10 Ways To Get More Miles Per Gallon

People are often asking me how to get better fuel economy from their car, however, while there are quite a few people asking this question, there are not nearly enough overall! Most people, believe it or not, just take their cars fuel economy for what it is, be it good or bad there is nearly always room for improvement, be it major things like driving with a lighter foot and cruising in higher gears, to the finer details like maximising your cars aerodynamic properties by keeping it waxed and clean - we'll go into that one later!

So, for those of you looking to squeeze every last drop of fuel out of your tank and increase your miles per pound - take a look over these essential fuel saving tips, use them all together, and you will be surprised at the improvement to your mpg and your wallet!

Tyre Pressures

Tyre pressures really can make a big big difference to your cars efficiency. In a nutshell the flatter your tyre the more friction there is on the road and the more energy is required to move your car along, so making sure your tyre pressures are at the right level is essential for not only fuel consumption but safety too. The optimum pressure for your cars tyres can be found in your vehicles manual, sometimes on the inside of your driver side door, and if not then often your cars tyre pressure information can be found on the side of air pumps at petrol stations too. Once you have the pressures right in all four it is a great start to maximising your tanks potential - this little adjustment can improve fuel economy by 5%!!!

I know we are talking about fuel economy here but while we are on the subject of tyres I cannot stress enough to you just how important it is to get your tyres right for safety reasons too. Tyres are the first and last point of contact with the road, and incorrect pressures, be it too high or too low, will have an effect on handling, breaking, ride quality, can result in uneven tyre wear and compromise overall performance. So please put some time into getting it right, you will have a much better all round driving experience.

Using The Right Oil

An oil change is not something all car owners get carry out for them selves these days as this is often part of a routine service packaged with many cars. However, using the right oil in your car is not only advisable in looking after your engine, but good quality oil will allow the moving parts in your engine to operate more efficiently and with less friction which in turn requires less energy to once again power the car. This is proven to improve fuel economy so make sure your car has an oil change from time to time - if you aren't sure if you need one - contact your local dealer and book one in specifying they replace the old stuff with the best new oil for your car.

Air Filter

Having a clean or uprated air filter allows your car to breathe better making for a better fuel to air mixture which allows the petrol or diesel in your engine to ignite easier, this basically means it will require less petrol to make your car move so for cars over 3 years old it can be worth looking into replacing your air filter.

Combine Trips

Try not to do lots of short trips throughout your day or week, stopping and starting and stopping again, especially with a cold engine is a nightmare for efficiency. The idea is to get your car up to temperature and do the majority of your travelling while your car is warmed up - so try not to nip to the corner shop and then come home only to then go out a little later to town and then come back again. This kind of stop starting with a cold engine and short trips will sap the juice so combine your trips and it will add up to improvement over the week.

Cool It

Having the air conditioning on uses fuel even when the car is stationary and having the windows open increases drag on the car when moving at higher speeds. So, the ideal moment to use air conditioning is motorway driving with the windows up, as energy from the engine is at it's optimum, available to power the air con, and try to have your windows down when moving at slower speeds as to avoid unnecessary drag. Both little details but over journeys can save those precious litres!

Nice and Easy

Possibly the worst thing you can do for your fuel consumption is fast erratic driving, especially heavy acceleration from stand still and slow speeds and last minute heavy breaking. Having a heavy foot (pressing the pedal to the floor) will seriously sap your fuel and by scrubbing off speed quickly and heavily this expels your hard earned momentum that costs in fuel and energy to maintain. In short the biggest contributor to wasting fuel is fast driving, so keep it steady and consistent with moderate acceleration all while changing gear at lower revs and you will notice a world of difference.

Weight

Power to weight is key to both performance and economy, try not to keep heavy loads in your car all the time, extra weight requires more energy to move around and therefore uses more fuel. So keep your car light

High Gears

Driving in high gears is a great way to conserve fuel. Changing into a high gear as soon as possible around town will help increase your MPG but especially once you are up to speed on longer journeys and on Motorways, staying in a high gear allows the car to waft along with less effort therefore less energy is used than it does in lower gears.

Idling

If you are waiting somewhere or stuck in traffic for a longer than normal period of time, it is worth turning off your engine because idling not only uses petrol but you aren't even making any progress!

Wax On Wax Off

This is a funny one I came across once. Waxing your cars bodywork can make it more aerodynamic by filling in minute imperfections which in turn helps to reduce it's drag coefficient. Really this is down to a scientific level but every little helps!