It’s easy to reduce your fuel consumption.
Service and tune your vehicle
Regularly service and tune your vehicle as this could reduce your fuel consumption by up to 4 percent. Also, replace worn components such as spark plugs and regularly change lubricants and filters.
Oil and fuel
Use the recommended grade of oil and fuel to maximise fuel economy, use the oil and fuel recommended in your owner’s handbook.
Properly inflate your tyres
Check tyre pressure monthly and before long trips. Underinflated tyres are a significant contributor to increased fuel consumption.
Fill it up
You can reduce consumption by filling up. It’s better to use most of your fuel before refuelling, as each time you remove the fuel filler cap, fuel evaporates and is lost to the atmosphere. When filling up, stop your fill at the first click – if you continue filling beyond this, you risk overflowing the tank and wasting fuel.
Avoid prolonged idling
Having your vehicle stopped but idling is just consumption for no reason. Modern vehicles are designed to operate efficiently from start up and don’t need to be ‘warmed up’. If you stop for an extended period, and can re-start safely, then consider turning off your engine.
Use high gears and cruise control
Use the highest gear, relative to the speed you are travelling, to save fuel and reduce wear. Cruise control (if fitted), helps maintain a constant speed and can reduce fuel consumption when used on long flat roads.
Read the road ahead
Avoid quick starts and aggressive driving. You’ll save fuel and avoid unnecessary wear and tear. It also helps if you accelerate smoothly, look well ahead and anticipate stops.
Clean out your vehicle and remove roof racks
Unnecessary heavy weight burns fuel, so avoid carrying around heavy items if you don’t need to. Things like roof racks and storage boxes create unnecessary drag and increase fuel consumption, so if they’re not being used, remove them.
Avoid rush hour and combine trips
Where possible, avoid rush hour driving as stop-and-go driving burns more fuel. Try to plan ahead and combine several trips into one.
Slow down
Fuel consumption increases by around 6 percent for every 10 km/h faster you go over 90 km/h. Besides being the speed limit, for most drivers, 100 km/h is a good compromise between travel time and fuel economy.
Supplied by MTA