21/09/2017
With another fuel price hike on the way we thought it fitting to provide you with 6 tips to help you use less fuel and save money:
1: Check your tyre pressures:
Underinflated tyres increase the rolling resistance between your vehicle and road it is travelling on. This means that you car has to burn more fuel to overcome this extra drag and friction. Research has shown that correctly inflated tyres can increase your gas mileage by approximately 3.3%, so make sure yours are checked regularly.
2: Drive smoothly:
A car’s engine uses the most fuel during bouts of hard acceleration. So try and accelerate away from a standstill as smoothly as possible. Be gentle with the pedal and don’t squash it all the way to the floor. It’s equally important to look ahead and preempt the flow of traffic. This way you can avoid hard braking and keep your momentum going for longer.
3: Idling isn’t ideal:
Never keep your car’s engine idling for longer than a minute or so. Reason being is that this burns unnecessary amounts of fuel and also expends more combustion gasses into the atmosphere. So if caught in a stop-go road maintenance scenario, for example, it’s best to turn off your engine until the path ahead is open again. Simple.
4: Shift gears sooner:
This one is pretty self-explanatory. The higher you rev the more fuel you will burn. Rev lower between each shift and you will certainly use less of the precious black stuff sloshing around in your tank. In other words, swap cogs like a pensioner.
5: Reduce drag at all costs:
Things like roof racks and bike racks ruin the fuel efficiency of your vehicle by creating unnecessary amounts aerodynamic drag. Take them off when not in use to get the most out of every drop. The same goes for open windows and sunroofs.
6: Keep your car clean:
Carrying unnecessary amounts of baggage around in your car increases its kerb weight. And increased weight, no matter how small, will always have a negative effect on fuel efficiency. As such you
