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Tips for improving your vehicle mileage or fuel efficiency

Tuesday, February 17th, 2009

Several factors that may effect your vehicles mileage are your car maintenance, aerodynamic factors, driving factors and several other factors too. These are described below with some tips to improve your vehicle's mileage.

Increase mileage = Save money

CAR MAINTENANCE

Keep your vehicle tuned up:

your car should be tuned up to ensure that your car is running efficiently.

- clean and replace your air filters

- check tyres for good condition (ensure the tyres are inflated to correct pressure)

- maintain proper wheel alignment

- check spark plugs and replace if necessary

- use the grade of motor oil / engine oil recommended by the manufacturer.

REMOVE SNOW TIRES DURING GOOD WEATHER SEASONS

snow tires work by increasing friction between tires and the ground. This prevents from sliding on ice, but more friction means your engine need to work harder.

AERODYNAMIC FACTORS

Aerodynamics is an important factor in deciding your cars fuel efficiency. All automotive manufacturers design their vehicle to run with all windows closed, and to achieve the mileage mileage mark which they tells.

aerodynamic drag(wind resistance) is one of the most important elements in getting good mileage. this comes in action especially at high speeds. generally about 23% of the vehicles power produced is used to overcome the aerodynamic drag. Removing the rack for carrying skis, bikes, or just extra stuff,roof top racks can badly effect the vehicle mileage.

Rolling up windows and closing sun roof will surely give good mileage at high speeds.

Avoiding ornaments and decorations around the car is advisable.

DRIVING FACTORS

Drive sensibly : Aggressive driving, rapid acceleration and hand braking all waste gasoline and will wear out vehicle systems pre-maturely.

Eliminate jackrabbit starts: Accelerate slowly when starting from a dead stop. Rapid acceleration requires your engineto work harder and consumes more fuel than that of earlier.

Cruise control: Using cruise control on highways maintains constant speed and hence saves fuel.

Drive in economic speeds: Try to drive in speed limits. Doubling your speed may decrease your mileage by half.

Keep idling at minimum: Switch off your engine if you expect to wait in your car more than a minute. idling your engine will consume the gas amount equivalent to that of starting.

BUYING GASOLINE

Buying gasoline

Avoid topping of the gas tank: don't overfill your gas tank as chances of sloshing over and out of the tank is high.

Buy gasoline at the coolest time of the day: Early morning and the late evening are the best time to buy gasoline. Because less evaporation of gas when you pump. During this lowest temperatures gasoline is most dense, more denser means more mass of fuel into your gas tank while filling. Gas pumps measure volume of gasoline, not the density of fuel concentration.

GENERAL ADVICE

Keep your cars load light: avoid heavy loads in your car whenever you don't need them. For example; Remove the sand bags that you may use for extra traction in winter season (while driving through ice) during the summer.

Avoid air conditioners at lower speeds: Be comfortable with windows open at lower speeds. If possible avoid both AC and opening of windows. Running of Car A/c at lower speed needs more work from engine.

Don't hesitate to use heaters and defrosters: While air conditioners take more power your heaters and defrosters work by diverting the waste heat produced by engine.

By a car with good gasoline mileage: Compare the mileage of the vehicle types you are looking at and buy suitable one

Use public transports

Share the ride with other passengers

Avoid short distance drive: walking or riding bicycle to near by market, shops etc.. are advisable.