Drive Green This Spring

With the weather warming up, drivers everywhere are eager to hit the road.

But before you plan your next road trip, Firestone Complete Auto Care has some tips that will not only help the environment, but also keep vehicles running newer, longer.
Firestone Complete Auto Care recommends the following:

  • Check that your tires are properly inflated according to the vehicle’s specifications. Over-inflating tires by even a pound or two might improve fuel mileage in the short run, but
    over-inflation causes tires to wear prematurely. The money you save in fuel is less than what you would pay to replace the tires. Also, underinflated tires require more energy to
    rotate, thus producing more air pollution and greenhouse gases. For optimal fuel economy, and better air quality, inflate your tires to the vehicle’s specifications.

  • Have your vehicle’s wheel alignment checked annually, and have your tires rotated and balanced according to your vehicle’s recommended maintenance schedule. Anything you
    can do to help your tires roll smoothly will result in improved fuel mileage.

  • Extra weight in your vehicle causes your engine to work harder, resulting in lower fuel mileage. If you have a trunk full of junk, empty it out for better fuel economy.

  • Roll the windows up and remove any rooftop cargo carriers or ski/bike racks. Your vehicle’s aerodynamics will be more streamlined, the drag will be reduced, and you’ll get better
    mileage.

  • Buy the right octane. Look in your vehicle’s owner’s manual for the correct octane level for your vehicle’s engine. Odds are that it will be regular unleaded. Less than 5 percent of the
    vehicles on the road require the use of premium fuel, yet more than 20 percent of all the fuel sold in the United States is premium. Your vehicle will run just fine on regular if that’s what
    your manual recommends, and it costs you less.

    Along with helping customers improve fuel efficiency and decrease emissions, BSRO’s dedicated teammates recycle approximately 85 percent of all the solid waste materials
    generated at store locations. These waste materials include used antifreeze, used automotive batteries, used oil filters, used refrigerants and used motor oil. Furthermore, do-it-yourselfers
    can also drop off used oil at all BSRO company-owned stores to be recycled at no cost to the customer. Additionally, 98 percent of the scrap tires collected at store locations are delivered to
    beneficial end-use markets including playground and landscaping mulch, rubberized asphalt for road construction, crumb rubber molded products, and tire-derived fuel. The remaining
    materials are legally disposed to protect the environment.

    BSRO owns and operates more than 2,100 tire and vehicle service centers nationwide, including Firestone Complete Auto Care, Tires Plus™, ExpertTire™ and Wheel Works.