The price of gas always seems to go up, never down. Fortunately, this doesn’t have to affect you enjoying time behind the wheel of your Acura. It’s a very fuel-efficient vehicle, and with regular maintenance, you can spend more time driving and save bucks in the process. We want to give you a few tips on increasing your Acura fuel efficiency.
Tips To Increase Your Acura Fuel Efficiency
Slow and Steady
Fast starts, jamming on the brakes, and hitting the gas on the highway may feel great, but they consume large amounts of gas. In addition, they cause unnecessary wear and tear on components. Braking at speed, for example, causes faster wear on the brake pads and the rotors as they generate the friction that stops your vehicle.
In addition, braking generates heat, and slowing down from a high speed takes longer, producing more heat and potentially causing the brake fluid to overheat. Research by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) discovered that aggressive driving uses up to 30% more fuel on the highway and up to 40% more fuel in the city.
Always Check Your Tires
Tires wear down naturally due to friction damage from the surface, but they suffer additional damage if underinflated. Tire positions on your Acura have a recommended pressure listed in your vehicle manual. This can differ from the tire pressure listed on the tire, as that number is the maximum pressure the tire can contain.
Pressure will drop due to a leak, but it will also drop if the external pressure is lower than the tire pressure. Every 10 F temperature drop causes each tire to lose 1 to 2 PSI. Underinflated tires sag, increasing surface friction. The increased friction also forces the engine to work harder and use more gas to overcome it. This causes fuel efficiency to drop by 10%. Once we correct the pressure, you’ll save at the pump again.
Replace Worn Spark Plugs
A spark plug screws into each engine cylinder, and its job is to ignite the fuel-air mixture in the cylinder at a precise instant. A good spark plug causes the mixture to burn at perfectly spaced intervals, providing the energy that efficiently moves your vehicle. Like all components, spark plugs will wear out or can become damaged.
A damaged plug doesn’t ignite the mixture correctly, causing wasted fuel and a misfire in the cylinder. Continual misfiring will damage the cylinder and pistons and cause a 30% drop in fuel efficiency. We’ll replace the damaged plugs, and fuel efficiency will immediately improve.
These are just a few of the ways you can reduce fuel costs. If you’d like more fuel-saving tips, contact us at Open Road Acura of East Brunswick, NJ.
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