Save money on your Motoring Costs
With the credit crunch getting really hard, now is the best time to practice more efficient driving techniques.
As petrol and diesels prices tumble, you could take advantage of even greater savings if you learn to drive wiser. These are our top fuel saving tips.
Reducing Weight
Keep Items in your house and just take the what you need for your journey! How many of you have lots and lots of junk in your boot, do you even know what is in there? I just found 2 bottles of water about 10 brands of polish and a full car cleaning kit (like when I am out on a journey I may need to quickly polish my car!) You do need to have certain items at hand (see what to carry in your car) but leaving things in because you are too busy to empty it will cost you money!
Engine
Always get your car serviced for better car performance. By keeping your engine in spot on shape you actually save your money. The vehicle components that affect fuel consumption can be inspected. A clean, serviced engine means better fuel efficiency.
Using appropriate motor oil in your car can help your car move much more efficiently which in turn saves your money. Using correct octane fuel can improve your car's performance and using multi- grade oil will reduce drag, which in turn reduces fuel consumption.
Tyres
50% of tyres in the UK are under-inflated; 2psi below the recommended pressure can increase consumption by 1 per cent. Don't trust pump forecourt gauges though, as they're often incorrect. A £5 pressure gauge will help keep your tyres sweet, go on dont be lazy!
Close windows
Cruising along with your arm and the dog's head in the wind looks good, but the increased drag will have your car's aerodynamic designer holding his head in his hands. Close them to please him, reduce drag, ease the body's passage through the air and improve economy.
Use higher gears
Third-gear fiends should change up to fifth even at lower speeds, to improve economy by 20 per cent. Don't labour the engine though - incorrect use of higher gears does nothing for efficiency, either. Use the rev counter as your guide.
Turn off the engine
If you're sitting in a traffic jam or parked up waiting for someone, switch off your engine. It's better for the environment and will save you a small but welcome amount of fuel.
Drive smoothly
Boy racers, take note! you must have plenty money! Instead of charging between lights, stopping and starting continuously, try to look ahead. Anticipate the lights, don't stress the car unduly, predict the traffic flow - anything you can do to make the same progress for less work on the accelerator. So dont have a heavy right foot! Now that's cool.
Drive more slowly
We're not talking 25mph everywhere - but the difference between 70mph and 80mph on the motorway is considerable. Up to 5mpg in some cars, sometimes more. And really, many motorways are so crowded, going faster doesn't mean better progress, anyway. You simply arrive at the congestion more quickly...
Turn off air-conditioning
With our climate there really isn't too much need to operate the air-con continuously. As it eats 5 % of fuel (and on some cars considerably more than that), turn it off for an easy saving. But don't open the windows instead. You'll increase drag and, ironically, return worse economy figures than with air con on... If looking for a car make sure you can turn AC off and u still can controll hot/cool air!
Avoid short journeys
Cold cars, even modern ones, have an insatiable thirst for fuel when cold. A car capable of 40mpg on a gentle motorway run can plunge to 15mpg or less on a few-mile run in town. By walking short distances, you're saving a tremendous amount of fuel.
Use cruise control
Set it at 70mph on the motorway and it'll maintain your speed while using not a drop of fuel more than it has to. Computers are far more sensitive than a human's right foot, so let the car do the calculations and watch the savings on the fuel economy meter. If it's "adaptive cruise" which uses radar to keep a set distance behind the car in front, then so much the better.
Share a car
Want to improve economy by 50 per cent? Share a car with a friend! A little organisation with work colleagues and you'll also benefit from all the gossip, better social skills and maybe even a date and subsequent marriage. Who says saving fuel is dull?
Plan Your Journey Ahead Of Time:
1. Plan your route to avoid unnecessary trips.
2. Stagger your journey to avoid peak-hour rush. Getting stuck in traffic can increase the amount of fuel consumed.
3. Try to walk for a short distance instead of driving.
4. Take advantage of car pool or public transport to save fuel and also to save our environment.
5. Know when and how to use your car wisely according to your schedule. The more you drive the more fuel you use, especially on short routes.
