Photo: Keeping Low Revs to save on fuel consumption
Transportation. What would we do without it. Many Canadians own a car. It is a great privilege to have but it comes with a cost. Repairs, insurance, parking and gas. All these things start adding up. Within the past couple years, hybrid cars have been very popular and its a race to get which car can get the most mileage with one tank of fuel. Unfortunately we all can't afford a new car. I have read many articles in ways of changing your driving habits to improve fuel economy and things to do to get farther with your tank of gas.
1. Air conditioning - Sometimes it can be unbearable with the summer humidity and heat, but on the days that is not terribly hot, you can turn off your a/c. I've read that in some cases, it can help you save 30% of your fuel. I do know, if you drive with the windows open, it might mess up your hair, but thank goodness I personally don't have that problem.
2. Car acceleration - Having a lead foot to the pedal can waste alot of fuel. It doesn't mean you have to drive slow, just accelerate slowly. You should gradually accelerate without pushing your car. Its like running a race and you use alot of energy to get off to a great start, but it uses up alot of energy. I never thought calculus would come in handy, but if you do the math, its better under a graph that you accelerate gradually. If you have a gauge that tells you how many rpms your engine is going, its basically telling you how much energy its using to get your car going. You can still drive fast, its just accelerating to that point needs to be gradual.
3. Driving too fast on the highway - It really depends on the car, and what speed they reach before its actually burning more fuel than using the fuel efficiently. Most cars, if you drive between 100-110 km/h, your being the most efficient. Anything above that your just burning more fuel.
4. Coasting to the light - This is not something I always do, cause it can be annoying to other drives and a hazard as well. Ideally, it uses the most fuel starting from a dead stop, but you can save alot of gas but coasting so you don't have to stop, then gradually accelerate, using momentum. Its like riding a bike, and its hard to just pick up speed and ride fast, but someone coasting has a easier time picking up speed as they are already moving. Ahh... this can be a physics question on a test.
5. Tire pressure - Tire pressure is very important to get good mileage. Now many cars have a tire pressure built in now. Yes, to get more fuel it is better to over inflate your tires, but it is very dangerous, so please do not do that and use the recommended tire pressure. Imagine if your tires are flat, it is not really floating on the ground and the car will use more energy. Its like pushing a cart with a flat tire, or a bike.
These are a few things I do to save some fuel when I'm driving. There are many other things I've read that can also improve your mileage but I haven't really been using those techniques. It seems like alot of work, and lots more things to think of when you drive, but after doing it a few times, it becomes automatic, and when your at the pumps you will see all the extra kilometers you've traveled.
Y
Link to how to calculate your fuel consumption - http://www.oee.nrcan.gc.ca/transportation/tools/fuel-trip-calculator/fuel-calculator-input.cfm
No comments:
Post a Comment