Green Maintenance for a Durable & Long Lasting Car

Changing your oil about every 3,000 to 5,000 miles is textbook car maintenance. You’re also supposed to rotate your tires, but how can you properly care for your vehicle without boosting your carbon footprint? According to the EPA, a passenger vehicle (2-axle 4-tire vehicles, including passenger cars, vans, pickup trucks, and sport/utility vehicles) will burn about 4.8 metric tons of CO2E each year. That’s a grim number, and minimizing the emissions cars generate through regular maintenance is an environmental issue. How can you minimize driving risks while maximizing fuel efficiency?

Oil

More than a hundred million cars are on the road each year, and a massive number of oil changes keep these vehicles well-lubricated. Not many drivers realize that the oil in your vehicle can be recycled to eliminate the impurities and return it back into a new engine. The Chicago Tribute suggests that 50 million cars could use recycled oil, while antifreeze and other parts may be recycled at an auto shop as well. Oil disposed in the trash or sewer (or left to run down the street) will kill most plant life or animals it comes into contact with, polluting water and soil.

Air Efficiency

Have you ever worried about a car’s engine becoming too hot on a warm summer’s day? You can be sure that the temperature inside the motor exceeds the temperature outside. Motors run to about 200 degrees during normal use. Instead of worrying about hot days, keep your motor from burning too much fuel by changing the air filter. CarCare suggests that a new air filter will boost gas efficiency by 10 percent. The engine can more efficiently cool, rather than using more fuel to keep the performance at an optimal temperature. An air filter also prevents the engine from having to push against particles that make it through the screen.

Tires

Tires do more than inflate with air and push a vehicle into motion. Different tires require different quantities of fuel to get from point A to point B. Tires need to grip onto the road in order to push against the street and create movement, but older, used tires have a poor grip requiring more power and more fuel. A tire will lose the ability to resist a roll by about 20 percent in its lifetime, which makes old tires a safety hazard that drains fuel. Tirebuyer.com provides a tire guide for finding the right tires for your vehicle for all seasons. For example, Nexen tires have performance categories including all-terrain/off-roads, all-season and high-performance tires. Changing tires for the seasons helps you burn less gas as you roll over snowbanks in winter. And you’ll steadily cruise along clear streets in the summer without the drag of all-weather tires.

About The Author

Todd Bigelow

Todd restored his first muscle car – a 1968 Pontiac Firebird Coupe – when he was in high school. Now he’s a high school science teacher who writes about cars on the weekends.