In this day and age, it seems like fuel prices are always on the rise. When you’re paying more for your petrol (or diesel), you want to be sure you’re getting the most for your money. Most modern cars now come with fuel economy displays. These help you keep on track when it comes to efficient driving. But what if you don’t have a display, or drive an older car? Never fear. Here are some nifty tips and tricks to help you reach new heights of fuel efficiency.
Physics Is Your Friend
For your first port of call, take a look at the simple science. The laws of physics can play a big part in fuel efficiency. Taking some simple steps to reduce resistance and drag can do wonders for performance.
Pumped up: Always keep your tyres at manufacturer-recommended pressures. Correct tyre pressures optimise rolling resistance levels, bolstering your efficiency. However, oversized tyres can create too much rolling resistance, which can be detrimental. Too much pressure can also cause uneven wear, so keep your pressures on point.
Reduce drag: Optimise your aerodynamics by keeping drag to a minimum. Keep windows rolled up at high speeds and reduce any extra weight in your car to keep fuel efficiency high.
Keep Up Your Upkeep
Keeping your car in a good condition is conducive to good fuel economy.
Servicing: A regular service helps to keep your car in top notch condition. To keep your fuel efficiency at its best, filters and oil need to be changed regularly. Keeping your engine in tune is also a must. A service will get this done for you in one package.
Running well: Keeping your motor in top form can keep your fuel efficiency nice and high. Surprisingly, it’s the little things that sometimes have the biggest impact. Loose suspension or warn brakes can contribute to poor fuel saving, so be sure to keep the little things in check.
Driving Style
Although we may not want to admit it, the biggest waste of fuel is often down to bad driving practice. Cutting out bad habits are one of the best ways to increase fuel efficiency.
Cut out the coasting: Coasting – or driving around with your foot on the clutch – breaks contact between the engine and the wheels. You’re effectively wasting engine power and increasing fuel consumption. It’s a bad driving habit that many suffer from. Unless you’re rolling through slow traffic, try to keep your foot off the clutch.
Smoothly does it: A smoother drive makes for better fuel efficiency. Avoid fast acceleration and harsh braking to keep fuel economy high.
Don’t be idle: If you’re sitting in traffic, waiting to pick someone up, or are otherwise going to be stationary for a while, switch the engine off. Some modern cars come with Stop&Start engine technology that will do this automatically, and for good reason. Sitting idly by with your engine running wastes fuel, so switch it off when you can.
Get in gear: A simple hack to saving fuel is choosing the right gear. Driving in the wrong gear at the wrong speed can pump up your fuel consumption. Keep your revs under control by being in the right gear for your speed.
Keep it up: Driving at a constant speed for a long time will help with your fuel economy. If you can, keep your speed constant and avoid varying it too much. This tip works best when driving out on the open road.
If you are looking for cars for sale in the UK all of these new habits might be easily adopted when you swop over into your new car and a change of scenery is often a great time to start something new.
