Vehicle mileage
Gas mileage is the number of miles you travel for each gallon of gas you get (MPG) The larger the car/suv or truck, the less MPG you will get because it takes more energy to make it move.
Several things contribute to determining the gas mileage any vehicle will get. Some of the factors are...
- weight
- air resistance (ie, coefficient of drag as a factory design issue, plus added drag such as windows down vs. rolled up)
- rolling resistance (e.g., types of tires, tire pressure, internal drivetrain parasitics [ie, friction])
- added load (ie, passengers, groceries and other stuff)
- type of engine & it's efficiency (larger displacement & higher output engines tend to get lower fuel economy)
- driving styles (ie, racing to stops, 'riding the brakes')
Regarding a vehicle's weight, as a rule of thumb, as a vehicle gets heavier, it's fuel economy is reduced. It requires more force to overcome the inertia that keeps the car stationary. And this reality is repeated every time a heavy vehicle stops & then launches again from a stop.
Saving gas
There are some simple rules to save gas:
(1) drive slow - not too much past 55
(2) accelerate slowly
(3) don't brake unnecessarily
(4) use cruise control - whenever it is safe to do so.
An H2 heading
An H2 heading splits into a new page
An H3 heading
An H3 heading splits into a new page
An H4 heading
An H4 heading does not by default split into a new page
Car maintenance
Regular maintenance and tuning help improve the mileage
(1) spark plugs
(2) spark plug wires
(3) distributors, coil, rotors (if you have them).
(4) new air filter
(5) PCV
(6) correct tire pressure
(7) clear the trunk of useless heavy items
(8) spray clean MAF sensor.