Effective fuel-saving tips can help you maximize your diesel or petrol usage. When you don’t have a fuel efficient car but want to get some fuel and fuel money saved during the current crisis, here are 8 of the easiest tips that you can try on any vehicle to reduce its fuel consumption and save some money.
Petrol and diesel consumption in Sri Lanka
At present many people are well aware of the fuel crisis in Sri Lanka. Yet not many of them know the current petrol and diesel consumption on the island, which has significantly increased during the last few months.
Hoarding fuel due to nationwide fuel shortage and buying more than they require at a time to reduce the number of visits to the fuel station have been the main reasons for creating the current increase in demand. As of February 2022, diesel demand in the country has increased to 8,000 metric tonnes from 5,500 metric tonnes per week. For petrol, the number has gone to 4,500 metric tonnes, which was at 3,000 metric tonnes per week.
An increase in consumption further increases the demand, leading to further raising the prices due to the lack of adequate supply. This is why everyone must try to save fuel as much as possible, which also will help you save the time and hassle wasted in fuel queues.
So here are 8 fuel-saving tips that you can try on any vehicle to delay your next fuel station visit while contributing to keeping the stability of the island’s economy as you can.
Maintain your tire health
Underinflated or overfilled tires are known to reduce the fuel efficiency of a vehicle. Thus maintaining the right tire pressure is one of the easiest fuel-saving tips that you can try to save some of your fuel money. Suitable tire pressure to achieve the best fuel economy changes based on the load you are carrying. So make sure to know the best tire pressure level that needs to be maintained for your vehicle and check your pressure on a monthly basis. Recommended pressure level for sports cars and passenger cars is between 32 – 40 psi. For small cars, a level below 35 psi is the most suited.
Accelerate gently
Although this might feel more like common sense rather than a fuel-saving tip, many forget the fact that the faster you accelerate, the more fuel you burn. So always keep in mind to ease onto the accelerator paddle whenever you want to increase your speed. To achieve the optimal fuel efficiency in your vehicle, try accelerating to 20 km/h in 5 seconds. One of the best ways to easily make sure that you are speeding up at the correct rate is to place a cup of coffee on the dashboard and not let the coffee spill out.
Drive at a steady speed
Everyone knows that driving at different speeds consumes more fuel. This means if you are constantly speeding up and slowing down when you are on the road, your vehicle will burn more fuel. For most cars, the best speed level to achieve the optimal fuel economy is 55-65mph.
It can be difficult to maintain a steady speed with all the different traffic and road conditions. However, being mindful will help you to keep your speed at a steady level whenever possible by smoothly using the accelerator, steering, and brakes. Also, you can use cruise control for this but keep in mind cruise control can only help you save fuel when driving on flat surfaces.
Avoid high speeds
Many people are in a rush throughout the day with their busy schedules and are always late for something. However, you have to keep in mind that the faster you drive, the more fuel the vehicle will use. For example, driving at 85 mph will consume 40% more fuel than driving at 70 mph. On the other hand, avoiding high speeds will also ensure your safety on the road.
Decelerate slowly
Another way that you can save fuel is by decelerating your vehicle slowly. You waste your fuel every time you use your brakes to break the forward momentum.
So always observe what’s going on ahead of the road from traffic conditions to pedestrians crossing the road. Notice in advance when you have to slow down. So you will always have enough time to take your foot off the accelerator and let the car slow down itself without having to use the brakes.
Also, when slowing down, always stay in gear so you can activate the fuel cut-off switch in the fuel injection engine; thus, you will only consume a small amount of fuel during braking.
Also read – Top 5 Cars to Drive in Traffic.
Use a bit less air conditioning.
In most cars, the A/C makes the vehicle burn 20% more fuel. So you might want to enjoy fresh air more and get some fuel saved. Open your window when you are driving in the city and highways, where there is often less dust. You can also try to re-circulate the option in your air conditioning for more efficient A/C in your vehicle.
Plan your routes
Planning ahead of the route you are taking also can reduce your fuel consumption. Always take the routes with less traffic, stoplights, intersections and pedestrians. If you have to use a road with traffic, plan your travels during less jammed hours. Also, always pay attention to the news and see if there are any roadblocks, accidents and other trouble spots.
Combine trips
Driving for a long period of time helps your engine warm up for the most fuel efficiency temperature. So plan your trips wisely and make sure you get many things done from one trip. Therefore you are not driving to run errands one after the other.
Keep these fuel-saving tips in mind to stretch the fuel you buy as much as you can. Even if you don’t have a fuel efficient car, these tips will help you run longer for less fuel. But if you are looking for a fuel-efficient car for sale in Sri Lanka, head over to Ikman.lk to find the best deals.
