AS certain as the sun will rise tomorrow, petrol prices will continue to rise. So here are some useful tips to help reduce the cost of your motoring – and help the environment.
Modern automobile technology has made great strides in reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions, but handling the car correctly is also one of the biggest and often insufficiently explored factors in saving fuel.
As far as the car itself is concerned, regular routine maintenance is essential. It is also important to check tyre pressures because low pressure increases fuel costs and tyre wear.
Another useful tip is not to carry unnecessary ballast around in the boot. A 100kg load can increase fuel consumption by more than 5mpg in town driving.
For further fuel-saving success, don't leave the roof rack on when you don't need it – everything that worsens the car's aerodynamics will use more fuel. Also turning off electrical accessories like air conditioning, rear window de-mister or additional lights also saves fuel.
While on the move, the golden rule is to look well ahead and maintain steady speeds. Unnecessary accelerating and braking not only costs fuel but frayed nerves as well. Shift up to top gear as soon as you can and drive in top gear from around 30mph and keep to low revs (between 2,000rpm and 3,000rpm) whenever possible. Using only 75% of the vehicle's top speed is also economical. It results in fuel savings of up to 50% with only a negligible loss of time.
In winter, don't warm the engine up with the car at a standstill. Instead, drive off immediately after starting the engine and let it warm up to operating temperature while driving within a medium rpm range.
Switch off the engine for stops of one minute or longer. Many modern cars have this stop/start facility as part of their engine management system. The engine burns fuel even while idling. The automatic fuel intake shutdown while coasting, driving down a hill or braking, provides another means of saving fuel. So don't use the accelerator while coasting and don't take the vehicle out of gear.
Use of the sports option and unnecessary manual shifting lead to increased fuel consumption in vehicles with automatic transmissions. The engine operates most frugally in the "D" gear, which can almost always be used. Gentle, even pressure on the accelerator pedal causes the transmission to shift earlier to an energy saving gear.