Drive More with Less

Although fuel consumption can depend on many factors like vehicle and tire condition, road condition, fuel used, engine efficiency, vehicle aerodynamic design, and many others, there are a few things you can do to reduce the consumption simply by adopting good driving habits.

Here are some tips to help us achieve good driving habits:

Avoid Aggressive Driving

Speeding, rapid accelerating and braking waste a lot of petrol. What is the use of picking up speed to travel a little bit faster and then later having to brake in order to slow down again, perhaps to negotiate a turn, or to avoid a slow-moving vehicle in front?

It does not make sense! And yet many of us are guilty of this habit of impatience. A good practice will be to follow the speed of the general traffic and drive at that speed. If the traffic is slow moving, just follow and move slowly. Similarly, if the traffic is fast, travel faster. But always follow the vehicle in front at a good distant away. In this way, even when it slows down or brakes, you still do not have to brake yet, until you have moved really close.

When you brake, you are resisting the energy already moving the vehicle. A lot of energy is harnessed to just move a stationary vehicle. Once the vehicle has moved, less energy is needed to maintain its speed. But when you slow down, it again uses more energy to bring it up to speed. The less you brake, the more the energy you save.

Aggressive driving can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds to about 5 percent around town.

Observe the Speed Limit

Research has shown that fuel economy decreases rapidly at speeds above 60 mph. Although each vehicle will have its own optimal fuel economical speed or range of speeds, its gas mileage usually comes down when the speed reaches above 60 mph.

Remove Excess Weight

It stands to reason that heavier vehicles will consume more petrol or gas. While the vehicle structure and body may be heavy, do not make it heavier by storing unnecessary items, especially heavy ones. The extra weight will affect smaller vehicles than larger ones.

Avoid Excessive Idling Time

When the vehicle is idling, it is not moving. This means that you get zero miles while you are burning the fuel. This is not good practice economically. All the fuel goes to waste.

Use Cruise Control and high gears

By using cruise control, you can maintain constant speeds that will save energy. This is similar to the above tip about avoiding aggressive driving of speeding up, accelerating and braking. Use cruise control on the highway.

Using high gears means you do not have to rev up the engines for the same vehicle speed. The engine runs comparatively slower for the same vehicle speed compared to using low gears. This saves petrol while reducing engine wear.

When you work on your driving behavior, you could save quite a lot in terms of fuel economy. But that is not all. You can even save your own life by driving at slower speeds, with more patience, and with less stress.
 
 
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Thomas Yoon specializes in cartoon illustrations that will make an impact on people's opinions. http://www.cartoon-web.com
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