5 Gas & Money Saving Tips From the Editors of Kelley Blue Book

IRVINE, Calif., March 8 -- Gas prices in the U.S. are climbing steadily with many cities paying well above $2.00 a gallon. As drivers, there is not much we can do other than pay the prices at the pump, or is there? The experienced editors of the trusted vehicle information resource, Kelley Blue Book, offer the following tips to save money and gas:

   1.  If your vehicle does "not" require premium grade gas but you use it
       anyway, it is ok to change to a lower grade to save a few dollars.
       In fact, you may find that you get better fuel economy with a lower
       grade of gasoline.  Try two tanks of each of the lower grades and see
       for yourself.  (If your vehicle requires premium grade gasoline, stay
       with a premium grade.)

   2.  Four tanks of gasoline with "Techron" can clean your fuel injectors
       as well as most professional grade cleaners.  Clean injectors will
       help your vehicle get up to 5 percent better gas mileage.

   3.  Turn off your air conditioning, but don't roll down your windows
       either.  Both create drag on your car, requiring more gas to keep up
       your speed.  It takes about 5 - 8 horsepower to run the air
       conditioning.  Running your air conditioning on a lower setting or
       using the recirculation feature may help.  Of course if it's more
       than 80 degrees outside, you may want to run the air intermittently.

   4.  Check your vehicle's air filter and tire pressure.  A clogged or
       dirty air-filter can slow your vehicle down and use more gasoline.  A
       clean filter will promote less gas waste.  Under-inflated tires could
       also cause excessive drag, slowing the vehicle down and use more gas
       as well as be a safety hazard.

   5.  Accelerate normally from a fully stopped position and avoid flooring
       or stabbing the gas pedal.  The flooring or stabbing action pushes
       more fuel to the engine than is needed to move forward.

And if you are in the market for a more fuel-efficient vehicle, Kelley Blue Book's editors recommend looking at the following vehicles:

   Rank    Make/Model                        City     Hwy

   1       Honda Insight (Hybrid)            60       66
   2       Toyota Prius (Hybrid)             60       51
   3       Honda Civic Hybrid                47       48
   4       VW Jetta Wagon Diesel             38       46
   5       VW Beetle Diesel                  38       46
           VW Golf Diesel                    38       46
           VW Jetta Sedan Diesel             38       46
   6       Honda Civic                       36       44
   7       Toyota Echo                       35       43
   8       Toyota Corolla                    32       40
   9       Scion xA                          32       38
   10      Dodge Neon                        29       36

 For more money saving vehicle tips and information, log on to www.kbb.com.