Posts Tagged ‘saving petrol’
Drive more sensibly and save on petrol
Most of us have to keep an eye on our outgoings nowadays and one major expense is running our cars. The price of petrol seems to be forever going up and so there are a few rules we can follow to help save on fuel.
One thing a lot of us are guilty of is putting our foot down when we accelerate. If you drive an automatic it is best to accelerate at a fairly moderate speed in order to give the transmission time to move to the higher gears. Also if you accelerate away and brake right away this is a big waste of fuel.
One good way to save fuel is simply reduce your speed. As speed increases the fuel decreases!
Under inflated tyres are often overlooked. If they are not at the correct pressure they will need to use more petrol to keep the car moving. Get yourself a good tyre gauge and check the tyres at least once a month. One tip is to check them when they are cold because driving the car will warm up the tyres and also the air inside which increases pressure and gives a falsely high reading.
Check your air filter, a dirty one will restrict the flow of air to the engine which will affect performance and also economy.
New wheels and tyres may look really good and they can even improve the way that a car handles, but if they are wider they could create more resistance and increase fuel consumption. So it is worth thinking about keeping the old tyres for long road trips which will give you a far smoother ride and far better economy.
If you are thinking of changing your car then maybe this will be the ideal time to downsize a little. Nissan and Toyota are two of the leading manufacturers who have developed highly fuel efficient cars.
This may not seem obvious, but take a look in your car and give it a bit of a spring clean. We are all often guilty of hoarding rubbish in our cars and its surprising how this extra baggage mounts up in weight. The more weight that is in the car the more fuel is burnt.
Finally, more than likely not a very popular thing to say, but whenever possible why not simply walk?!!