If you consider all the factor wisely, then you would realize that making a car fuel efficient isn’t simply about keeping the engine healthy as the precious fuel can be wasted by something as minor as binding rear drum brakes, incorrect tracking, under inflated tyres or an overweight tool box stashed at the bottom.
As the common tips include changing your driving style and usage of fuel saving devices, there are many other things that are not paid much attention to, resulting in wastage of precious fuel.
Starting with the cooling system, a worn out thermostat will cause the engine to take much longer to warm up than it should. There is nothing more wasteful on fuel, particularly on a cat-equipped car where the fuel mixture is deliberately set to run rich to help warm up the catalyst.
It has been noticed that on an average car, attaining about 25 mpg, it can drop as low as 12 mpg on the first few miles from a cold start up. The quicker the engine reaches operating temperature the better; if you do a lot of short runs it may even pay to blank off a small section of the radiator to aid this, although you must be sure to keep an eye on the temperature gauge.
Many a times even out of alignment steering geometry, can nick a couple of mpg as well as prematurely wear out expensive tyres. As just an innocent brush with a curb can knock the tracking out of true, it pays to have it checked annually.
The tyre selection can greatly help you in saving fuel and cutting down your costs. Special energy-saving tyres are proving increasingly popular. Michelin claim their Energy tyre is some 20 per cent freer rolling over a conventional design and thus can save up to six per cent in fuel use over 10000 miles, equating to approximately £60 a year in the pocket!
It’s quite possible that even if your tyres are in good order, under-inflation will create more drag and sap fuel. So make sure that you keep them inflated properly. Also don’t over-inflate, but you can run them at their highest recommended pressures.
In fact if you need new covers, you could consider opting for a slightly larger tyre, or a higher profile type to raise the gearing and help mpg. Naturally, check that they will safely fit on the rims and not foul your car’s steering, suspension or brake systems, but it’s worth a thought. You could speak to your local tyre specialist for further advice.
As you would know that the Formula One designers spend millions to shave just a few kilos off their cars to maximise performance yet motorists lug around all sorts of weighty junk in the boot. Ensure to have a clear-out and take that roof rack off, it’s not really needed!
You may also consider converting your car to run on LPG, as it can greatly cut short your expenses as well. However, it’s expensive to install and the gas tank steals a lot of luggage space. So it’s only really viable option if you cover a lot of miles and intend to keep your car for a long time.
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