May 6, 2008

If the current skyrocketing fuel prices are starting to stretch your budget, you could change the way that you drive in order to make the fuel in your tank last longer.

The main thrust of the idea is that you should drive in a steady and consistent manner.  This is best illustrated when driving along a road that had speed bumps on it.  You can either accelerate hard between the sleeping policemen, and therefore have to brake hard too; or you can maintain a steady but reasonably slow pace between them.  The net effect is that the steady driver uses much less fuel than the more aggressive, accelerating between bumps, but doesn’t take much longer to get to the end of the road. 

The benefits of driving like this are many, for as well are using more fuel, driving the car hard wears it out.  The brakes need servicing more often, the gearbox is overworked and will show early signs of wear.   The engine itself will return fewer miles than a car that has been driven more steadily.  The suspension takes more of a pounding from the aggressive driver as the constant acceleration and braking changes the weight distribution from the front to the back of the car.  The constant and sudden change of speeds puts an unnecessary proportion of the weight on the individual axles, especially the front axle and wears out the suspension.

Engines like to be used at a constant rate so acceleration isn’t what is best for them.  In order to maximise both your fuel consumption and your engine life you should try to keep your acceleration down to a minimum, it will benefit both your car and your pocket.  The advice from the Institute of Advanced Drivers is to accelerate to your desired speed as quickly as it is safe to.  Then you should get into the highest gear possible and cruise. 

One of the most important components of this driving style is to take a longer term view of the road and anticipate what’s going on ahead.  For example if you are approaching a roundabout it’s best to come off the throttle early and let your momentum take you towards the roundabout.  Driving like this you will be looking to see if the way is likely to be clear and if it’s not you’ll be in the best place to slow slightly and in effect manufacture the space that you’ll be pulling into.  This is also possible with traffic lights; if the light is red then there seems little point in thrashing the car to get to the lights and sit waiting for them to change, if you come off the accelerator early you’ll be naturally slowing as you approach the lights and there is more chance that they will have changed by the time you get there.

It’s well worth making a note of the cars that are in front of and behind you as you drive round an urban area.  Even your best efforts to make up time will see you unable to put any great distance between you and the slow drivers around you as our roads are so regulated.  Overtaking is something that should be only undertaken in extremis.  You may well find that the ‘Sunday driver’ that you’ve thrashed past is sat behind you every time you pull up at the lights, hardly a good return for that risky and inefficient piece of driving.

When on the motorway try and stick to around 60 mph.  Yes, for the most part it’s 10 mph less than the speed limit but it’s likely to save quite a bit on the fuel bill. Cars tend to offer their best fuel economy between 45 mph and 60 mph and tail off quite quickly from there.  There are a number of other factors that can make a difference.  If you have a roof box, it can increase your fuel consumption by 20% at 70 mph.  Air conditioning is notorious for adding to the fuel bills and the same is said for the rear demist.  While it’s important that you can see out of your rear window you can make the time to check that it’s not on unnecessarily.  The same can be said of the lights too.  Anything that requires power will make your engine work harder and while this may be nominal, the extra expense it does soon add up. 

There are other standard things to look out for.  Make sure that your tyres are correctly inflated, as they will work more efficiently on the road, and last longer as they wear properly.  Make sure you are not carrying any unnecessary weight (not the mother-in-law), what is in your boot?  If that set of weights is in there from your last move then it’s adding to your fuel bill as well as wrecking your suspension.  Some cars are now fitted with start stop technology to save them wasting fuel idling at the lights.  Why not cut your engine when your outside a shop of school?

With environmental issues and soaring petrol prices making headlines on a daily basis there looks to be no end to the current spike in fuel costs.  Buying a new car may enable you to get a more efficient model but this will be costly in itself.  The easiest way to save money and reduce your carbon footprint is to look at the way that you drive, and to do so more efficiently.  You'll probably find that your journeys take a tiny bit longer but they'll cost you less and will be a much more pleasant experience.

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