Slobo/Getty Images Have you taken a look at gas prices lately? It's sort of wild out there. In case you missed it, U.S. gas prices have risen above the dreaded $4 mark for the first time since 2022. And that's just the average. In some spots, like Los Angeles, the $6 gallon is a common sight on fuel station signs. It's gotten so bad, in fact, that buying gas is something of a luxury for the rich lately. Before you crush your favorite gas guzzler into a cube, though, there are a few things you can do to improve your average miles per gallon (mpg), like using the correct tire pressure. But preserving every drop of precious gasoline in your tank boils down to more than minding your heavy right foot and correctly inflating your tires. Replacing a dirty or clogged oil filter also can have a positive impact on your vehicle's gas mileage. In addition to that, the type of filter you use can have an impact on your fuel economy. Picking the wrong filter media material can lead to an insufficient contaminant capture rate, leading to contamination that causes the kind of friction and heat that bogs down an engine and kills fuel efficiency. Now, that doesn't mean you have to drop everything and stick to the ludicrous 3,000-mile oil change rule when servicing your car. But it's important to keep up with regular oil changes and pick the right filter for your ride. A squeaky clean new oil filter can keep things running efficiently Nongasimo/Getty Images The oil filter. It's a vital part of your engine's ability to remain lubricated, clean, and operational. It might just look like a little can, but it's so much more. Your oil pump sucks oil up through a pickup tube from an oil pan. The oil circulates, lubricating your engine's many moving parts to combat wear-causing friction and excessive heat. That's where your filter comes in. Inside the cylindrical canister, filter media, or the actual filter part of the assembly, gather dirt, debris, and metal particulates as oil flows through before returning to the engine. Thanks, little filter. That's well and good, but how does your filter impact your fuel economy? Well, like any other filter, the media can become dirty and clogged, restricting the flow of oil. As a result, your engine may need to work harder, and, in turn, use more fuel. The filter media material also has an impact. In cheaper filters, cellulose media provides inconsistent porousness, has fewer pores, and wears faster more premium alternatives. High-performance filters, on the other hand, may have synthetic glass fiber media. Synthetic filter media is more consistent, contains a greater number of pores, and typically has a higher capacity for capturing contaminants than cellulose applications, meaning less likelihood that dirt and debris will get through, cause friction, increase engine effort, and cost you at the pumps. That said, high-performance oil filters typically cost more than cheaper, cellulose filters. For instance, a synthetic media filter from a large name brand can cost close to $20, while a cellulose-material filter could cost less than half as much. A better Beta means a better filter Kckate16/Getty Images So, just how many impurities is your oil filter catching? That's dictated by your filter's Beta ratio, or capture efficiency. For instance, a filter with a Beta(10) rating of 20 is 95% effective at capturing 10-micron particles, but a rating of 4 drops capture efficiency to 75%. As a rule of thumb, the higher the Beta rating, the higher the capture efficiency. And the higher the capture efficiency, the better your fuel economy. Of course, the type of oil you use can affect your fuel economy, too. Choosing to run the right stuff can increase your fuel economy by as much as 2%. Running 10W-30 in an engine with a recommended grade of 5W-30, for instance, can increase friction, leading to an increase in fuel consumption. You can do a few other things, too, in addition to choosing the right filter and media to squeeze the most efficiency out of your fuel. Now, let's face it: not everyone can live harmoniously with a manual-equipped car on a daily basis, shifting gears for better mpg. What you can do, however, is modify your behavior. Believe it or not, aggressive driving can sap your efficiency in stop-and-go traffic by up to 40%. Ease into the throttle, don't stab it like a villain in a slasher film. The same goes for braking. Then an efficient oil filter is the whipped cream on your fuel efficiency sundae.