With the advancement of technology, fuel efficiency has become one of the major unique selling points for vehicles. But in certain conditions and if not driven/maintained properly, even these modern fuel-efficient cars can give you fewer miles per litre/gallon.
So what can be done to make your vehicle more fuel-efficient? The number of factors determines how your vehicle uses fuel, making the engine fuel-efficient or inefficient. This includes your driving habits as well as the way the vehicle is maintained. This also includes some factors which do not kill the fuel efficiency suddenly but one drop at a time.
We all want to save some bucks at the pump and we also want our cars to be fuel-efficient. In the context of fuel economy, one has to factor in both these aspects. If you don’t seem to be getting the overall fuel efficiency you desire, there can be many reasons. It could be a mechanical issue or your driving technique.
In this article, we have made a list of some of the driving habits which can affect fuel economy.
Tyre Pressure
If you take into consideration the fact that many times the terrain and roads you drive through are not of a high standard, your car’s tyres take quite a beating. This and the abrasive action of friction between the road and tyres while driving will obviously reduce the air pressure in your tyre which affects the quality of travel, ease of handling, balance and eventually the fuel economy.
One should strive to keep the tyre pressure at the recommended point which is mentioned by the manufacturer. Take your vehicle to the aircheck facilities and check your tyre pressure regularly. One can choose low rolling resistance tyres to improve the fuel economy but it has been seen that these tyres don’t give proper grip. So, the best bet is to keep checking the tyre pressure so that your car does not have to do more work than required.
Ignoring Maintenance
If you are not taking your vehicle for regular servicing and still want fuel efficiency, it’s a foolish dream. Taking your vehicle for regular checks and replacing any damaged part, tuning your vehicle’s system at specified regular times is as essential as filling it with gas to run. Wear and tear of vehicle parts, in the end, makes your vehicle less fuel-efficient and such parts need to be taken care of. Ignoring car body repairs also has a very bad impact on the longevity of your vehicle.
This also leads to the problem where worn out parts damage subsequent parts they’re connected to. Changing the engine oil and oil filter, cleaning the air filter and other such maintenance operations play a major role in keeping your vehicle fuel-efficient.
Too many short trips
The engine of your vehicle is at its most efficient after warming up to a certain degree. If one only goes for short trips, the vehicle does not have the opportunity to warm up to that extent which is required and overall the fuel efficiency is affected.
Acceleration and Braking Habits
If one drives in an aggressive fashion, it makes your vehicle switch gears at a much faster rate than is required for using fuel in an efficient manner. It has been found by testing that indicates that a habit of heavy braking and aggressive acceleration can reduce the fuel efficiency of the car by about 30 per cent.
Above Average Speed
The faster you go, the more air resistance your vehicle encounters and this makes your vehicle less fuel-efficient. Vehicle manufacturing companies often specify the optimum speed at which the vehicle offers the best fuel efficiency.
Try to make a habit of driving around this speed.