You really can control your fuel economy

Sooner or later this year, a price increase at the fuel pumps is coming. Whether it’s the result of carbon taxing/pricing or some international crisis, we’re going to feel it in the wallet. And our current and growing love affair with SUVs, crossovers and trucks isn’t going to make things any easier. There are many things that drivers can do to improve their ride’s fuel economy and we’ve covered them here before. We’ve talked about vehicle maintenance, keeping tire pressures correct, lowering our driving speeds, removing unneeded trunk gear to save weight and the list goes on. The biggest problem with all these valuable tips is that each one of them improves our fuel tanks’ ranges by only a small percentage. Running tires at a few pounds below spec for example, increases your fuel expenses only slightly. But add everything together and your fuel savings can be substantial. When comparing one fuel-saving idea against another, there really is a single magic bullet and it will deliver amazing results, regardless of what type of engine is under your hood or how many speeds your transmission has. It’s how you accelerate. When any type of fuel-injected (or carbureted) automotive engine is under open-throttle conditions, a whole host of things conspire to rob fuel efficiency. Ignition timing is advanced, fuel injectors go to longer spray durations. And if you’re concerned about the environment, you should know that emission controls go offline completely on wide-open throttle applications. Controlling your urge to floor it can make a major difference in your fuel bills. Safety should never be sacrificed, no matter how much you want to pinch fuel pennies. When merging onto busy highways or making safe turns in intersections, the amount of throttle you apply shouldn’t come into the equation. But there are plenty of times during our commutes or road treks when we can ease off the pedal and reap the rewards. It’s as simple as starting off by avoiding full-throttle applications whenever possible and then graduating to stopping the pedal drop to halfway and even less. It means keeping a closer eye on surrounding traffic to avoid getting in someone’s way and learning how to read the road and traffic ahead (skills that every driver should master anyway). Take the challenge. Complete a fuel-economy test on the next fill up and then try a tank’s worth of driving with as few full-throttle stabs as possible. You will see results unless you’re already a perfect driver.