The price of fuel at the moment is nothing short of painful. With Brent Crude Oil sitting at around $80 a barrel at the time of writing, we’re all feeling it at the pump.
There has to be some way to get more range out of your cars’ fuel. We have a few tips to improve fuel economy, improve driving habits and make your car more fuel-efficient.
How to make your car more fuel efficient before even turning it on
Here’s a handy list of some really simple things you can do to cut down your annual fuel bill:
- Remove needless weight. The heavier the car the more the engine has to work to achieve and maintain speed. If you don’t need it in the car every day, think about leaving it at home.
- Check your tire pressures. If your tires aren’t pumped to the correct pressures, they won’t be as effective. Ignoring the dangerous lack of grip, your underpumped tyres will create more drag and blow out your fuel bill.
- Remove needless accessories. I don’t mean cut the doors off. I mean, do you really need a roof tent for all of winter? How about roof racks in general? Anything that you attach to the outside of your car will add drag and hurt fuel economy.
How to drive more fuel efficiently
Ok so your car is a clean, mean, driving machine and it’s time to get out on the road.
This is where the rubber meets the road on your journey to improving fuel economy. Sorry about the pun.
- Air Conditioning. If you can be comfortable with just the fan and don’t have to turn the A/C on, you’ll save plenty. In my car, sitting still in traffic, running the A/C is worth 0.3 litres per hour. If you can go without, it’ll save you some cash.
- Leave your stop/start technology on. By turning your car off when stopped for longer than 1 minute, you can save plenty of fuel.
- When coasting down a hill, don’t touch the gas. Modern cars have fuel injection. When you are coasting down a hill, the wheels turning keep the engine running. This means your fuel injectors can turn off and you will use no fuel downhill. Isn’t gravity just neat?
- Accelerate slowly, brake early, use your cruise control. If you can glide down the road it will be a lot easier on your wallet.
All of this has been great, is there anything else I can do to improve fuel economy?
Make sure your car is properly maintained. A car that is properly functioning, with fresh oil, a fresh air filter and all accessories in good nick – will make sure that your engine runs smoothly and strongly.
We can help with that here at My Auto Shop. Book in your car with us to ensure that it takes as good of care of you, as you do of it.