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1. 10 Top Fuel Saving Tips Fuel prices worldwide are increasing at an alarming rate, and we all know that sinking feeling in our gut when we see how fast the numbers on the pumps are running when we fill up nowadays. Fortunately though, there are many things all of can do to save fuel, and even better news is that it costs nothing. All we have to do is to use some common sense, and to adapt our driving styles, so in this list, we present you with ten proven tips that will save you hundreds of dollars in fuel costs over the course of a year. Here is how... Drive smoothly By driving at a constant speed your car’s momentum does most of the work, which means that you use the least amount of fuel to keep the car moving. If you drive a manual, change up through the gears as soon as you can, but without allowing the engine to labour, which causes the engine run with a large throttle opening, which in turn, uses a lot of fuel without producing any power. If you drive an automatic, avoid using the “Sport”, or “Performance” settings. These settings change the engine’s ignition and fuel injection mapping, which can double your fuel consumption. Learn to “read” the road ahead Always try to keep as far back from traffic as you can, since this allows you see the road ahead for longer distances. This way, you can see potential bottle necks in the traffic more clearly, and to take appropriate action sooner to prevent having to accelerate up hills, or braking unnecessarily for sharp bends. If you slow down unnecessarily, you need to speed up again unnecessarily, which uses a lot of fuel. If you drive in the urban environment, learn to match your speed to the traffic lights. For instance, if you keep to the speed limit, and you catch the first set of traffic lights on green, you can drive right through a town without ever having to stop at a red light, which will save you significant amounts of fuel, especially if you drive the same route to work and back every day. Don’t rev the engine unnecessarily In fact, there is no reason to let the engine run at anything above idling when you are stationary. It wastes fuel, but then again, there is no reason to let the engine idle for more than 60 seconds or so as well. Most traffic lights change in under a minute anyway, so if you are going to be stationary for longer than it takes for the lights to change, switch off the engine to save fuel. 1

2. Keep to the speed limit While it is true that a cat travelling at a constant high speed uses less fuel than a car that is driven erratically, sticking to a constant speed at the speed limit uses even less fuel. High speeds require more fuel to sustain, and it costs more than the two or three minutes you gain by exceeding the speed limit. If you habitually exceed the speed limits, try an experiment- keep to the limits for one week, and calculate the difference in the amount of fuel you save by driving slower. It’s OK, you can thank us later. Maintain correct tire pressures Under inflated tires can increase fuel consumption by as much a 4%, which adds up to a significant saving in the long run. You may not notice the difference in a week, but you will certainly see the difference in the total amount of fuel you use over a full month. Besides which, properly inflated tires also last significantly longer, so you win again. Avoid warming up the engine Allowing the engine to idle for several minutes to “warm up” before driving off can use as much as 150 millilitres of fuel per day. At that rate, you waste a litre of fuel in a week, 4 litres a month, and 48 litres over a year. That is just while warming up the engine, but if you add to this amount the amount of fuel wasted while idling at stop signs and traffic lights, then warming up the engine becomes distinctly unappealing. Modern engines only need a few seconds for the oil to circulate before it is safe to drive, so don’t waste time and fuel warming up the engine- it does not need to be warmed up, and you can probably use the money you waste this way for something else as well. Avoid short trips Short trips are arguably the biggest fuel wasters ever, so make a list of all the places you have to be in any given week, and see if you cannot do re-arrange your schedule so that you can do several errands or trips in one go, instead of doing lots of short trips right through the week. Short trips are also bad for the exhaust because the condensation that forms never gets a chance to burn off. Instead, the water collects in the silencers where it causes rust, which in turn will cost you a lot of money when you have to replace the silencers. Remove all dead weight from the car Regardless of your driving style, the amount of fuel you use is directly related to the weight of the car, so if you are not playing golf every day, remove your clubs from the car to save weight. This goes for everything else that does not need to be in the car as well, since if you cart around 2

3. a hundred pounds of dead weight, you need to burn fuel to move that extra hundred pounds. Keep the car as light as possible, and you will notice the difference in fuel consumption the very next time you fill the tank. Limit the use of the air conditioner Air conditioning may be a necessity in some climates, but there s no need to be driving around in a refrigerator. Ste the A/C to the highest setting that is comfortable, and don’t use it unless it is absolutely necessary. Air conditioners do not affect the fuel consumption of large capacity engines as much as they do smaller engines, but all air conditioners require huge amounts of energy to work, which means that all air conditioners use extra fuel. The only difference is in the amount of extra fuel they use, but resist the temptation to use the A/C for just one week, regardless of the capacity of your engine- you will be amazed at the savings that are possible by not using the A/C all the time. Keep your car in peak condition Keeping your car in peak condition, and having it serviced and maintained according to the maintenance schedule is still the best way to save fuel in the long run. Air filters that are clogged starve the engine of air, and sparkplugs that are worn or defective cannot ignite the air/fuel mixture properly, which leads to poor combustion, larger throttle openings to achieve the same power, and thus a huge increase in fuel consumption. The same goes for misaligned wheels- the increased rolling resistance of the wheels require more energy to overcome, which directly translates into increased fuel consumption. This article is provided by Auto Body Repair – the #1 US Auto Body Repair Directory. Copyright 2015. 3