Engines, the Environment & You: 8 Ways To Be a Greener Driver

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Lots of drivers are seeking a “green” machine nowadays.[/caption]Used to be that a lean, mean driving machine was the holy grail for an increasing number of American motorists.Nowadays, however, you’re likely to instead find lots of drivers seeking a “green” machine that adheres to the reuse-repurpose-recycle motto rather than the commandment: “On your mark, get set, GO.”Economic and environmental concerns have intertwined into a unified concern for many drivers. Despite the temptation of the wall outlet, going the electric-car or hybrid route aren’t the only ways to save a few bucks and safeguard the environment. Plenty of methods exist for conventional vehicle owners to “go green,” an approach intrinsically tied to fuel economy.Here are some of our favorite ways at Auto Lab in Libertyville to reduce your vehicle’s “carbon tire print”:

1. Lighten the Load. Less weight yields better mileage, so only keep in your vehicle what’s absolutely necessary.
2. Stay Within the Limit. MPG drops drastically once you exceed 55 mph.
3. Don’t Punch It. Sudden accelerations and a rev-and-brake driving style rob your vehicle of gas mileage.
4. Cut Down on the Warm Up. Like the DeSoto, long engine warm-ups are the stuff of yesteryear. Today’s vehicles don’t require them. Avoid excessive idling, too. Turn off your engine while waiting in your car for family or friends.
5. Map it Out. Eliminate unneeded driving by creating a multi-stop plan that doesn’t back track.
6. Tune Your Engine. A plugged fuel injector or a single fouled spark plug can cause fuel efficiency to dip by up to 30 percent.
7. Properly Inflate Tires. Make sure wheels are aligned and tires are sufficiently inflated. Compromising either forces the engine to work harder, thereby wasting fuel. Also, properly maintained tires last longer, reducing excessive waste from piles of discarded tires that should have lasted for many more miles.
8. Filter It. Air filters past their “expiration date” are a drain on your car and the environment. Filters rife with dust, dirt and other debris cause an engine to lose power by choking the air flow. You’ll also enjoy the improved acceleration and performance your vehicle exhibits with a clean air filter.

Being green isn’t all up to you, our customers, either. We’ve taken steps in our business practices to minimize our carbon footprint. You can learn more about how Auto Lab is working toward a better world starting right here in Libertyville, Vernon Hills, Lake Forest, Mundelein and Lake Bluff, by reading our article, Auto Lab’s ‘green’ efforts are good for your wallet and the Earth.