Petrol & gas prices fluctuate often, but it’s going upwards usually. Bad news is our income not increase by similar percentage – that tells we need to save or reduce the living expenses and one of them is petrol consumption.
Below compiled some tips on how to save and/ or reduce on petrol as most of the time it hit our wallets.
1. Pump petrol in the morning when the temperature is still cool. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground; and the colder the ground, the denser the petrol. When it gets warmer petrol expands, so if you’re filling up in the afternoon or in the evening, what should be a liter is not exactly a liter. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and temperature of the fuel are significant. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal but service stations don’t have temperature compensation at their pumps.
2. If a tanker truck is filling the station’s tank at the time you want to buy petrol, do not fill up. Most likely dirt and sludge in the tank is being stirred up when petrol is being delivered, and you might be transferring that dirt from the bottom of their tank into your car’s tank.
3. Fill up when your gas tank is half-full (or half-empty) because the more petrol you have in your tank the less air there is and petrol evaporates rapidly, especially when it’s warm. (petrol storage tanks have an internal floating ‘roof’ membrane to act as a barrier between the gas and the atmosphere, thereby minimizing evaporation).
4. Don’t be trigger happy. If you look at the trigger you’ll see that it has three delivery settings: slow, medium and high. When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to the high setting. You should be pumping at the slow setting, thereby minimizing vapors created while you are pumping. Hoses at the pump are corrugated; the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that already has been metered. If you are pumping at the high setting, the agitated petrol contains more vapor, which is being sucked back into the underground tank, so you’re getting less petrol for your money.
5. Pump your Tyres. Keeping your tyres inflated is one of the easiest and most important things saving petrol means saving money one can do to improve fuel economy. If a range is recommended by the manufacturer, the higher pressure should be used to maximize fuel efficiency. Deflated tires run hot and jeopardize safety. It will also cause the tires to wear out prematurely, affect the vehicles adversely, and hurt the fuel economy by increasing the rolling resistance.
6. Buy a pressure gauge for your car. Get a digital gauge instead of the analog one with a pointer. Don’t rely on the gauge at the pump station because it is often faulty or inaccurate.
7. Pump in the right pressure. Check your car door for the right pressure. They are either in PSI or Kpa. Tyres lose about 1 psi pressure per month due to air loss caused by the tyre hitting holes, bumps and curbs. Therefore, the tyres should be checked at least once a month. Just 1 tyre deflated by 2 psi will result in a 1% increase in fuel consumption.
8. Pump your tires when it is cold. That is dont pump your tires when you have driven more than 5 minutes. Hot tyres will not give you the right pressure.
Maintain correct tire pressure. Deflated tires generate excessive heat, wears out faster and increases rolling resistance. However do not over-inflate as this might reduce the tire’s “grip” on the road, causing potential danger if you need to hit the brakes. Checking the tire pressure every 1-2 weeks will help ensure a smooth, safe ride.
9. Drive at the correct speed. More than 50% of your engine’s power is used to overcome aerodynamic drag (air resistance). Since fuel is burnt more rapidly at speeds above 90km/h, as a rough gauge, traveling within the speed limits on the highway would not only be safer, it keeps the cops away and helps you save money. Imagine… your car burns 15% more fuel at 100km/h, and 25% more fuel at 110km/h than at 90km/h. How much more fuel will it burn if you’re traveling at 120km/h?
10. Watch your engine’s RPM. Your car’s engine runs most efficiently between around 1,500 and 2,500 rpm. Therefore shift gears as soon as possible, before your engine reaches 2,500 rpm. For auto-transmission cars, you can always switch to “economy” mode and avoid stepping too hard on the gas. In this way, the transmission will shift gears faster and the gradual acceleration will ensure that less gas is burnt.
11. Unload unnecessary stuff from your car. Every additional 50kg load added increases fuel consumption by two per cent. So avoid using your car trunk as a storage compartment. This habit consumes extra fuel unnecessarily.
12. Drive smoothly. You’ll use up to six times more fuel to move a car from a dead stop. Therefore anticipate the traffic ahead and avoid bringing your car to a complete stop. Also, you can reduce fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent if you do not brake or accelerate unnecessarily. Avoid following another vehicle too closely — this alone will help you avoid 90% of all unnecessary brakes and hard accelerations.
13. Clean your air filter regularly. Clogged air filters can increase fuel consumption by up to 10 per cent. These airflow resistance promotes incomplete combustion and this cause the efficiency of your engine to go down. So clean up or service your air filters when it’s time to.
14. Avoid Speeding. A car has the greatest fuel efficiency at about 60mph. If you accelerate hard from 60 to 80, there will be a big % increase in fuel consumption. If you stick in the left hand lane of a motorway, you will use less petrol because:
i) 60-70 is the most fuel efficient speed.
ii) You will also benefit from the drafting effect of being behind lorries (not too close) but even at a difference you will benefit from reduce air flow.
15. Switch off your engine when not in use. So try not to chat with your girl friends in the car if possible. We often like to leave our engines idling while waiting for passengers or to make an emergency phone call at the side of the road. However if you leave your engine idling for more than a minute, it consumes much more fuel than restarting (your engine). Contrary to popular belief, the increased wear and tear from this practice is negligible.
Others:
1. Car Sharing. For commuting or long distance travelling, always think if you could share the journey with other people. This has the potential to halve your petrol costs. Many cities such as Leeds UK and Los Angeles see the benefits of encouraging car sharing and offer special lanes just for people with more than 1 person in the car.
2. Drive Less. Instinctively, we get used to driving everywhere, because it is often the easiest mode of transport. However, for each journey we can examine whether:
* Is it necessary?
* There is an alternative type of transport.
3. Buy a Bike. 50% of car journeys are less than 2 miles. These journeys will involve low speeds at which fuel consumption will be relatively high. These journeys can easily be taken by bike. They will save both money and time. A bike is also easier to park and navigate. If you get a bike you will save many car journeys are petrol.
4. Smooth Speed. I learnt this technique through cycling. When cycling you think hard about how to save effort. For example, if you see traffic lights in the distance, you allow the car to slow down naturally, neither accelerating or braking. Some people keep the foot on the accelerator and then have to brake hard for the lights. This uses excess petrol. It is better to try and allow the car to travel with its own momentum, and slow down in anticipation of roundabouts and lights rather than leave it to the last second. In traffic jams, try to avoid sudden start and stopping, instead try to keep the car crawling along, this will save petrol.
5. Increase Efficiency of Car. The fuel consumption of your car can be increased by maximising the efficiency of your car in various ways:
* Use correct tyre pressure and check regularly. Many motorists fail to check tyre pressure and end up using more petrol because their car has become more inefficient.
* Reduce Weight. Don’t carry around unnecessary weight in the boot. More weight will increase fuel consumption especially driving up hills.
* Increase aerodynamics. Keeping an empty roof rack on a car will increase the inefficiency of driving and fuel consumption. Remove it where possible.
By following the above tips, you’ll see your petrol consumption fall and your fuel efficiency increase quite dramatically.
Some of the tips are retrieved from forwarded email sent from friends, while a few of them written by our readers. If you have any comment on the content, do not hesitate to drop us a mail.
