10 Tips for Improving Fuel Efficiency
10 Tips for Improving Fuel Efficiency 1] Slow Down On The highway Your car is optimized to drive at 40-60mph(80-100km/hr), when you drive 70-80+mph fuel efficiency drops by up to a whooping 33% . Yes 33% , that is not a typo. I had heard this before and thought it was an exaggeration, then I drove the new Chevrolet Cobalt which has a fuel efficiency gauge in it and I saw it first hand, what a surprise. Is it worth speeding to save 5 minutes off your commute to work so you can just get held up in city traffic? Between the lost fuel efficiency, the extra wear and tear on the car driving beyond optimized speeds and inherent safety concerns I will need a good reason to start speeding on the highway from now on. 2] Cruise In The City The same idea applies in city driving. Speeding up to make the next red light guzzles gas and is hard on your car. This can decrease fuel efficiency by 5%. Why hurry up just to make the next red light? Let’s face it, speeding in the city doesn’t get you anywhere’s faster. If you drive like a bat out of hell you might make an extra light or two and chop a mere 2-4 minutes off your commute assuming you make it there alive. I drive at sane speeds throughout the city while most others fly by me and hard brake at the next red light, I then pull up beside them or even pass them as I may not of needed to stop as the lights are usually synchronized for sane driving speeds not surprisingly (it also takes more gas to get back up to speed than to maintain it). So have some fun watching people fly by you and seeing them at the next red light knowing your car is much better off. 3] Tire Pressure Here’s one everyone can do easily. It only takes a couple minutes to check your tires pressure. Under inflated tires can result in 3% less fuel efficiency. 4] Link Your Trips/Errands Plan your trip to include as many destinations or errands as possible. Fewer trips means less cold starts, better fuel efficiency and less driving than multiple small trips. 5] Avoid Unnecessary Idling. You’re getting 0 mpg for this one. If you’re going to wait 5-10 minutes for a friend give your car and wallet a break. For those who live in colder climates this is a bigger issue. We all want our cars toasty warm in the winter time when we get inside. Today’s cars really only needs 30 second of idling to warm up even in cold weather, then 1-2 minutes of driving to get it fully warmed up. So bundle up and save yourself a bundle. 6] Maintain Your Car Inexpensive oil and air filter changes can boost your cars performance and increase your cars lifespan. A blocked air filter can decrease fuel efficiency by as much as 10% and a misfiring spark plug won’t help either. So try to follow your cars service manual.. It beats dealing with an unexpected major repair and major inconvenience.. 7] Monitor Your Fuel efficiency I like to measure how many miles / KM I get on half a tank after filling it up. It’s easier to measure this way as we don’t let our gas tanks completely run dry and its impossible to estimate how much was left when you fill it up again. You can see how your driving habits affect your fuel economy and if your habits haven’t changed and you fuel economy drops off, then maybe its time for some car maintenance. Purchasing a fuel consumption gauge (if you car doesn’t already have one) can give you real time feedback and more accurate reading. This provides great instant feedback on driving habits. 8] Remove Unnecessary Items From Your Car For each extra 100lbs you lose 1-2% fuel efficiency, so get the golf clubs out of the trunk until your next tee off time. Leaving items on your roof rack also creates extra drag which makes your car work harder, so lock your mountain bikes up till the next trip. 9] Jack Rabbit Starts Some people like to suddenly accelerate by putting their foot to the floor. This guzzles gas and gives marginal speed improvement to a gradual acceleration. 10] Back Off Tail gating results in unnecessary breaking and accelerating. Hang back a little more and you can avoid the added stress and save some gas. It’s also safer to drive this way, give yourself an extra second to avoid an accident ! Paul Fezziwig writes for and administers 'Green Cars Now', http://www.greencarsnow.com , a website devoted to promoting fuel efficient vehicles and better driving habits.
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What’s up with Hybrid Vehicles?
If the price of gasoline has got you scared, and you’re thinking about maybe trading in your car for a moped, you’ve got half the solution right. It might be time to trade in your car, but forget the moped — get a hybrid car instead. The dictionary defines the word hybrid as: Offspring resulting from breeding between parents of two different species, and that’s a good definition for our purposes. That’s because a hybrid car has a power plant that’s a cross between a gasoline powered engine and an electric motor. What’s the big deal about hybrid cars? The automobile industry claims that a hybrid car can give you as much as 20 to 30 miles per gallon more performance than a standard gasoline engine. That means that you buy less gasoline, and buying less gasoline leaves more money in your pocket. You’ll need that extra money, however, because hybrid cars are still relatively expensive compared to traditional gasoline-powered cars. As more hybrid cars are sold, manufacturing prices will drop, and that drop will be seen in the selling price. How does a hybrid car save gasoline? In a typical automobile, the engine is connected to the transmission via a mechanical link called the drive train. When the engine’s sparkplugs fire, they ignite gasoline vapor which pushes a piston up and down. This piston movement gets transferred to the transmission via the drive train. The transmission turns the wheels and the car goes down the road. Well, the hybrid car is almost exactly the same except that in addition to the engine being connected to the transmission, an electric motor is also connected to the transmission. Actually, there are two different versions of hybrid cars. The one that was just described is called a parallel hybrid, because there are two different energy sources connected in parallel to the transmission. The other type of hybrid car is called a series hybrid because the gasoline engine works in series with the electric motor to power the car. This is accomplished by having the gasoline engine either charge the car’s batteries, or power the electric motor. The gasoline engine doesn’t actually turn the car’s wheels at all. The parallel hybrid operates off of the electric motor when the car is being driven below a certain speed, and the gasoline engine kicks in when that speed is exceeded, or when sensors in the car indicate that the driver has accelerated suddenly as if to pass or to avoid an emergency situation. Of course, the gasoline engine is always running even when the electric motor is powering the car, so some gasoline is always being used. The series hybrid is always running off of the electric motor, which restricts the top speed of the car, and the gasoline engine only kicks in when the batteries need to be charged. Like all automotive claims, your mileage may vary. Even so, if you’re looking to spend less money at the gas station, and avoid much of the effect of rising gas prices, you might want to park a hybrid car in your garage. Diane Nassy is the founder of <a href="http://www.save-on-gas-prices.com">http://www.save-on-gas-prices.com</a> . Visit her website for great tips on ways to save on rising gas prices. Email : <a href="mailto:httpdeeljeabiz@gmail.com">deeljeabiz@gmail.com</a>
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Defensive Driving Tips On Vehicle Lane Changes
Lane changes can be one of the easiest maneuvers with a vehicle, and can be one of the hardest maneuvers at the same time. Changing lanes requires processing information and making a safe decision well in advance to make the maneuver a simple and safe task. The faster your speed is, the faster you have to process information, which in turn makes it a little more difficult. There are important defensive driving procedures you must do, before making a lane change. Look ahead and plan ahead. If you plan well in advance, the maneuver becomes a lot easier and safer. Checking your path ahead before you consider changing lanes is the number one priority. What traffic and pedestrians are doing ahead of you is the first step in processing information and making a decision. You must always check your path ahead for vehicle traffic changes, and controlled intersections that affect these changes. There are many potential hazards that you should be looking for. You have to be looking ahead for vehicles slowing down and possibly stopping in front of you, and making sure you?re on the look out for pedestrians that may step off the curb up ahead. Also checking for vehicles that may possibly come out in front of you, or from another merging lane. A good indication of what traffic and pedestrians are going to do ahead of you would be motorist signaling ahead of you with a signal and or brake lights. If their signaling to turn, they have to slow down and possibly stop for other traffic or pedestrians, depending on circumstances where they are turning. All this information is important, because it affects everybody in motion. While your checking your path ahead, you have to know what is happening behind you. If you use your rearview mirror all the time, you will always know what is happening around you. Using the rearview mirror, gives you a bigger picture than your side mirrors. Checking your rearview mirror should be done at a glance only. Your main concern is in front of you. When glancing at your rearview mirror, you should be glancing for traffic coming up faster than you, also vehicles signaling to change lanes behind you. They may be picking up speed to pass your vehicle. In order to make a safe lane change, you have to either slow down to let traffic get by you, or speed up to stay ahead of traffic, without going over the speed limit. If you?re doing the same speed as traffic behind you, they won?t catch up to you, unless you start braking. If traffic is doing the same speed, you should accelerate slightly to maneuver over to the other lane, unless there is a good reason not to. Once you know what is happening both ahead of you and behind your vehicle. The number three procedure is signaling to let traffic know your intentions on the direction you plan on maneuvering. The signaling procedure is for communicating to other drivers. If you signal and let other drivers know what you?re doing, they may slow down to let you make the safe lane change. Warning other vehicles of your intention to change lanes, include vehicles ahead of you and behind you. Drivers negotiating to maneuver out in front of you may stay where they are, if they see your signal to move over, possibly into the lane that they want to maneuver into. People do not always do what there suppose to do, so anticipate the worst. Take nothing for granted! It may be a safer lane change beyond traffic waiting to come out, if you have time. You also have to consider not surprising the vehicles close to your vehicle by signaling as they approach the corner side of your vehicle. They may panic and brake, thinking you?re moving over sooner. Wait until they are beside your vehicle and your signal is out of their sight before you signal to warn other traffic behind your vehicle. This seems like a lot of info for just a signal, but communicating with other drivers are important in defensive driving. After you have signaled and you know everything is clear ahead of you and behind. Take a quick glance over to your blind spot, and make sure there is nobody sitting along side your vehicle. Stay in your lane, if it is not safe. When you check your shoulder, it?s only supposed to be a glance. You still have one more important procedure before maneuvering into the other lane. Recheck the lane ahead of you, just before you turn the steering wheel to make sure nobody is stopping or coming out into your path. Once you have glanced over your shoulder and looked forward, gradually maneuver over right away with a slight adjustment of the steering wheel. Only if it?s safe! You do not want to be maneuvering over, if there is a vehicle stopping in front of you, or coming out in front of your intended path. If you cannot make the maneuver right after the shoulder check, cancel everything and start over. The worst scenario would be traveling an extra block in town. Do not make lane changes at intersections. Make sure lane changes are done before and after intersections. Intersections include any crossroad, side road, lane or street. Constantly planning well in advance and constantly using your mirrors, will help you become a better defensive driver. I hope these defensive driving tips help your goal in becoming a safe driver. For more information on this topic, please consult with a family member and a recognized Driving School on defensive driving techniques. Owned and operated a Driving School for several years. Taught over 2000 kids and adults how to drive. 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