What is the best way to get the optimum gas mileage on a roadtrip?

I am driving around 3,000 miles on a road trip from Texas, through New Mexico and Arizona to Nevada. Are there any gas saving tips? I know it's mostly highway mileage, but anything I can do to make my fuel use more efficient?What is the best way to get the optimum gas mileage on a roadtrip?
Well with the winds that are blowing in this area right now. You might want to put a sail on it.
Change your cars oil before starting the trip, have the front end aligned and tires aired up, then keep at a constant speed, if possible, by setting the cruise control and leave it. If your air filter has not been changed lately, have it changed at the same time the oil is changed, and after all that, just have a good time!What is the best way to get the optimum gas mileage on a roadtrip?
You could draft, but that's usually frowned upon. Keep your windows up and AC on - rolling the windows down creates drag which robs fuel mileage. Maintain a consistent speed. Don't accelerate rapidly. Avoid stop %26amp; go traffic. Don't go much over 70. 55 is thought to be the most economical speed. Be prepared for a lot of fingers though.
Make sure your car has a tune up before you leave %26amp; drive the speed limit.What is the best way to get the optimum gas mileage on a roadtrip?
keep the car as light as possible. inflate tires to maximum pressure because you loose mpg with under inflated tires. keep windows up, less air drag. get a fresh oil change of proper viscosity because old oil actually has viscosity breakdown and cause the engine to work harder.
change the oil, new air filter, new plugs if you havent done that in a while. depending on what size engine you have, small 4 cyl. get better mileage at lower speeds and V-8's tend to get better mileage the faster you go up to a certain point. its all about keeping your engine in its torque range. you'll get good mileage as long as you dont have your foot down.



EX. my intrepid had a 3.2 V-6 and it would get almost 30 mpg at around 65-75 mph.
Make sure the car is in tip-top condition. Change the sparkplus, air filter, and be certain that the air pressure in your tires is correct and sufficient.



While driving, maintain an even speed (use cruise control, if your car is so equipped), avoid traffic jams and keep your speed at the limit. Try to avoid putting anything on top of or behind the car (which will provide better aerodynamics) (no sli-racks, bicycle rack, trailer, or roof rack). Try to keep the windows rolled up (use air conditioning, set at recycle rather than drawing in fresh air), and coast while going downhill, since that's the way the Shell Oil Mileage people attain maximum mileage.



Have a good and safe road trip!
First, change you oil and air filter - your spark plugs should be fine, unless they're due to be changed.



Make sure your tyres are at the vehicle manufacturer's recommended pressure - not the max pressure listed on the tyre (the correct pressure is found on a sticker, usually in the driver's side door jamb, but it could be in any door jamb, under the hood, or even on the underneath of the trunk lid. And make sure your spare is pumped up, too.) If you're planning to do a lot of expressway driving, give them an extra 2 lb of pressure - no more. Any higher than this will reduce gas usage, but will wear the tyres out MUCH faster - they could be bald before the trip is over. Saving $20 on gas isn't worth the $400+ usually needed to buy new tyres.



Keep your windows up and use the A/C, since it uses less power than the drag caused by open windows - unless driving less than 35 mph, when the drag of open windows is usually lower than the fuel used by the A/C.



Use your cruise control, and read the road ahead. If you see a slower vehicle ahead, find a gap in the traffic and change lanes in advance so you don't have to slow down. Don't wait until you catch up to them and have to slow down aned then accelerate back up to speed again. The less you touch the brakes, the more gas you save. If you don't have cruise, keep your right foot smooth and gentle. Don't accelerate suddenly or brake quickly if you can avoid it.



If your car is stick shift, keep it in 5th whenever you can. Cars use less gas in top gear - even when your foot is on the floor! - than in a lower gear with less throttle.



Keep your speed around 65 to 70 on the expressway - most cars are quite efficient at these speeds, and driving too slow can be as dangerous as driving too fast. (I once drove 780 miles, at 70 and 85 mph (occasionally getting to 100 for fun!) in a Ford Focus, and still averaged 35 mpg for the trip.