's summer time? Take out those bags of sand you carry in the winter for traction. Big toolboxes using up space? Take them out if you don't need them.

Keep the tank full. Don't let your tank go below half if you can help it. The closer to empty your tank is, the more fuel evaporates and escapes when you take the gas cap off to fill it. Modern gas pumps recover that evaporated fuel, and why should you be giving it to them just to resell after it re-condenses in the storage tank.

Tire inflation. Keep your tires inflated to at least the recommended tire pressure. You can find this inside the drivers side door near the latch on the post. If you are carrying a heavy load, increase the pressure in your tires up to, but not exceeding ten pounds below the maximum pressure listed on the tire side-wall. Your goal will be to provide the same tire to road contact under a heavy load as under a normal load. Under a heavy load and normal pressure, the tires will look more squashed than usual. Fill them up to make them look normal, but use caution and don't exceed the maximum pressure, less ten pounds. Proper tire inflation can save you two to three miles per gallon of gas on the highway.

Speed and gear optimization. Pay attention to the gears as you accelerate. Don't let the car cruise two or three miles per hour under a shift point. Move past the shift point, let the car shift to the higher gear, and allow the speed to drop a little, but not much. This technique will save you considerably.

Route optimization. Plan your trips, even the short ones. Use short routes that have the fewest stop signs and stop lights. Try to make your errand trips one trip. Go from errand to errand and plan for the trip to be in a circle of sorts. Make stops for errands along the

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