The one thing that can be guaranteed with driving a car is that your petrol costs are going to go up. It can be quite frustrating how fuel costs fluctuate also - one day it can cost so much to fill your car, the next day it can be 30% more expensive. You can take some action in order to improve your fuel consumption - meaning you can get more kilometres out of each tank and keep some money in your pocket. Here are some things to consider.
First you need to know your starting point
It’s important to know your starting point so you can track how you are improving. This can be as simple as looking at your odometer when you fill up and see how far you’ve travelled before you next need to fill up. Some new cars may already have these statistics built in.
You should focus on the way you drive
Once you’ve established a baseline for your fuel consumption you can focus on making slight differences to the way you drive - try not to stop suddenly or accelerate quickly. Both of these things will increase your fuel consumption. If your driving is more smooth - smooth braking and smooth acceleration, then you will find that your fuel consumption becomes more efficient.
You should make sure your tyres are at the correct tyre pressure
Ensuring that your tyre pressure is correct is the best way to improve your fuel consumption. Tyre pressure recommendations are not just a guide. The tyre pressure recommendations ensure the correct balance of fuel efficiency, safety and comfort whilst driving.
Remove roof racks if not in use
Roof racks are a great tool to help you - either transporting goods or whilst travelling. When you are using roof racks though, your car won’t be performing at it’s most optimum fuel efficiency - having said that if you are travelling and carrying extra stuff this may offset the changes in fuel efficiency. BUT, if you have roof racks on the top of your car whilst they are not in use then you are carrying around unnecessary weight and significantly reducing your car’s fuel efficiency. This is literally costing you money for no gain. Fuel efficiency is decreased because of extra weight and also because roof racks create extra resistance.
Fuel consumption and fuel efficiency is important. It’s better for you to keep money in your wallet instead of paying it out for petrol unnecessarily. I have shared some tips in this article about how you can improve your own fuel efficiency. As mentioned, one factor is the correct tyre pressure - if you feel you need to get your tyres checked, please get in touch today