Guide to Green Driving

With gas prices on the rise, we all want to save money and trips to fill up.

One of the easiest ways to do this is by keeping your vehicle properly maintained. You'll not only help the environment by cutting down on emissions, you'll save yourself some money too.

9 simple ways you can maintain your vehicle to save money and help the environment

1. Read the owner's manual and service regularly

• One of the easiest ways to increase fuel economy is to keep your vehicle properly maintained. Poorly maintained vehicles can increase fuel consumption by up to 15%. Check the owner's manual for your vehicle's maintenance schedule.
• We recommend leaving regular servicing to professionals, as they have the knowledge and diagnostic tools to find and correct any problems you may have.
  
  If you need a repair centre, check out AMA's Approved Auto Repair Services.

2. Check tire pressure monthly

• One tire under inflated by 8 psi can reduce the life of the tire by 15, 000 km and increase the vehicle's fuel consumption by 4%.
• Once a month, take a quick walk around your car when the tires are cold - meaning you haven't driven the car for at least 25 minutes - to check your tire pressure and look for signs of uneven wear
  

  The chart below shows how much under inflated tires could be costing you.

  
  
  

  Source: 2010 CAA Driving Cost Publication

Learn more about tire maintenance with information on reading a tire sidewall, tire ratings and the difference between all-season and winter tires.

3. Rotate your tires every 10,000 km

• Rotating tires distributes the wear evenly, extending the life of your tires.
• When replacing tires, follow the recommendations by your vehicle's manufacturer. Look for tires that have low rolling resistance and have a long tire life. Reducing rolling resistance by 10% will result in a 2% reduction in fuel consumption.

4. Change your oil regularly

• Follow the maintenance schedule recommended by your vehicle's manufacturer.
• Dirty oil makes your engine work harder. Regular oil changes not only reduce emissions but can increase gas mileage by up to 12%, so you can stay on the road longer before needing to fill up.
• The type of oil also makes a difference. Synthetic or lighter oils improve engine lubrication and fuel economy. More expensive oils are an excellent choice for most vehicles and can be used regardless of the season to help protect the engine.

5. Align and balance tires once a year

• Tires that are misaligned or unbalanced can increase fuel consumption by approximately 3%.

6. Replace air filters

• Follow the maintenance schedule recommended by your vehicle's manufacturer.
• Your air filter keeps dirt and debris from damaging the inside of your engine.
• Protect your engine and save gas. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much at 10%.

7. Check your brakes

• Brakes that are improperly adjusted or malfunctioning can create friction drag that wastes energy and speeds up brake wear. This is not only dangerous for you - it's also costing you money.

8. Check your gas cap

• Look for a tight seal and non-cracked cap. Gas can vaporize as it escapes from your tank, so you're not only losing money as you drive around, but pollutants are being emitted while your car is in park.
• A loose or damaged gas cap can also trigger the check engine light to come on signaling a problem in the emission system.

9. Change your spark plugs

• When your spark plugs are old or in poor condition fuel doesn't burn completely inside the cylinder, which can result in carbon deposits being left on your cylinder walls after combustion. This can ignite new fuel too soon and cause pre-ignition and pinging.
• When buying new spark plugs, use the ones recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. Misfiring plugs can reduce fuel efficiency by as much as 30%.

How you drive as a direct impact on how much fuel you use between fill ups. Go farther on a tank of gas by making a few minor changes to your driving habits.

10 easy ways to get more out of a tank of gas

1. Carpool

• Cut your weekly costs by up to 50% and save wear-and-tear on your vehicle.
• Drivers of compact cars that carpool twice a week can save up to $507 a year in fuel costs.
  
  How much could carpooling save you? Enter the kilometers you drive each year and the type of vehicle you own to see your potential savings.
  Check out CAA's 2012 Driving Costs
  

2. Park in the shade

• Keeping your car out of the sun while you're not driving it keeps the gas tank cooler and helps slow down the evaporation process, so more gas stays in your tank.
• Parking your car in the shade helps keep the inside cooler, so you may not need to crank your air conditioning when you get in.

3. Track your fuel consumption

• Tracking your fuel consumption lets you see how many kilometers you get out of a tank of gas. It can also help you see your savings as you make changes to drive more fuel efficiently.
• To track your fuel consumption, reset your trip odometer each time you fill up to track the actual number of kilometers travelled.
• If you notice poor mileage, it could mean your vehicle isn't operating at peak performance and may need inspecting. You can save up to 5% on fuel costs by catching problems early.
• Have a friendly competition! See which of your friends has the best fuel economy for the month, and the worst fuel economy washes everyone's cars!

4. Leave early

• The enemy of efficient driving is finding yourself in a rush. Leave for your destination a little early so you don't feel pressure to drive faster, brake later and otherwise fall back into bad habits.
• Driving efficiently can be much more relaxing than the typical person's driving style, but you need to allow a bit of extra time.

5. Reduce your speed

• With most vehicles, increasing your cruising speed from 100 km/h to 120 km/h will increase your fuel consumption by about 20%. On the other hand, reducing your speed from 100 km/h to 90 km/h improves fuel economy by about 10%. You can save up to 30% on fuel costs by managing your cruising speed.

6. Don't drive aggressively

• Speeding, jack rabbit starts and hard stops can increase fuel consumption by 33% at highway speeds and by 5% around town.
• Leave a cushion. Don't get into the stop-and-go traffic snarls. Let those in front of your do the stop-and-go while you maintain a consistent speed and improve your fuel efficiency.

7. Cool it on the air conditioning

• Continually using your air conditioning can increase your fuel consumption by 20%.
• When driving in the city, roll down your windows to help keep yourself cool. On the highway, use your vehicle's flow-through ventilation.

8. Lighten your load

• Carry only what you need. An extra 45 Kilograms (100 pounds) in the car trunk can decrease fuel economy by 1%-5% by increasing the friction between the tires and the road surface. More friction means your car has to work harder to get you where you're going.
• Stay aerodynamic by using roof and bicycle racks only when needed. Less wind resistance equals less fuel used.

9. Plan and combine trips

• Combine multiple errands into one trip to save money and time. Pick one day a week to run errands on your way home, since you're using your car already. This can also help to free up some time for you to relax on the weekend.
• Organize trips so they're near each other. Or start with the stop that is furthest from home and work your way back.
• Park in a centralized location and walk to your stops. You'll enjoy some fresh air while saving money and wear and tear on your vehicle.
• Plan in advance to avoid rush hour and potential traffic jams, or construction zones.

10. Reduce unnecessary idling

• Idling gets you nowhere fast. 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting your engine.
• Save over $90 a year by reducing idle time by just 10 minutes a day.
• Turn your engine off if you're stopped for more than 60 seconds, except while in traffic.
  

  The chart below shows you how much idling could be costing you.

  
  

  

  Source: 2010 CAA Driving Cost Publication

8 economical choices to help you save money

1. Smaller engines

• Smaller engines are more fuel efficient and are the best way to save money on gasoline. Vehicles with smaller engines tend to weigh less, so your car needs less gas to operate, saving you tips to the pump.
  
  Just how much money could you save?

Car Size	Average Fuel Used over 20,000 Kms	Cost at $1.10/L
Compact car	1420 L	$1, 562.00
Minivan/CUV	2060 L	$2, 266.00
Truck/SUV	3318 L	$3, 649.80
Source: 2010 CAA Driving Cost Publication




2. Aluminum wheels

• Aluminum wheels tend to be lighter than wheels with steel rims, which can help reduce the overall weight of your car and the amount of fuel you use to power it.



3. Manual transmission

• When properly shifted, a manual transmission consumes less fuel than an automatic. Recent tests have shown that stick shift can improve fuel economy by up to 13% compared with an automatic transmission.



4. Drive train

• Smaller front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles weigh less and produce less friction between your tires and the road. The lighter weight means they need less fuel to power them, saving you money.



5. EnerGuide labels

• Found on all new passenger cars, light-duty vans and pickup trucks, the labels show the city and highway fuel consumption ratings and an estimated annual fuel cost for that particular vehicle.
• When searching for a new vehicle, write this information down. That way you can compare different vehicles to help you choose the most fuel efficient one.
• For more information on the EnerGuide label information, visit the Office of Energy Efficiency, and compare fuel consumption ratings.



6. Alternative fuels

• Consider a gas-electric hybrid vehicle to improve your fuel efficiency while reducing emissions.
  
  To learn more, read Alternative fuels



7. Cruise control

• Unnecessary speed changes use more gas. Where roads and conditions allow, use cruise control to keep your current speed constant - like highway driving.



8. Use a block heater

• Block heaters can help reduce overall winter fuel consumption by 10%.
• Use a timer to switch on the block heater 2 hours before you need to use your vehicle. This is plenty of time to warm the engine block and lubricants.