Fuel saving tips you might have forgotten

The most efficient speed your vehicle can travel at is at the lowest rev in the highest gear, without labouring the engine.

Small tips like these can remind you of your car’s most economical operating condition.

And with the price of fuel going straight back up after coming down, it helps to be mindful of the little things you can do to save fuel and prolong the life of your car.

Here is how you can extend the mileage of your tank.

1. Lighten up. Any excess weight you are carrying around that you do not need is giving the engine more weight to push along and using more fuel to do so.

2. Keep it clean. Servicing the motor regularly and ensuring the internal components are operating well reduces strain on the motor and requires less fuel to power through a combustion cycle.

3. Ease up on boost. Most small and large cars are fitted with turbochargers to aid efficiency and power. Avoid accelerating harshly and spooling the motor up with boost to be dumped out by the wastegate – this uses copious amounts of unnecessary fuel.

4. Build up speed. Accelerate before reaching a hill, and avoid accelerating harshly once on it. Gathering momentum gives the engine less work to do to get over it, thus using less fuel.

5. Opt for a bigger motor. This sounds counter-intuitive, but if buying a car, remember that a smaller engine that has to work harder uses more fuel than a larger engine that has a lighter load to carry.

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