The average fuel consumption of a 1,600cc car
should be between 10km/L to 13km/L. Anything more, your car will be classified
as a drinker!
The price of petrol has always been climbing
upwards. Instead of complaining about the increase in cost of petrol, let's see
how can you cut down on petrol costs. Choosing the right type of petrol is a
good start! As a general rule of thumb, you should always flip through your
vehicle owner's manual and choose the lowest recommended grade of petrol
required. Contrary to popular belif, higher grades of petrol actually does
nothing to improve the performance of your car.
In addition, below are 12 good driving tips for saving fuel.
Read them carefully, and you will probably save a pile on your next petrol
bill.
1.Pump up
your tyres
Keeping your tyres inflated is one of the
easiest and essential way to reduce petrol usage. Saving petrol = saving money.
Thus, your should try to improve your fuel economy.
If a range is recommended by the manufacturer,
the higher pressure should be used to maximize fuel efficiency. Deflated tyres
run hot and jeopardize safety. It will cause the tyres to wear out prematurely,
affect the vehicles adversely. It also decrease the fuel economy by increasing
the rolling resistance.
Tyres lose about one psi pressure per month due
to air loss caused by the tyre hitting holes, bumps and kerbs. There is thus a
need to check tyres at least once a month. A tyre deflated by two psi will
result in a one per cent increase in fuel consumption.
3.Drive
at a moderate speed
Avoid speeding on open roads. Driving at the
acceptable speed limit is safer and increases the fuel economy. As for highway
driving, over 50% of the power produced by the engine is used to overcome
aerodynamic drag. For this reason, fuel consumption increases rapidly at speeds
above 90km/h. On an average, a car uses about 15% more fuel at 100km/h, and 25%
more fuel at 110km/h as compared to when it is cruising at 90km/h.
However, this should not lead one to conclude
that the lower the speed, the better the fuel economy. The fuel consumption of
an average car increases sharply at any speed below 50km/h.
3.Clean
the air filter regularly
Clogged
air filters increase fuel consumption by restricting airflow to the engine. It
should be cleaned/replaced when necessary. Clogged air filters can increase
fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent.
4. Use
thinner tyres
Tyres
with thick width will improve the handling of your car. On the flip side, it
will also increase your car's fuel consumption. Thicker tyres mean more rolling
resistance, and naturally higher fuel consumption.
5.
Start up the car properly
Cars
these days do not require you to prime the engine by pumping the accelerator
pedal repeatedly before starting. Such an action wastes fuel, so avoid doing
it. When starting the engine, idle it for no more than 30 seconds to warm it
up. An engine will warm up faster on the road. However, avoid sudden
acceleration before the engine has warmed up sufficiently.
6.
Drive in high gear (Overdrive)
The
engine runs most efficiently between around 1,500 and 2,500 rpm. To maintain
low engine revolutions, you should increase through the gears as soon as
possible and before the revolution reach 2500 rpm.
For
automatic transmission cars, you should always switch on your overdrive to help
save fuel. Overdrive will allow your engine to change gears at lower
revolutions. It also puts your transmission into an "economy" mode.
It engages the final "overdrive" gear when cruising to keep the rpms
extra low, thereby increasing fuel economy.
7.
Travel light
Avoid
carrying any unnecessary weight in your car. On the average, every 50kg added
load in your car will increase fuel consumption by two per cent.
8.
Anticipate traffic ahead
A
driver can reduce fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent if he does not brake or
accelerate unnecessarily. Anticipate traffic conditions ahead, adjust your
speed accordingly and avoid tailgating. Accelerations and decelerations waste
fuel. Braking and abrupt stops can be minimized by not following too closely
and slowing down gradually when approaching a red light.
It takes up to
six times as much fuel to move a car from a dead stop than it does for one
moving at just a few km/h.
9.
Avoid strong acceleration
The
fuel consumption remains at a minimum when driving steadily at a moderate speed
of about 90km/h. Bear in mind that every time the accelerator is depressed, the
engine goes into a "fuel-enrichment" mode which wastes fuel.
The
vehicle should always be gradually and smoothly accelerated. Using cruise
control on highways can help maintain a constant speed and reduce fuel
consumption.
10.
Minimise aerodynamic drag
Additional parts on
the exterior of a vehicle such as roof racks and spoilers, or having the window
open, increases aerodynamic drag
11. Don't
let your engine idle
Minimize
fuel wastage when idling by stopping the engine whenever your car is stationary
or held up for an extended period of time.
Idling
for more than a minute consumes much more fuel than restarting an engine. By
having the engine switched off, you will save more fuel than that you lose from
the burst of fuel involved in restarting the engine. The net increased wear and
tear from this practice is negligible.
12. Use
the air-con sparingly
Air
conditioners can use about 10 per cent more fuel when operating. However, if
you are driving at more than 80 km/h, using the air condition is better for
fuel economy than an open window.
by,
K.Prathap singh,
