Tip to reduce your fuel costs
Everyday I drive out of Colombo to my workplace at Radawana and the
rising cost of fuel was one of the main problems that hit me recently.
Unable to cut petrol costs and spending several weeks in search of a
solution I thought of seeking advice from web based articles. Here, are
some of the useful tips I found out about reducing fuel costs.
Make sure your tyres are inflated to the proper pressure. One tyre
that is under inflated by only 5 psi will reduce fuel economy by 10 per
cent. The proper tyre pressure for each tyre is marked on the label
fixed near the driver’s seat door. (I use a portable pen like device to
measure tyre pressure - comes very handy when checking tyres at home)
Eliminate all unnecessary weight from your vehicle. Every 90 kg of
extra weight reduces fuel economy by 0.42 km per litre. (That extra
chair you fixed inside your van, the potable car refrigerator or the
heavy tool box that you never needed can be removed to save fuel)
Avoid long idling. Restarting the engine uses about the save amount
of gas as idling for 30 seconds. If you are going to be sitting still
for longer, turn the engine off.
Buy gasoline in the morning when the temperature is coldest and the
fuel is densest. Fuel is sold by volume, not density. As the fuel warms
up during the day it will expand in your tank. Don’t completely fill
your tank allowing the fuel to expand and overflow.
Keep the air filter clean by replacing it every 30,000 miles. What
you can do more often is to get it cleaned at your service station
(Which I learnt, costs very little). A dirty filter limits the engine’s
air intake causing it to burn more fuel.
Only use the A/C when really needed since it is one of the biggest
drains on engine power and fuel economy. It can reduce fuel economy by 5
to 20 per cent depending on the vehicle and how it is driven. Vehicles
with automatic climate control have the advantage that it automatically
switches the A/C off when the desired temperature is reached.
Changing speeds uses more fuel. Travelling at a constant speed uses
less.
Avoid racing starts. (At traffic lights here in Sri Lanka) A car uses
more fuel when accelerating. Try to limit hard acceleration and fast
breaking.
Don’t drive aggressively/Drive at the speed limit: Avoid aggressive
driving. All vehicles lose fuel economy at speeds above 88 km per hour.
(This is above the allowed speed limit in Sri Lanka) Driving 104 instead
of 120 km per hour reduces fuel cost 13 per cent. Driving 88 km per hour
would save 25 per cent.
Know about the octane rating: The octane rating of gasoline tells you
how much the fuel can be compressed before it spontaneously ignites.
When gas ignites by compression rather than because of the spark from
the spark plug, it causes knocking in the engine. Knocking can damage an
engine, so it is not something you want to have happening.
Then does higher octane petrol reduce engine knock? Yes it did in
older engines using carburettors to regulate air/gas mix. However, since
the middle to late 80’s, engines are designed to use fuel injectors with
computers to accurately control the air/fuel mix under all types of
temperature and environment concerns.
Most cars are designed to burn regular unleaded fuels with an octane
rating of 87. If the vehicle needs a higher octane rating, there is
documentation in the owner’s manual, as well as possibly under the fuel
gauge and by the fuel fill hole. Usually you will see this rating for
high performance engines only.
So the take home message is that switching to high octane petrol
gives no real benefits, other than the gasoline manufacturers making
more money off of you.
Have a safe and more budget friendly ride!
Dr. Himantha Atukorale
- Government Hospital, Radawana
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