Toyota of Orlando's Tips for Fuel Economy
With gas prices steadily rising, maximizing fuel efficiency is definitely a concern of almost every driver in Central Florida. Toyota of Orlando wants to help our customers get the best fuel economy possible, and we're here to help you figure out how to do just that!
If you're in the market for a new vehicle, consider the Orlando Toyota Hybrid. Hybrid cars in Central Florida not only cut down on harmful emissions; they also help to maximize fuel economy by utilizing an electric motor in addition to a gasoline engine. Toyota of Orlando hosts the Toyota Prius in Central Florida, along with the Toyota Prius c and Prius v. Our Toyota dealership in Central Florida is also happy to provide drivers with the more class options of the Orlando Toyota Camry Hybrid and Highlander Hybrid!
If purchasing a new vehicle isn't in the cards, we have tips to help you make the most of your fuel and drive as efficiently as possible! These recommendations come from Consumer Guide, a renowned source of automotive information in our industry. At Toyota of Orlando, we approach fuel efficiency in a three-pronged strategy:
- Alter your driving style
- Maintain your vehicle
- Modify your driving mentality
When you combine all three approaches, you can easily maximize fuel efficiency and get the biggest bang for your buck at the gas pump!
Alter Your Driving Style
At our Toyota dealership in Central Florida, we know how hectic life can be. Sometimes you feel like you have to drive fast to get where you're going as quickly as you can - after all, time is precious. However, putting the pedal to the medal can actually put a damper on your fuel economy! Toyota of Orlando's advice? Slow down - even if you cut your highway speed from 70mph to 60mph, you'll wind up saving 2-4 mpg over the duration of your journey!
Contrastingly, don't warm up your car for more than thirty seconds. Take our word for it; we know it's difficult in colder climates, but in Central Florida it's less of an issue. Additionally, most new Toyota models and other makes only need about thirty seconds to truly warm up. Another tip from Toyota of Orlando? Keep your windows up! When you're driving around with your windows down, you're creating more drag on the car, especially on the highway. This decreases your fuel economy - it can even decrease it as much as 10% on the highway!
Maintain Your Vehicle
Maintaining your vehicle is vital to it leading a long and healthy life, but did you know that it can also help improve fuel economy? At Toyota of Orlando, we know this from experience. That's why we're proud of our state-of-the-art Service Center in Central Florida, which provides service and maintenance to our valued customers... along with excellent Orlando service specials! For better fuel efficiency, we recommend that you make sure to regularly:
- Check your tire pressure - the proper pressure can improve fuel economy as much as 3%
- Get your air filter checked - replacing a dirty filter can improve fuel economy up to 10%
- Don't forget your routine maintenance! Ensure your car is running in top-notch condition at all times - it makes a BIG difference.
- Make sure you're fueling up with the right gas - your owner's manual should be able to fill you in on the correct type. And don't bother purchasing higher than what's recommended. It's just more expensive, and if your vehicle takes regular fuel it won't make a difference.
- Clean out your trunk! The less weight you're carting around, the better fuel economy!
- Get oil changes regularly - and use the right type of oil!
Modify Your Driving Mentality
At our Toyota Service Center in Central Florida, we're all about saving our valued Orlando Toyota money whenever we can, which is why we highly recommend the third prong of our approach - modify your mentality. Condense your trips - run all your errands at once, walk more often, carpool, or ride a bike to save gas! Additionally, here's a little-know tip - fuel is denser in the cold, so if you gas up on a cool morning, you get more gas for your money!
If you take all of the above steps, you may see improvements on your fuel economy up to 10-15% - which will have a HUGE impact on your wallet! Here's a little example from our Orlando Toyota dealership to give you some solid numbers with which to work:
Let's say you get 16mpg in your current vehicle. If you follow the above recommendations, you could possible improve fuel efficiency by 15%. What does this equal out to over a year (or 12,000 miles)? You'll up your mpg to 17.6 and save about $200!
What are you waiting for? Come down to Toyota of Orlando in Central Florida today to learn more from our highly skilled Service Technicians on maximizing your fuel economy? or take one of our hybrid cars in Central Florida for a test drive!