Journal: Stretch your mileage and save up to $1.46 per gallon!

High gas prices are taking a bite out of everyone's budget. But a few changes in the way you drive, can help you squeeze more mileage out of every gallon you use. Here are a few suggestions to get you started.

Keep your tires properly inflated
Properly inflated tires improve gas mileage by 3% and equivalent gas savings-up to $o.o9 per gallon.

Keep the engine tuned
Fixing a vehicle that is noticeably out of tune or has failed an emissions test can improve it's mileage by an average of 4%. Equivalent gas savings up to $0.12 per gallon.

Replace dirty air filter
Your vehicle's air filter keeps impurities from damaging your engine and replacing a dirty air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10%. Equivalent gas savings up to $0.29 per gallon.

Drive sensibly
Observe your speed limit. Generally, each 5 mph you drive over 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.20 per gallon for gas. Equivalent gas savings up to $$0.67 per gallon. Speeding, rapid acceleration and panic braking can lower gas mileage by 33% at highway speed and 5% around town. Equivalent gas savings up to $0.96 per gallon.

Use cruise control
Using cruise control on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas.

Avoid excessive idling
Idling gets 0 miles per gallon. Cars with larger engines typically waste more gas at idle than do cars with smaller engines.

Remove excess weight
Avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in your vehicle could reduce your MPG by up to 2%. The reduction is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight and affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.

Note:savings are based on an assumed fuel price of $3.51-$3.61/gallon.