Tips For Saving on Fuel Consumption

I’m sure we all can agree on one thing,  gas isn’t exactly cheap these days.  No it’s not over $3 like it was two summers ago, however fuel prices have dramatically increased over the years.  Saving some money never hurts and there are some simple tips that can help you do so when it comes to fuel consumption.  Below is a good article found at Ezine about tips for saving on fuel consumption.  Try implementing some or all of these tips and let us know how you make out! Have a great weekend Benzies!

Tips For Saving on Fuel Consumption

By Robert Cope

With most people still reeling under the effects of the economic meltdown, everybody is looking for ways to cut their expenditures and what better way than to save on fuel consumption. The sky rocketing fuel prices have added to the budgetary woes of most people; fortunately, saving on fuel is not particularly difficult so, here are a few tips on how you can increase the fuel efficiency of your car and lower your transportation costs:

1)  Limit the number of short trips: Vehicles use the greatest amount of fuel and hence release the maximum exhaust within the first few minutes of starting; this means that the mileage of your car on a five km trip will be lower than if you were to cover a distance of 25 kms. The catalytic converters in the car need enough time to warm up so that they can start doing their job; however, trips that are less than 5 kms long do not give the engine enough time to reach the peak temperature. So, instead of taking several small trips, plan your schedule and make a single long trip that covers all your errands

2)  Drive in the right gear: Driving in the second gear when you could make do with the third will not only prevent proper acceleration but will also waste fuel; the engine labors more in the lower gears; however, you can operate the car optimally without accelerating when using a higher gear. If you are driving a manual transmission vehicle, change the gears as soon as it is comfortable.

3)  Check the pressure in the tires: The right pressure in your tires is also vital to maintain fuel efficiency; always ensure that your tires are inflated to the manufacture recommended pressure and the wheels are appropriately aligned to extend the life of the tires and to reduce fuel consumption.

4)  Make sure that you change the engine oils as recommended: The engine oil helps to keep the mechanical component of the vehicle clean and soot free; it also helps to regulate the operating temperature inside the engine. A dirty engine uses up more fuel than required reducing the fuel efficiency of the car and damaging the components. Ideally, you should change the engine oil every 4 months or 3750 km whichever comes first.

5)  Use Fuel additives or conditioners: There are a myriad of duel additives available in the market, each performing a distinct task. While high octane additives help to burn the fuel at a higher temperature increasing the performance of the engine; others such as alcohol and ether help to keep the engine clean and grime free; protecting the individual components

6)  Operate the air conditioner sparingly: The air conditioning system of the car is the biggest gas guzzler in the vehicle. So, if you want to minimize fuel usage, make sure that you keep those windows rolled down and switch off the air conditioner.

7)  Do not use your vehicle to ferry a large amount of weight: Most manufactures will specifically mention the amount of weight that can be safely carried in a vehicle and its impact on the fuel consumption of the car. A simple rule of thumb is the more the weight the higher will be the need for fuel, so if you are trying to get good fuel efficiency, do not load too many bags in the back seat.

8)  Don’t Speed: Speeding is not only dangerous but it can also prove expensive because the fuel consumption of the engine increases greatly once you cross the 90mph mark. Also, maintaining a steady speed will help you to increase the fuel efficiency of the vehicle

As you can see, it is not particularly difficult to incorporate these tips; however, you will be surprised at how much you can save on fuel costs by using these simple techniques.

Looking for a fuel additive to save gas? Checkout GasSaverForLife for information on fuel additives and to try the Mileage Maxx All In One Gas and Diesel Fuel additive.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Robert_Cope

For full article click here.

This entry was posted on Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 1:45 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.