Careful driving and how to save on petrol
Most of us need to keep an eye on our outgoings nowadays and one fairly major expense is running our cars. The price of petrol seems to be going up and so there are a few rules we can all follow to help save on fuel.
One thing a lot of us are guilty of at times is putting our foot down when accelerating. If you drive an automatic it is best to accelerate at a moderate speed in order to give the transmission time to shift to the higher gears. Also if you accelerate away and brake straight away this is a big waste of petrol.
A good way to save fuel is simply reduce your speed. As speed increases fuel decreases!
Tyres which are under inflated are often overlooked. If they are not at the right pressure they will need to use more fuel to keep the car moving. Get yourself a good tyre gauge and check the tyres at least once a month. One tip is to check them when they are cold because driving the car will warm up the tyres and also the air inside them which increases pressure and gives a falsely high reading.
Check your air filter because a dirty one will restrict the flow of air to the engine which will affect performance and also economy.
New wheels and tyres may look really good and they can even improve the way that a car handles, but if they are wider they could create more resistance and increase fuel consumption. So it is worth considering keeping the old ones for long road trips which will give you a far smoother ride and far better economy.
If you are thinking of changing your vehicle then maybe this will be the ideal time to downsize a little. Nissan and Toyota are two of the leading manufacturers who have developed highly fuel efficient cars.
This may not seem obvious, but take a look inside your vehicle and give it a bit of a spring clean. We are all often guilty of collecting rubbish in our cars and its surprising how this extra baggage mounts up in the terms of weight. The more weight that is in the car the more fuel is burnt.
Finally, not a very popular thing to say, but whenever possible why not simply walk?!!
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