Go Green and Save Gas

Heather stopped by ABC's "Good Morning America" to show Sam Champion and viewers how to save gas money without shelling out for a new hybrid.

Replacing your old gas guzzler for a new, gas-efficient hybrid car isn’t a practical change for everyone. But there are ways that you can curb your gas consumption in car you already own, which can result in big savings (upwards of $1000/yr.)—not to mention, big benefits for the environment.

Follow these simple tips and start saving cash and trips to the pump.

• Under-inflated tires decrease gas mileage up to 10 %. A motorist who drives an average of 12,000 miles annually on tires that are under-inflated wastes up to 50 gallons of gasoline – almost $200 a year at current prices.
• Experts estimate 66 million vehicles have under-inflated tires, wasting nearly 3 billion gallons of gas a year, a staggering $9.5 billion at today's prices.
• Check tire pressure before you leave the driveway. Pressure increases when the car has been on the road for a while, but then drops when the tires cool down.
• Want to take it one step further? Purchase new tires filled with nitrogen instead of air. Nitrogen is more stable, longer lasting and you can expect up to 30 % better wear so you won't have to check your tires as often. Wanna try? Go Nitro Tires, www.gonitrotire.com

• Change your air filter. A dirty one can cost up to 7% of your gas mileage.
• If you're driving a car that normally gets 20 miles per gallon, a car with a dirty filter gets 18.6 MPG. Over the next 10,000 miles, that's an extra 38 gallons of gas, which with gas at $4 per gallon, costs you around $150.

• Every day Americans waste approximately 4 million gallons of gas idling.
• Idling gets you 0 miles per gallon. After 30 seconds, idling to "warm up" the car only wastes fuel and increases emissions.

• Curb A/C use in stop-and-go traffic. It drags down your fuel economy by 10%-20%.
• On the highway A/C is a good option because open windows increase the drag on your car.
• Park in the shade to lower car temperature.
• Fan speed doesn't affect fuel economy so turn it on to cool down your car.
• Open windows and vents to blow out hot air before you turn on the A/C.
• The "recycle inside air" feature circulates cool inside air instead of pulling in hot air.

• Aggressive driving wastes gas. It lowers your mileage 33% on the highway and 5% in town. Gas mileage decreases above 60 mph. Every 5 mph over 60 mph = paying $0.30 more per gallon.

• Don't drive with unnecessary cargo—even a hood rack increases the drag on your car.