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April 12, 2016 • Page 17
4 ways to make your vehicle
more eco-friendly
tems immediately, visiting
your mechanic if the vehicle
seems to be sputtering
or emitting any abnormal
fumes.
Many new vehicles are
made with the environment
in mind, as more and more
drivers are embracing ecofriendly features that reduce
the carbon footprints of
their vehicles. But motorists need not purchase new
cars to make their driving
habits more environmentally
friendly. The following are a
handful of steps drivers can
take to protect the environment regardless of how new
or old their vehicles are.
1. Maintain your vehicle.
Even if your car or truck
has no eco-friendly features
designed to reduce fuel
consumption and cut down
on emissions, that does not
mean the vehicle cannot
be more fuel-efficient or
produce fewer emissions.
Adhering to the maintenance
schedule recommended in
your vehicle owner’s manual
can conserve fuel and cut
back on potentially harmful
emissions. Well-maintained
vehicles burn less fuel, as
they don’t force engines and
other components to work
as hard during operation as
vehicles that have not been
taken care of. Replace worn
down or dirty spark plugs,
which misfire and waste fuel,
and fuel and air filters once
they are no longer operating
at peak capacity. Address
any issues that arise with
your vehicle’s emissions sys-
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By comparison, rear-mount
cargo boxes reduce highway
fuel economy by just 2 to 5
percent. If you haul cargo
in your trunk, remove items
when your trip is complete,
as excess, unnecessary
weight in the car will reduce
its fuel efficiency.
2. Slow down.
Driving above the speed
limit is not just dangerous
but potentially harmful to
the environment as well.
According the United States
Department of Energy, each
five miles per hour drivers
drive over 50 miles per hour
is akin to adding an additional $0.14 per gallon for
gas. That’s because driving
above 50 miles per hour is
far less fuel-efficient than
driving below that figure. So
slowing down when posted
speed limits mandate driving
50 miles per hour or slower
is not just safer and more
eco-friendly, it’s better for
your wallet as well.
4. Inspect the gas cap.
Few drivers may think to
examine their gas caps while
filling up at the pump, but
such an inspection may reveal cracks or other damage
that are wasting fuel. When
gas caps are cracked, loose
or damaged, fuel can escape
gas tanks as a vapor, wasting fuel and contributing to
emissions. If the cap is in
need of replacement, consult
your mechanic, the dealer
who sold you your vehicle or
the vehicle manufacturer.
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3. Keep cargo off the roof.
When you must haul cargo, keep that cargo in rearmount cargo boxes or the
backseat or trunk of your car
rather than the roof. Rooftop
cargo boxes make vehicles
less aerodynamic, reducing highway fuel economy
by as much as 17 percent
according to the U.S. DOE.
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