With climate change and global warming issues frequently populating our daily news, there has never been a better time to do our individual parts to help save the planet. There are many steps one can take in order to decrease their individual carbon footprint, one of the easiest is to start with your vehicle. There are many great green cars produced each year by top car manufacturers; however it is possible to lower your emissions without purchasing a new car. This article outlines some simple steps that will result in a more fuel efficient approach to driving.

Step 1- Vehicle Usage

Cars consume more fuel thus producing more CO2 emissions during ignition and short trips. This is due to the catalytic converters, which reduce carbon emissions, being more effective once they have warmed up. Short journeys don’t allow this to happen, so it is best practice to combine short errands and car runs into one larger trip. Even simpler than that, judge whether you journey actually requires you to take a car, walking or cycling will not only save you money of fuel, it will also provide you with a great source of exercise.

Step 2- Driving Consistently

Constantly stopping and re-starting your car produces a large amount of emissions, try to avoid driving at peak times when heavy traffic will ensure start/stop driving. Keeping distance from the car in front, not only increases safety, it will allow you to judge braking making it easier to keep a steady consistent pace. Driving consistently will have a positive effect on the CO2 emissions produced by your vehicle.

Step 3- Speed

As it is illegal you should not be speeding anyway, but it is fact that driving above 70mph will use up to 25% more fuel. Maintain steady speeds whilst driving on motorways, if driving a new car that benefits from cruise control use it, this will help you to control your driving speed and lower the CO2 produced by your vehicle.

Step 4- Minimize Aerodynamic Drag

Aerodynamic drag is the effect caused by reducing the aerodynamics of your vehicle. This can increase CO2 emissions by up to 20%.  Don’t add to the amount of drag caused when driving, additional parts attached to your car such as spoilers, bike racks and roof racks will only increase drag. Think about weight too, your car is for transport not storage, filling your cars boot with unnecessary items will add to the weight and significantly alter your cars performance and carbon emissions.

Step 5- Look after your car!

This final step may sound like an obvious one but is surprising how often it is overlooked. By simply taking good care of your car, through regular maintenance, you can not only reduce your CO2 emissions but also the life expectancy of your vehicle. Take your car for regular checkups and maintenance to ensure that you car is healthy and running smoothly.

By simply following these steps you will be able to live with peace of mind that you are doing your bit to lower your carbon foot print and help save the planet.

Different types of tires have different fuel efficiency characteristics, so when you are shopping for new tires, you many want to keep in mind how Energy Efficient auto tires are. Of course you should keep your tires inflated to their recommended pressure levels. Tires affect vehicle fuel economy mainly through rolling resistance. Bigger tires, rims and wider tires are heavier, less aerodynamic, and create more rolling resistance. Unfortunately no standard on rating efficiency exists. Bills have been introduced to create such a rating.

An interesting publication on Tire Fuel Efficiency states:

“A 10 percent reduction in average rolling resistance, if achieved for the population of vehicles using replacement tires, promises a 1 to 2 percent increase in the fuel economy of these vehicles. About 80 percent of passenger cars and light trucks are equipped with replacement tires. Assuming that the number of miles traveled does not change, a 1 to 2 percent increase in the fuel economy of these vehicles would save about 1 billion to 2 billion gallons of fuel per year of the 130 billion gallons consumed by the entire passenger vehicle fleet. This fuel savings is equivalent to the fuel saved by taking 2 million to 4 million cars and light trucks off the road.”

Consumer Reports provides data on rolling resistance in their tire reviews for fuel efficient tires.

Bridgestone recently introduced ECOPIA tires with lower rolling resistance. These tires use NanoPro-Tech (Nanostructure-Oriented Properties Control Technology) to reduce rolling resistance and energy loss while maintaining wet traction. Ecopia Tires have been tested to have a 36% improvement when it comes to rolling resistance.

Goodyear has the Assurance Fuel Max tire that Helps reduce energy loss as the tire rolls to save 2,600 miles/4,000 kilometers worth of gas over the life of the tire.

Continental makes the well priced, $90 ProContact tire with ECO PLUS + technology. Their ad shows a $423 savings or 154 gallons of gas over the life of the tire.  Consumer Reports reviewed this tire and gave it a high overall score.  It did not sacrifice wet braking performance or tread life in its quest for efficiency.

Look for fuel efficient tires when you need to change your car’s tires. They will not cost much more and will help keep gas bills down.