Driving Hints for Fuel Efficiency

By Hugh Savage

            We have all seen the dramatic price increases and profiteering by the multinationals over the last 12 months. These price increases have hurt our family budgets. The increase reduces our available disposable income and feeds inflation pressures on salaries, wages, prices etc. through increased cost of living.

Although different vehicles require different quantities of fuel to travel the same distance one of the greatest influences on fuel economy is how the vehicle is driven.

A small change in your driving style can reduce costs significantly and save you a significant amount of money. These savings will contribute to our families directly. Improved savings give us all more to spend on the important things in life - our Chryslers & Valiants.

Save yourself money by-:

1)      Planning Trips, and/or combining trips where possible.

2)      Keeping your vehicle in good tune for improved efficiency.

3)      Sensible driving

Some helpful tips-:

Don’t “REV” the engine when starting from cold!    Extra RPM makes little difference to warm up time and just wastes the fuel. If your vehicle is equipped with an Automatic Choke “kick” it down as soon as the engine has warmed up.

As an engine warms up it is most inefficient, usually operating on an over rich mixture for smooth idle and to avoid cut-out. In these first few minutes, if driven hard, it can use as much fuel as for the rest of a medium distance trip. Take the first few minutes very gently and you will save a lot of fuel.

Don’t idle for long periods!          Idling at long period red lights or in heavy traffic gets you no where and uses buckets of fuel. Plan trips to avoid traffic congestion. When you are caught at a red light, that you know will stop you for more than 30 seconds, shut off the engine, place the car in Park and relax until the light is green. You will save fuel after 30 seconds as this is equivalent to the fuel consumed on start up.

Use only as much Accelerator as you need!              Drag racing, such as “flooring” the throttle, at the start from traffic lights is a huge fuel waster. Gently apply the accelerator gradually, and you will save. Don’t be in a hurry; people in a rush use more accelerator than they need to. In traffic this gets you no where fast and just wastes petrol. A measured quick, though gentle, use of the throttle aids traffic flow without waste.

Don’t brake heavily!           Rushing up to a red light, corner, or intersection then braking heavily is bad for your car, increases accident risk, and will increase your maintenance bills as brakes wear more quickly. Not only this, the throttle is open longer so you use more fuel. Try taking your foot off the throttle earlier. Let your car coast to a stop, with Drive or the manual Gears engaged, as often as you can.

Don’t use lower gear Engine Breaking!           Engine braking in a lower gear can save some wear on your brakes but in the process the engine revs higher and wastes fuel. Much of this fuel is not properly burnt increasing air born pollution. This is more pronounced in older cars without fuel injection but is also true for modern fuel injected cars.

Drive in the highest possible gear!        You don’t want to strain your engine, but it is a fact that higher gears get more distance for less power. By using the highest practical gear you travel longer for each litre of petrol the engine drinks. If the engine has to work too hard in any gear it will use more fuel to compensate so don’t let the engine revolutions get too low.

Look out for Drag!              Roof racks left on a car waste fuel. Badly packed roof racks also waste fuel, up to 15% according to the experts. If possible remove them when not in use. Any other accessory that spoils your car’s aerodynamics (such as air intake protrusions on the bonnet) will produce fuel guzzling drag and should only be used when required.

Leaking Fuel!           Leaking fuel due to bad joints in the fuel line, leaking carburetor gaskets, or a leaking fuel cap are all very dangerous. They also waste fuel. Even new cars with sealed fuel systems suffer regular fuel cap seal failures that can cause evaporation loss and spillage on acceleration and cornering. You can lose over 20% of a tank this way so if you have a loose cap at each fill, or notice a fuel smell after a trip check the vehicle’s fuel system.

Oils ain’t oils!           Modern cars use very thin oils to reduce engine load due to oil viscosity. These engines have very close tolerances and do not benefit at all from older style thick oils. Use only the grade of oil for your vehicle, use a good brand and you will save fuel.

Change old clogged oil filters and dirty oil regularly!           Dirty oil loses its lubrication qualities, and clogged oil filters can contaminate clean oil very quickly. Clogged filters also have more resistance so the engine uses more power to push oil through them. Reduce engine internal friction by replacing the oil and filter as recommended by your car’s manufacturer for best efficiency.

Dirty Air Filters!       Your engine, just like you, needs to breath. A dirty air filter reduces the air flow to the engine and, in carbureted engines, causes the engine to run richer for the same power. Even in modern fuel injected engines your high tech engine management system can tip in more fuel to compensate for a shortness of breath thus wasting fuel. Change the air filter regularly as recommended by the manufacturer.

Tyre Pressure!        We all forget to check tyre pressures regularly but they can go down significantly over a few weeks. Under inflated tyres increase rolling resistance, heat up through increased friction, and need more power from the engine for the same speed. Check your tyre pressures once a week and save fuel.

Wheel Alignment!               Poor alignment wears out expensive tyres up to twice as fast and increases drag so you use more fuel. Get this checked every 10,000 km at least or when you feel a pull to the left or right when driving on a good road.

Keep it singing pretty!       Well tuned engines use less fuel. Just like a healthy herd (of horses?) you can feel the difference in performance. It’s difficult to feel the difference when your engine is drifting out of tune as it happens gradually so have it tuned as often as recommended in your handbook and you will save fuel.

Shed unneeded weight!   More weight in your car requires more power and therefore more fuel so take out items filling your boot or back seat when they are not needed.

Know your Engine!            Different engines are more efficient at different speeds. Find the best speed and revs for your engine and try to use them when you can.

Avoid excessive speed!   Engines give best economy at lower speeds (rpm’s). High engine speeds require far more fuel. Most Chryslers produce their best economy at about 110Km/hour or 2,100rpm engine speed. Driving 20Km/hour above the speed limit will probably increase the fuel consumption by 20% so keep to the speed limit when highway driving. Drag increases significantly as velocity through the air increases.

Pay attention and keep an eye on the road ahead!               Plan ahead by looking ahead. Drive more smoothly and with better efficiency and you will save fuel, drive better, and perhaps LIVE LONGER.

Turn off the air conditioner!         Other than moving the car, the engines next most demanding task is running the air conditioner. It can use 10 to 20% more fuel when it is switched on. Use it sparingly and you will save heaps. Try not to use air conditioning when the engine is cold as this is when a car uses even more fuel.

Stay off the bumper of the car in front! Tailgating only reduces drag when you are millimetres from the car in front. Being too close reduces your reaction time and forces you to adopt the driving style of the car in front. You will need to change speeds by accelerating and braking more frequently thus wasting more fuel.  In staying further behind the car ahead you can drive smoothly, use less power and waste less fuel.

Keep the windows up!      Sunroofs and open windows that are not equipped with a wind deflector significantly increase drag on a car at high speed. An open window at highway speeds can use more fuel than an air conditioner.

There are probably other ways to save fuel.

If you think of any let us know.

Why not give some of these ideas a go! Please enjoy employing some or all of them to reduce fuel usage to the benefit of us all.