With petrol prices spiraling
ever upwards here are some handy tip that could improve your fuel
economy by up to 30%. One single fact controls most aspects of fuel
economy:- The lower the engine revs, the lower the fuel consumption.
Stay in top gear:
Try to get into as high a gear as quickly as possible, without labouring
the engine. In top gear, the engine revs are less than they would
be for the same speed in any other gear.
Accelerate slower:
This is probably the best way to save fuel. Remember to try to try
to get to top gear as quickly as possible. It may be possible to double
shift up. e.g. go from second to fourth.
Reduce speed:
Travelling at 75 mph on a motorway compared to 65 mph could mean a
saving of around 15% on fuel. Up to 60 mph fuel use stays reasonably
constant, over 60 mph and fuel economy starts to fall dramatically.
Constant speed.
Statistics show that driving at a constant speed reduces fuel usage.
So travelling on motorways is often more efficient than driving around
town. (Have a look at the fuel consumption figures published for your
car). In town try to maintain a constant speed by cruising up to cars
in the queue in front or to red lights - who knows, the car may have
moved or the light might have changed by the time you get there.
Avoid sharp breaking:
As mentioned above constant speed is best. If you can slow down
earlier by taking your foot of the accelerator rather than whizzing
up to a red light/back of a queue and then breaking sharply fuel will
be saved.
Turn off air conditioning and keep windows
up: Air conditioning turned on can add 10% or more to the
cost of the fuel you use, if you must use it, try to keep the temperature
comfortable rather than Arctic. Opening windows increases the aerodynamic
drag of the car, but is probably less costly than air conditioning.
Cut weight: More weight increases
the fuel usage during acceleration. Remove unnecessary weight from
your boot - we don't mean the spare tyre! Roof racks / roof boxes
as well as adding weight increase the aerodynamic drag of the car,
reducing fuel economy further.
Idling: If you are stuck in a
queue that probably won't be going anywhere in the next minute and
you don't have problems starting your car, why not turn the engine
off.