It is highly essential to improve the fuel efficiency of your car. The primary reason for this is that it helps you save money on fuel, which you can spend on other important stuff. Additionally, improving your car’s fuel economy is also helpful to the environment as it releases fewer emissions into the air.
Also, on the national level, it reduces a country’s dependence on oil imports. This article will show you how to increase your car’s fuel economy.
10 Ways to Improve Your Car’s Fuel Economy
Improving your car’s fuel economy might sound like an arduous task. However, it can be achieved with specific activities even if you haven’t saved enough for cars with the highest fuel economy. Here are ten sure ways you can improve your car fuel mileage;
- Keep watch on your tires
- Watch your speed and use cruise control.
- Avoid unnecessary idling.
- Reduce drag.
- Coasting in gear.
- Ensure proper servicing and maintenance.
- Remove excess weight.
- Plan your route.
- Use heating functions and air-con wisely.
Keep Watch on Your Tires
The performance of your tires is one of the significant factors determining your car’s fuel economy. Underinflated tires usually have greater rolling resistance. And driving with them leads to friction, increasing fuel consumption.
Additionally, the fuel efficiency rating of your tire also determines your car’s fuel economy. Tires are classified from A to G based on their fuel efficiency by the European Commission. A-rated tires can improve fuel economy by up to 7.5{60302a704289ffbf97a4812255a0bc8a6f23097845ce08f1b9000776917131c2} compared with G-rated tires.
Watch Your Speed and Use Cruise Control
It is always better to be mindful of the speed at which you’re driving. This idea isn’t for safety alone. It also helps in improving fuel economy. Obeying speed limits is a good option as it saves fuel money while still not breaking the law.
When you drive above the speed limit at 80mph instead of 70mph, you consume 25 percent more fuel. Additionally, speeding up and slowing down increases fuel consumption, so you should let your car maintain a cruising speed when appropriate.
Avoid Unnecessary Idling
Whenever you are at a standstill, you should turn off your engine. If your engine is turned on at a standstill, you’re getting zero mpg because your fuel is being used up, and you are still on the spot.
The California Energy Commission advises vehicle owners to turn off their engines if the wait is more than 10 seconds because idling vehicles can consume up to a gallon of fuel in one hour. Therefore, even when you are defrosting your car, turn off the engine.
Reduce Drag
Most cars are manufactured to maximize aerodynamic functions, which ensures they slip through the air more efficiently to improve fuel economy and car performance. However, car owners ruin this advantageous feature by installing roof boxes and bike racks on their cars.
It is best to remove such items from your roof when they are not in use. The reason is that they cause the car to work much harder. And when that happens, your car consumes more fuel than it usually should.
Coasting in Gear
Some drivers who are more familiar with cars from the 80s will argue that putting their car into neutral while coming to a stop helps to reduce fuel consumption due to lower rpm. However, this is not true of modern vehicles.
If you leave your car in gear and come to a halt without laboring the engine, there will be no fuel consumption. The reason is that the car engine would turn itself over with the driveline rather than the fuel. And your car’s computer will stop fuel input into the engine.
Ensure Proper Servicing and Maintenance
Your car’s engine must be subjected to occasional servicing to track car fuel economy. It will be more efficient when you do this per the manufacturer’s schedule. You should also use the correct fluids, parts, and lubricants to improve performance and fuel economy.
Also, it is crucial that you check your wheel alignment and rectify it as soon as possible. The reason is that instead of rolling properly, misaligned tires drag. And this reduces your car’s fuel efficiency by as much as 10 percent.
Remove Excess Weight
Your car consumes more fuel in moving from one place to another when it is heavy. Lighter cars are more affected by excess weight than heavier ones. You can reduce gas mileage by up to 1 percent if you have an additional 100 pounds in your car.
It would be best if you did everything possible to make your car lighter and save money. Although bike racks and roof tracks are usually the leading causes, the different things in your rear seat and boot can also go a long way in increasing weight.
Plan Your Route
Your engine is under a lot of pressure when you drive under start-stop traffic. For this reason, more fuel is consumed than necessary. It is better to plan your route carefully to know how to get to your destination without driving in circles and avoid start-stop traffic.
Sat nav systems can help give you the best route to take to your destination in less time, thereby using less fuel.
Use Heating Functions and Air Con Wisely
Any feature in your car that drains the car battery automatically burns your fuel. The reason is that they use the alternator to keep the battery charged. And the engine powers the alternator, which would not work without fuel.
This consumption effect is also true for heated windscreens, heater seats, and every other heat stuff. Still, you should use your air-con occasionally so its components will not degrade.
Conclusion
Increasing fuel economy is essential for every driver as it helps to reduce the amount spent on fuel and emissions released into the air. Also, car fuel-saving devices do not have a justifiable effect on fuel economy, so you should follow the tips discussed above instead.
You can visit our website if you are interested in affordable Honda cars with excellent fuel efficiency. At Lake Elsinore Honda, you can also get a Hybrid – a top-rated car with the best fuel economy.
Connect with us
