Common sense ways to save gas
We often look for gadgets and products (and there are several valid ones) to save gas, but we sometimes forget that plain old common sense plays a vital role! These things are so mundane and boring that we don’t really want to look at them but they are often the most important.
1. First up is the condition of the vehicles engine. A well maintained and regularly serviced and tuned engine performs far better with far greater fuel efficiency than one with worn parts. this is almost like a precondition to everything else.
2. Just as important as the above point are driving habits. Especially in an area where there are traffic lights. The flow and speed of the traffic is controlled by the timing of the various sets of traffic lights and my experience is that one will usually not get to your destination much faster by accelerating quickly only to have to hit the brakes at the next set of traffic lights. The only big difference is a huge increase in fuel consumption!
3. This point might in a way fall under point one but has another dimension as well. Tyre pressure has a very significant influence on fuel usage. Tyres should always be kept at the manufacturer’s recommended pressure. A slightly higher than recommended pressure (10% – 15% but not exceeding the maximum pressure) will increase fuel efficiency but is offset by a loss of traction and a detrimental effect on the longevity of the tyres. Experiment at your own risk!
4. Something I have seen recommended is to put your gear in neutral going downhill (assuming that you have a manual transmission) but this is also only workable when the decline is sufficient for you not to loose to much speed. If you loose too much speed then the acceleration to get up to speed again will take more gas so overall you will probably not save gas.
