The argument as to how much oil remains in the ground continues to be debated but no one is arguing about the price of gasoline-- it's going to go up.
1. Clean out your car. Especially your trunk. Extra weight in your car makes your engine work harder and burn more fuel.
2 Use the freeway when possible. Most cars get the best mileage between 30 and 60 miles per hour.
3. Drive steady speeds. Yes, I know traffic makes this difficult but if you slow down a little and maintain a longer following distance you will spend less time on the brake and save gas.
4. Avoid road rage. Driving calmly can increase your mileage by as much as 1/3.
5. Maintain your car. Well maintained cars can get 25 to 50% better mileage than poorly maintained cars.
6. Use the grade of oil recommended by your vehicle manufacturer. Synthetic oils help too. Check your owner's manual.
7. Check your tire pressure often. Keeping your tires inflated to the recommended pressure can contribute to a 3 fuel percent savings, make your tires last longer and save your life . The recommended tire pressure is printed on the side of your tire. Forget the owner's manual when it comes to tire pressure. Why? Because car manufacturers do not make tires and don't know as much about tires as tire manufacturers.
8. For most drivers it is recommended that you use cruise control but some drivers are able to get better mileage without cruise control because they are better at maintaining a steady speed than cruise controls and are willing to allow the car to slow somewhat when going uphill.
9. Many will tell you not to use your air conditioner but on many modern cars the air conditioners run almost all the time-- especially when defrosting and defogging your windows. Turning off the AC might help you get better gas mileage in stop and go driving but on the Interstate the act of rolling down your windows will also cause a significant loss of fuel mileage as the wind gets trapped in your car.
10. Learn and practice hypermiling.
A trip to your local junkyard to pick up a set of smoother wheel covers can help too.
And if by chance you are the type who is into experimentation and prone to keep a close eye on your gauges-- especially your temperature gauge-- a bit of blocking off of the grill openings on the front of your car can make a huge positive difference in fuel mileage. It can be as simple and ugly as duct taping the grill. Duct taping the grill on my '91 Tercel helped me gain 5-10 miles per gallon throughout the last year.
