Fuel Economy

Fuel Economy STOP Get the most from your tank of petrol. Fuel consumptionhas a lot to do with the car you buy, but whatever you drive there are things you can do to save money and reduce energy use, CO2 emissions and pollution. Theseare simple ideas that really will make a difference. Before you'drive Lose eXcesS weight & streamline Leave promptly Don't start the engine until you'reready to go as idling wastes fuel and the engine warms up morequickly when you're moving. in the winter, scrapeicerather thanleave the car idling to warm up. Don't get lost ey иp Planahead of unfamiliar journeys to reduce the risk of getting lostand check the traffic news before youleave. Combine short trips Cold starts use more fuel so it pays to combine errands such as buying the paper, dropping off the recycling, or collecting the kids. Consider alternative modes of transport Consider alternatives: if it's a short journey (a couple of miles or so). Could you walk or cycle rather than taking the car? Stick to En route speed limits SPEED LIMIT Speeding can lower your gas mileage by 33% at highway around town and increases pollution. eds and by 5% 70 driving at mph uses and up to Cruising at 80 15% up to 9% more fuel than at 60mph more can use up t025% more fuel than at 70mph. thanat 50mph Easy does it HOW'S MY DRIVING CALL 0888-XXA-8888 drive smoothly, accelerate gently and read the road ahead to avoid unnecessary braking. Decelerate smoothly- when you have to slowdownortostop, decelerate smoothly by releasing the accelerator intime, leaving the car in gear. Rolling STOP STOP If you can keep the car moving all the time, so much the better; stopping then starting again uses more fuel than rolling. STOP [STOP Try changing upat an engine speed of around 2,000m 2,5OCm petrol diesel the Cut down air con Air-conditioning increases fuel consumption at lowspeeds, but at higher speeds the effects are less noticeable. So if it's a hot day open the windows around townand savethe air conditioning for highspeed driving. Also, electricalloads increase fuel consumption, so turnoff your heated rear windscreen, demister blowers and headlights when not required. If you do get caught in a queue, avoid wasting fuel - turn the engine off if it looks like you could be waiting for Don't be idle more than three minutes. come ON! 2. Coasting Although it used to be quite a common practice to save fuel, rolling downhill or approaching a junction with the car out of gear is inadvisable because the driver doesn't have full control of the vehicle. wheee So? You lose the ability to suddenly accelerate out of tricky situations STOP You lose engine braking which risks brake fade on downhill stretches-overheated brakes require harder pedal pressures to stop the vehicle. With changes in vehicle fuel systems coasting won't save you fuel these days either. Take your foot off the accelerator and the ECU cuts the fuel supply to the injectors anyway so there's nothing to begained by coasting. Modern diesel engines also have the ability to shut off the fuel whenyou take your foot off the accelerator. Modern car with electronic engine management - fuel andignition systems are effectively combined and controlled by one Electronic Control Unit (ECU). 21 3. Maintenance servicing Get the car servicedregularly (according to the manufacturer's schedule) to maintain engine efficiency. engine oil tyres Engine oil: makesure you use the right specification of engine oil (check the handbook). Checktyre pressures regularly and before long journeys; under-inflated tyres create morerolling resistance and so usemorefuel (check the handbook and increase pressures for heavier loads as recommended). A set of tyresthat are 10psi under-inflated will have the same effect as increasing the cost of fuel by 3% happy fuel saving! FLo