These days of rising fuel costs we can feel a very personal interest in getting more miles for our money when we fill up at the gas station. But running our cars for better fuel efficiency is a green issue, too.
Gasoline produces pollutant gases which contribute to urban smog as well as contributing to climate change.
So here are some easy tips to help both lower the carbon footprint of your motor and keep expenditure down.
Fuel efficiency tips
Learn to drive smoothly and gently. I know this may go against the grain for some drivers (I'm sure we've all revved the engine at traffic lights at some time!)
Driving smoothly and gently really will save you quite a lot of gas. The trick is to keep the engine revs as low as you can without making the car struggle. Change through the gears when the revs start to rise. Let the car run in a relatively high gear (except on steep hills of course and anywhere else it might be unsafe.)
Slow down gently, too. This means that you need to read the road ahead carefully so as to anticipate stops, bends and slow downs. If you are braking more than you need you are just wasting fuel. Slow down for lights early to avoid having to stop unnecessarily; it's more efficient to gain speed again if you haven't come to an absolute stop.
Work out your car's optimum cruising speed for fuel consumption. The handbook may help you - or the manufacturers web site. If you have an on board rev counter or computer this will help. You can buy add-ons but they are relatively expensive.
Most cars lose efficiency after about 55 miles per hour. The British Autombile Association reckons that most cars are 17% less efficient at 70 mph than they are at 60 mph.
Cut your motor whenever it's safe to do so. You also don't need to "warm up" most modern cars. If you need to de-mist or de-ice windshields, use a cloth, a scraper, or tepid water rather than running the motor and heating system.
Your air-con can also cost you in reduced fuel efficiency, so don't use it until you need to. Run it about once a week though to keep the system problem-free.
Open windows are at least as bad as air con. They create significant drag and lose you valuable gas-miles.
Excess weight in your car can also burn fuel needlessly, so check there's nothing heavy hiding in the trunk!
Take off any roof racks and bike racks when you don't need them as they cause significant drag through wind resistance. Even dirt can cause some extra wind resistance and thereby reduce fuel efficiency, so it pays to keep your car clean and shiny!
Keep your tyres properly inflated. This can make a surprising amount of difference to fuel efficiency. However, don't be tempted to over-do it. Over-inflated tyres can lead to loss of control on bends and when braking.
Careful journey planning to avoid getting lost is worth the time put in. Listening to the traffic reports on your radio can also save you from unprofitable and frustrating time in lengthy queues. (If you are stuck in a stationary queue for more than a minute or two, then it's worth switching off your engine.)
Give yourself plenty of time to get to where you are going so that you don't need to race. Think about your route to avoid congestion spots, peak flow, traffic lights and diversions. All these can affect your fuel efficiency and also your pocket!
If you do most of the things listed above you could shave as much as 20% off your car fuel bills. Here are one or two ways to improve your fuel efficiency even further.
If you are thinking of buying a new car, check out the energy ratings of cars you are considering. New cars in the UK are rated, just like fridges and washing machines, for energy efficiency with a colour-coded chart.
The US Government runs a useful site FuelEconomy.gov which enables you to check cars against each other for fuel efficiency and economy. It also lets you search for cars by miles per gallon.
Think about putting your journey off! The more things you can accomplish on one trip the better, so wait til you have a number of errands to do. A warmed up engine is more efficient so you will get better mileage by running several errands one after another as one trip. You can find lots of tips for putting off shopping trips at Greenfootsteps.com
You could also think about sharing some of your journeys. There are some great ride sharing schemes available now. Check out Carbudi for one. Sharing shopping trips with friends and neighbours can also be sociable and fun.
If you are thinking of buying a new car, check out the energy ratings of cars you are considering. New cars in the UK are rated, just like fridges and washing machines, for energy efficiency with a colour-coded chart. There's also lots of useful info - including info on hybrids and electric cars, too at GreenCarSite.co.uk
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