Stretch your gasoline dollars

Camarillo Car Care has created two calculators to figure out how far one dollar's worth of gas will go.

The first calculator figures out miles per dollar, and the second calculator figures the cost of a trip.

Access the calculators at www.camarillocarcare.com/ gas_mileage_calculators.htm.

Camarillo Car Care also offers these tips on how to help one's gas dollars go as far as they can:

•Maintain proper air pressure in tires: A car has to work harder when its tires have low air pressure. When it works harder to go the same distance it uses more gas. Proper tire pressure can improve mileage by up to 3 percent.

•Regularly check and replace dirty air filters: An air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust and bugs chokes off the air and creates a "rich" fuel mixture. This means too much fuel is burned for the amount of air. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10 percent.

•Keep the engine properly tuned: A welltuned engine delivers the best balance of power and fuel economy. Having tuneup components such as spark plugs, wires and fuel filter replaced when needed can improve gas mileage by as much as 4 percent.

•Don't be an aggressive driver: Aggressive driving can lower gas mileage by as much as 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent on city streets.

•Avoid excessive idling: Sitting idle gets zero miles per gallon. Letting the vehicle warm up for one to two minutes is sufficient.

•Observe the speed limit: Gas mileage decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 miles per hour. To maintain a constant speed on the highway, cruise control is recommended.

•Combine errands into one trip: Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance.

•Avoid carrying unneeded heavy items in the trunk: An extra 100 pounds can cut fuel efficiency by a percent or two.