Ever thought about turning your fuel hogging bulldozer into a fuel-efficient Prius?
With rising fuel prices, deteriorating engine qualities, and worsening fuel mileage in our cars – now is a good time to develop some economic driving and maintenance habits. Cars are essential and fuel economy is one of the most demanded aspect in today’s vehicles.
Our guide will not only help you squeeze those extra kilometers out of your caddy but also help maintain a quality long-term running. Along with reducing fuel costs, this guide will also reduce maintenance expenditures for your car.
Drive Efficiently
No matter what kind of engine and drivetrain – be it either plug-in hybrids or fuel hungry diesel V8’s –Â manic acceleration routine and heavy-footed pedaling impacts the fuel mileage adversely.
Take it easy, slow down a bit, try to stay in the speed-limit, or perhaps leave home a few minutes early – it will definitely give you some extra distance per liter.
You don’t really need to drive slower though. If you’re a manual stick-shift fan, try driving your car in a bigger gear even at low speeds. For example, start at the 1st gear then skip the 2nd gear and switch directly to the 3rd after getting to a suitable speed.
It might need some practice and your car may make a “frrrr” sound at first, but as you get used to it, driving like this is economic and the engine accelerates less.
Lesser acceleration means lesser fuel hogging and the best part is that you will also be able to get to a higher speed without having to spend too much on acceleration. Accelerate efficiently, adequately, and NOT satisfyingly.
Of course, it will take more time to get to that 100km/h mark as the car isn’t accelerating as rapidly as it would in a lower gear, but again – less acceleration equals more fuel economy. You can get at least 30% more fuel usage by accelerating efficiently.
The Wheels
Yes, the state of your tires, their alignment and especially the amount of air in them affects mileage significantly. Think about it, under-inflated tires need more engine power to turn.
Poor, unaligned wheels also exert resistance on the car’s body due to which it needs more power to move. It’s good to get your vehicle’s wheels aligned once in a while, preferably after a few months to avoid any unnecessary fuel drain.
You can check your vehicle’s alignment:
- Check if your vehicle’s steering isn’t centered optimally.
- See if the tires have tears at unusual areas and dis-proportioned angles.
- Notice if there’s slight ‘pulling’ in an unusual direction while driving the car.
Getting bigger, wider, off-road grip, or high grip performance tires also affects fuel mileage so it’s ideal to get the recommended tires for your vehicle – preferably manufacture-designed stock ones.
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Regular Tuning and Suitable Engine Oil
Regularly maintaining the car is a great way to get the most out of it. Replacing the air filter routinely may not impact the mileage significantly but its still a good idea as it affects the engine prospectively.
Engine oil helps keep the engine’s internals lubricated and frictionless to help those pistons do their thing – using heavier or denser oil increases the force required by the engine in order to accelerate.
It’s best to use the recommended oil for your vehicle’s engine. Use the most suitable manufacture-recommended grade and change it regularly to help your car to be more efficient.
Think we missed something? Help us out in the comments below!
how about using unadulterated fuel from PSO and substandard mixture of Pak refinery.
You are right on money! PSO altron is a cookie! and if you get it from the company operated outlet. Its better the Shell’s V power