Mar
9
Drive more sensibly and save on petrol
Filed Under General
Most of us have to keep an eye on our outgoings nowadays and one fairly major expense is the running of our cars. The price of petrol seems to be going up and so there are a few rules we can all follow to help save on fuel.
A thing a lot of us are guilty of at times 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 then this is a big waste of fuel.
A good way to save fuel is by simply reducing your speed. As speed increases the fuel decreases!
Under inflated tyres are often overlooked. If they are not set 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 once every 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 giving a falsely high reading.
Check your air filter because a dirty one will restrict the normal flow of air to the engine which will affect performance and also economy.
New wheels and tyres may look really good and they can improve the way that a car handles, but if they are wider they could create more resistance and even increase fuel consumption. So it is maybe worth considering 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 is the ideal time to downsize a bit. Nissan and Toyota are two of the leading manufacturers who have developed highly fuel efficient cars.
This may not seem relevant, but take a look inside your car and give it a bit of a spring clean. We are all often guilty of collecting rubbish in our cars and its surprising how this extra baggage mounts up in the terms of weight. The more weight in the car the more fuel is burnt.
Finally, probably not a popular thing to say, but whenever possible why not simply walk?!!
