Tips to Save Fuel in 2011

Fuel used to be something you didn’t need to worry about. You could drive out to the country each weekend without panicking whether you’d have enough fuel to get back again. Now most people are looking for ways to reduce their fuel consumption. Follow these tips and you could save fuel.



Anticipate the traffic ahead – if the cars in front of you are putting on their brakes to slow down, you should take your foot off the accelerator early on so that you don’t have to break suddenly. Heavy acceleration and then braking uses a lot of fuel. Drive smoothly.



If you are in a manual car, move to a higher gear as soon as possible whilst accelerating.



Keep your engine healthy, check your oil regularly and fix any problems as soon as they occur. Take the example of windscreens: a chip in your windscreen left unattended for months on end could lead to a crack, meaning you will then need a whole new windscreen instead of a simple repair.



Check that your tyres are at the correct pressure as shown in your car’s user manual, and make sure that they are not under or over inflated.

Remove unnecessary weight from your car. You’d be surprised at how many people drive around with golf clubs or heavy equipment in their boot. The heavier your car is, the more fuel it will use.



Do you drive around town with a roof rack on your car, even when you’re not using it. This too will add to the overall weight of your car and your car will use more fuel than if you were to drive without your roof rack.



Turn off your air-conditioning (but you can keep your windows down) when driving under 80km/hour, however, if you are driving over 80km/hour, keep your windows closed as the air drag means your car has to work harder and therefore uses more fuel.



If you are lucky enough to have a cruise control function in your car then make sure you use it on major highways and in free-flowing traffic.



Put your car into neutral or park whilst you’re waiting at slow traffic lights.



Make sure you are ready to drive as soon as you turn on the ignition. Avoid excessive idling. If you expect to be waiting for more than 30 seconds, turn the engine off.



Avoid built-up areas where you need to break and accelerate frequently and avoid speed bumps.



Drive at the minimum (not the maximum) speed on the motorway; the faster you drive, the more fuel will be used.



As you can see, there are many things you can do to economise on fuel. Of course, the less you actually use your car, the better, so only use it when you need to and consider carpooling with others. In doing so, you are sure to save money on fuel.



Paul Buchanan writes for a digital marketing agency. This article has been commissioned by a client. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.