10 Eco-Driving Tips for Everyone

1. Slow down and watch speed – Drive 55 miles per hour instead of 65 to save fuel. EPA estimates a 10-15 percent improvement in fuel economy by following this tip. Also, aim for a constant speed. Pumping the accelerator sends more fuel into the engine. Using cruise control whenever possible on the highway helps maintain speeds and conserve fuel.
2. Accelerate and brake smoothly – Accelerating smoothly from a stop and braking softly conserves fuel. Fast starts, weaving in and out of traffic and hard braking wastes fuel and wears out some of the car components, such as brakes and tires, more quickly. Maintain a safe distance between vehicles and anticipate traffic conditions to allow for more time to brake and accelerate gradually.
3. No idling – Today’s engines don’t need a warm up. Start the car immediately and gently drive away. Don’t leave your car idling. Prolonged idling increases emissions and wastes fuel. Turn the engine off in non-traffic situations, such as at bank and fast food drive-up windows, when idling more than 30 seconds.
4. Check your tires – Keep tires properly inflated to the recommended tire pressure. This alone can reduce the average amount of fuel use by 3-4 percent. Under-inflated tires increase rolling resistance and reduce fuel economy. They also wear more rapidly. Check the vehicle’s door-post sticker for minimum cold tire inflation pressure.
5. Be kind to your vehicle – Maintain proper engine tune-up to keep vehicles running efficiently. Keep the wheels aligned. Wheels that are fighting each other waste fuel. Replace air filters as recommended. Use a fuel with good detergent additives to keep the vehicle engine clean and performing efficiently. Always consult the Owner’s Manual for proper maintenance.
6. Travel light – Avoid piling a lot of luggage on the roof rack. The added frontal area reduces aerodynamics and will hurt fuel economy, reducing it by as much as 5 percent. Remove excess weight from the vehicle. Unnecessary weight, such as unneeded items in the trunk, makes the engine work harder and consumes more fuel.
7. Minimize use of heater and air conditioning – Use heating and air conditioning selectively to reduce the load on the engine. Decreasing your usage of the air conditioner when temperatures are above 80 degrees can help you save 10-15 percent of fuel. Use the vent setting as much as possible. Park in the shade to keep car cool and reduce the need for air conditioning.
8. Close windows at high speeds – Don’t drive with the windows open unless your keep your speed under 50 mph.  Driving with the windows open at highway speeds increases aerodynamic drag on the vehicle and lowers fuel economy.
9. Choose the right oil – Use good quality oils with the viscosity grade recommended in the owner guide. Ford recommends SAE 5W-20 oil for most cars and trucks to provide the best fuel economy. Only oils “certified for gasoline engines” by the American Petroleum Institute (API) with the starburst symbol should be used.
10. Consolidate trips – Plan ahead to consolidate your trips. This will enable you to bypass congested routes, lead to less idling, fewer start-ups and less stop-and-go traffic. Whenever feasible, share a ride and/or carpool.

Ford ties Honda, Toyota in initial quality survey

Bryce G. Hoffman / The Detroit News

Ford Motor Co. is in a dead heat with Japan's Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor Co. in terms of initial vehicle quality, according to a study the automaker is expected to release Monday.The report is based on an annual survey of thousands of new vehicle owners conducted for Ford by the RDA Group, a market research firm based in Bloomfield Hills. The study looked at 2008 model cars and trucks from all full-line manufacturers. Drivers were asked to list any problems they had encountered during their first 90 days of ownership.RDA has been conducting the annual survey for Ford since the late 1990s. The marketing firm conducts similar studies for other automakers, and its findings have historically hewed close to those of the closely-watched annual initial quality survey independently conducted by J.D. Power and Associates.Previous year's studies have shown Ford narrowing the quality gap with Japanese automakers. This year's report found that Ford is now in a statistical dead-heat with Japan's leading carmakers, according to a source who had reviewed the numbers.Ford confirmed the existence of the report, but would not discuss its findings.Ford plans to tout its quality gains in a new marketing campaign that will launch Tuesday night with advertisements on Fox's popular "American Idol." The ads will use real Ford employees and consumers to pitch Blue Oval cars and trucks.The shape of things to come was revealed on a new Web site, www.driveoneford.com, which went live on Thursday.

Ford has not publicly announced the new site, but revealed it to employees and dealers Thursday."For several months now, the Ford team in the U.S. has been working on new ways to tell the story of our strong product lineup, improved quality, and our accomplishments in safety, fuel economy and technology," said Ford spokesman Jim Cain. "We're very close to finishing the first phase of work, so we felt the time was right to give our employees and dealers an update on the project, which will include new advertising with the theme 'Drive one' and other initiatives which will help introduce more consumers to Ford vehicles."The multimedia-heavy Web site focuses on the four pillars of Ford's new marketing strategy: "Drive quality," "Drive green," "Drive safe" and "Drive smart." They are designed to highlight the automaker's quality gains, environmentally friendly technologies, safety features of its vehicles and technologies like Sync, the voice-activated computer system it designed with Microsoft Corp.Ford also is incorporating more direct marketing tactics into its new campaign. It is organizing more than 1,100 "viewing parties" at customers' homes across the nation in conjunction with Oprah Winfrey's "Big Give" television show on Sunday.Ford party hosts will work with their guests to come up with a charitable program for their community and will also introduce their friends to their new Ford vehicle in at-home test drives. Ford will pick one idea and give that group $25,000 to implement it.