Top Tips to Use Your Fuel Wisely and Efficiently

There are many ways which you can help yourself to cut down the cost of running your vehicle. By paying a little attention to your car and maintain it correctly you can save fuel cost at petrol station. Here are some great and excellent tips to help you to save on fuel cost.

 Plan Your Journey Ahead

• Plan your route to avoid unnecessary trips.
• Stagger your journey to avoid peak-hour rush. Getting stuck in traffic can increase the amount of fuel consumed.
• Try to walk for a short distance instead of driving.
• Take advantage of car pool or public transport to save fuel and also to save our environment.

·         Know when and how to use your car wisely according to your schedule. The more you drive the more fuel you use, especially on short routes. 

Maintain and Keep Watch of Your Car

• Always get your car serviced for better car performance. By keeping your engine in tip-top shape you actually save your money. The vehicle components that affecting fuel consumption can be inspected. A clean, serviced engine means better fuel efficiency.
• Always keep your tire properly inflated as it improves fuel usage. Keep an eye on your tires at least once a week. The rolling resistance for deflated tires will be greater and hence consuming more fuel. Tires lost about 1 psi pressure due to air loss caused by the tire hitting holes, bumps and kerbs. So always make sure that when you fill up your car that the tires are optimal as recommended.
• Get your air filters checked and replaced regularly. Clogged air filters with dust, dirt and bugs affect air circulation and increase fuel consumption up to 10% by restricting airflow to the engine. This is not only wastes fuel; it also causes a loss of power to the engine. 
• Check for proper wheel alignment. More power is required to overcome improper alignment, and this in turn wastes fuel.
• Thicker engine oil causes poor fuel consumption so make sure that your engine oil is not too thick.
• Use appropriate motor oil in your car can help your car move much more efficiently which in turn saves your money. Using correct octane fuel can improve car’s performance while using multigrade oil will reduce drag which in turn reduces fuel consumption.
• Use thinner tire instead of thicker tire. Thicker tire need more fuel consumptions as there is more rolling resistance.
• Switch to radial-ply tires as they offer less rolling resistance and longer life than the cross-ply variety. Furthermore, the choice of radials increase tire life and reduce fuel consumption by 5%.

Driving Behaviours and Conditions

• Slow down your car gradually when approaching traffic light.
• Accelerate your car smoothly and gradually. Heavy braking the accelerator waste fuel. In most cars, travelling at 90 kmh on the open road uses 25 per cent less fuel than driving at 110 kmh. In normal driving conditions, try to keep the accelerator pressure steady. Accelerate gradually and use only the first quarter of the throttle movement, until you reach 70km/h to 80km/h.
• Do not crank the engine excessively as this will burnt out fuel. Let your car to warm up for 30 seconds and avoid sudden acceleration before the engine has warmed up sufficiently.
• Do not warm up your car for longer hours. 30 to 45 seconds is usually plenty of time to warm the engine when you start your vehicle. However, modern cars and engines are designed to be driven almost immediately.
• Avoid high speeds, accelerating and braking too hard and too much for your trips. Aggressive driving such as speeding, rapid acceleration and braking and sudden hard stops as well wastes fuel. Sensible driving is not only safer for you and other road users, but in turn it saves your fuel and money too.
• Utilize your gears properly. Before the car starts going up a hill or a slope, change your gears. Choose higher gears when possible. They use less fuel.
• Turn off the engine when you have to be in a queue or wait for someone for more than five minutes. Avoid excess idling as it consumes more fuel and increase wear and tear.
• Do not ride the clutch to hold your car on an incline. In this way, not only you will waste your fuel but also reduce the life of your clutch dramatically. As for automatic transmission, do not use the accelerator to hold against an incline; instead use your handbrake on hills.
• Always remember not to rest feet on the brake and clutch pedals as this will definitely increase fuel consumption and causes wear on the brake and clutch.
• As soon as your engine is started, drive smoothly and watch your speeding. Maintain steady speeds for the best fuel economy. Fast starts burn four times as much fuel as gentle acceleration. Observe the traffic flow ahead to avoid sudden braking. It is ideal to drive slowly at first, and then gradually pick up speed while your car goes. This way, the engine will warm up faster and lubricate faster.
• Keep your steering wheel still. The more you weave on the road the further you have to travel and the more petrol is used.

Other Things to Notice and Observe

• Park your car under a shade during a hot sunny day as hot sun causes fuel evaporates faster.
• Always top up to full tank to reduce corrosion in the petrol tank. Condensation can form on the inner side of the fuel tank that is not submerged in fuel.
• Avoid carrying excess weight and  unnecessary items in your car. Additional weight and vehicle add-ons have a negative impact on aerodynamics, and thus causing engines to work harder and burn more fuel. Any added 50kg load will increase fuel consumption by 2%.
• Make sure the fuel cap is tighten up as the fuel can evaporate from the fuel tank.
• Driving with your windows open could cost you extra fuel as wind flowing through an open window will slow your car down. Also, driving with your windows down create drag that increases fuel consumption by as much as 20%.
• Use air-conditioning where necessary as it can increase fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent.
• If you are thinking of buying a car, you should select a more fuel-efficient vehicle that will meet your needs. Avoid buying four-wheel-drive vehicles, and vehicles with power-consuming options such as air-conditioning, power windows and automatic transmission as they may use more fuel. Light interior and exterior colors and tinted windows will reflect light and heat so you do not need to use the air-conditioning as much. Smaller capacity cars usually equip with better fuel mileage.