Show Breaking the bank Jaron Briggs Contrib Contributing ing Writer V f Temperatures on the rise are a signal that spring is here Gas prices are also rising due to springs spring's arrival Higher gas prices will require college students to stretch their budget further Gas prices are averaging a gallon nationwide and are still rising There are steps college students can take to reduce impact of higher fuel prices or to just be frugal in general is driving more efficiently Dale Aramaki a car mechanic at Uptown Service Station offered some gas saving tips The UThe first can do dois dois dois is start observing the speed limit he hc said aid Driving aggressively speeding or rapid acceleration produces poor gas mileage Aramaki also explained that these poor driving habits can reduce your gas mileage by up to 33 percent on the highway and fewer than five percent around town While each vehicle reaches its top fuel efficiently at different speeds gas mileage decreases quickly above 60 miles per hour For Forthe Forthe Forthe the average car every five miles per hour over 60 is the equivalent of paying five cents more per gallon Aramaki also urged drivers to keep an eye cye on fuel filters and replace them when the owners owner's manual suggested If the filter is clogged it makes the fuel pump work harder and become less efficient Aramaki also recommended using the best fuel grade for your car carand carand carand and to never go below what is recommended for your vehicle tip is to also keep excess weight out of your Peter Torres also an Uptown Service Station Mechanic Unnecessary weight obviously will affect gas mileage In a recent study conducted by the US U.S. Department of energy an f c cj j ji Photo by Rob With gas prices rising students arc are encouraged to drive more efficiently Poor driving habits can reduce gas milc mileage gc by up to 33 percent extra will reduce the miles per gallon by two percent The study also showed that this reduction is relative to the vehicles vehicle's weight and has a greater affect on smaller cars Torres suggested reviewing the vehicles vehicle's owner manual when it itc c comes comes mes to changing oil With engines becoming so efficient with today's cars Gas Prices Continued on page 8 Rising Gas Prices Continued from page 1 sometimes the owners owner's manual will recommend changing your oil every miles instead of every said Torres Torres Tones also advised to watch how much air conditioning is used though he admitted that keeping windows rolled down may not help save gas either i According to recent study conducted by Edmunds com corn drivers who refused to use air and keep the windows rolled down contributed to aerodynamic drag of the car which reduced the mil miles s per gallon The study found no significant difference between keeping windows rolled down or using air conditioning and recommended doing what feels most comfortable Edmunds also suggested keeping tire pressure at proper levels and avoiding excess idling when possible Though these gas saving tips may not immediately show significant savings Aramaki said that the best way to keep from having your car become to expensive is preventative maintenance Taking caring of your car will always save you money in the long run he said L |