Ways to improve fuel efficiency
ARE you looking for ways to get the best gas mileage possible for your vehicle?
There are ways to improve and boost the overall fuel-efficiency of your car. According to website whatcar.com, there are tips and learn how to save money at the pumps, permanently.
1. Remove weight
Remove excess weight. Take unnecessary bulky items out of the car, such as that shovel you put in the boot to clear snow in winter. Also, if the kids are staying at home, so can their buggy.
2. Reduce drag
Remove external carrying kit such as roof boxes or bike racks whenever they aren’t being used. The car has to work harder to cut through the air due to the extra wind resistance such items create.
3. Basic maintenance
Keep your car well maintained and serviced regularly. Pump up your tyres to reduce resistance and get the car serviced regularly.
4. Plan journeys
Plan your journey. Avoid traffic black spots and busy times if possible, and get the map or sat-nav out to avoid getting lost and driving farther than necessary.
5. Turn off air conditioning
Unless it’s really cold or uncomfortably warm in the car, leave the air-con turned off. Using it can put a strain on the engine and burn more fuel, especially at low speeds. The same goes for heated windscreens, demisters and other electrical appliances.
6. Change up early
Be gentle and change gear early. Accelerate and brake gently, and change to a higher gear as soon as possible. As a general guide, change up before 2000rpm in a diesel and 2500rpm in a petrol, without letting the engine struggle at low revs.
7. Use engine stop/start
Lots of modern cars are fitted with engine stopstart technology, which can be great if you let it work properly. Sit with your foot on the clutch and the engine will continue to burn fuel; take it off and you’ll save money and fuel.
8. Obey speed limits
Stick to the speed limits. What Car? research shows that doing 80mph uses up to 25 per cent more fuel than doing 70mph.
9. Read the road
Use gravity to your advantage and build up momentum when going downhill to help you then get uphill, rather than accelerating more to get up the incline. The best way to do this is to read the road as if you were on a pushbike and accelerate accordingly.
10. Use gravity
Look far ahead while driving and keep moving where possible by anticipating obstacles. Easing off the accelerator and keeping momentum is better than speeding up, braking and then starting all over again.