10 Ways to Stretch Your Tank of Gas

I'm totally guilty of not doing this, but did you know that if you've got a clogged air filter, you're forcing your engine to gasp for air? Yeah, that's bad. What's worse is that it means you're probably running on more gas and less air. So what's the solution? Replace your air filter.

I remember when I was a teen and my dad gave me a case of oil for Christmas. True story. I was so furious, but my dad was right when he said that dirty oil means the engine isn't running as efficient as it could be. If it's been a while since you had your oil changed, make sure you get it done and then continue to do it regularly.

Here's something that a lot of people don't know- if your fan belt is too tight, your engine will work too hard. But how do you know if your belt is too tight? When you apply pressure to it with your finger, it should give a little. If it doesn't, stop by a local garage and ask them to do it for you (it should only take a minute).

Worn out spark plugs can cost you as much as 2 mpg per trip. Enough said.

You've been told that the more weight you have in your car, the more it’ll cost to run it.

I'm a big lover of air conditioning and my ac is my favorite companion, especially on those hot and humid days, but running the air conditioner uses a lot of gas, so you should turn it off as often as you can.

Believe it or not, using cruise control can save gas. If you travel out on the open road a lot, staying at a constant speed will help you save fuel.

When you're planning your trip, try to leave as early as you can when there isn't much traffic so that you don't have to stop and start. Oh, and if you need to stop for food, try to do when traffic is heavy so that you're not sitting in traffic and wasting gas.

Avoid revving your engine and then quickly shutting it off because it wastes gas. What it also does is pump raw gas into the cylinder walls which can wash away a film of oil that protects the cylinders and that will increase the wear on your engine.

Tires without enough air pressure can be a big gas sucker.