Top 10 Tips to Reduce Fuel Consumption
1)Drive in the right gear
Driving in a gear lower than you need wastes fuel, and letting the engine labour in top gear on hills and corners is also wasteful. In a manual vehicle, change up gears as soon as the car is comfortable with the higher gear but without accelerating harder than necessary.
Automatic transmissions will shift up more quickly and smoothly if you ease back slightly on the accelerator once the car gathers momentum. Avoid the use of power options which drop the car into a lower gear and therefore use more fuel.
2)Avoid idling.
When you do need to drive your car, make sure you avoid idling whenever possible. When your car is running, but not moving, your gas mileage is absolute zero. So if your car will remain stationary for more than a minute or so, switch the engine off. However, only do this when it is safe to do.
3)Accelerate and break steadily.
While driving, always apply steady and consistent pressure to your car’s accelerator pedal. A heavy foot will always result in reduced gas mileage and poor fuel consumption
4)Make sure the gas cap is on tight.
One reason you may not be getting the mileage you expect is because there isn’t as much gas in your tank as you think. 147 million gallons of gas were lost last year due to evaporation. Why did it evaporate? The gas cap was not on tight. So just make sure it is tight, and it will enable you to keep all the gas you pay for
5)Avoid “revving” the engine.
Especially just before you switch the engine off; this wastes fuel needlessly and washes oil down from inside the cylinder walls. This is really bad thing for the next start up, as the cylinder walls will be dry.
6)Avoid rough roads whenever possible.
Dirt or gravel can rob you of up to 30 per cent of your gas mileage. Every time the wheels bounce up and down, forward motion energy is removed from the vehicle. The best way I can describe this is to experience driving on a “washboard” road. Not only is it very uncomfortable, the vehicle will actually slow down from the transfer of energy – and you thought physics classes would have no application later in life! This causes the driver to apply more throttle – wasted fuel.
7)Don’t Speed
Fuel consumption increases significantly over about 90 km/h. At 110 km/h your car uses up to 25 per cent more fuel than it would cruising at 90 km/h. If your car is fitted with cruise control, using it during highway driving will help to maintain a steadier speed, which will save fuel.
8)Minimise aerodynamic drag
Additional parts on the exterior of a vehicle such as roof racks and spoilers, or having the window open, increases air resistance and fuel consumption, in some cases by over 20 per cent at higher speeds. Take off roof and bike racks when not in use. If you have to use roof racks, load them carefully to help minimise wind resistance or use a streamlined roof box.
9)Look after your vehicle’s tyres
Inflate your vehicle’s tyres to the highest pressure recommended by the manufacture and make sure your wheels are properly aligned. Looking after your tyres will not only reduce your fuel consumption it will also extend tyre life and improve handling.
10)Be weight-conscious.
Don’t carry around items you don’t need. For every 100 pounds of weight in your vehicle, fuel economy decreases by one to two percent. Also, reduce drag by putting bulky items inside the vehicle or trunk instead of on a roof rack.