The following 10 tips will help you save some money on fuel and
you’ll be able to free up cash for other things. These tips work if your
car also runs on diesel:
Don’t drive in the rush hour
Getting stuck in a traffic jam is not only energy-zapping, it is also
cash-zapping. It is a very expensive way of travelling. Every time you
stop and start in traffic, your car needs first gear and a huge amount
of fuel to get moving again. Second gear is not much better. The best
solution is to not travel during the rush hour. You can also save some
fuel by trying to understand what the traffic is doing in front of you,
and travelling steadily at a slow speed, rather than accelerating and
braking. In a busy city like Lagos, there are now some mobile traffic
information apps and radio stations which update you of traffic in
almost every area in the city. You could also call a friend who plies
same route like you if they have some information about traffic on the
route.
Make fewer trips
Did you know that when you drive a car that has been parked for a few
hours, the engine is cold and it uses much more fuel for the first five
miles or so? Ideally, you should combine all your daily errands into one
big trip. However, this may not be possible all the time, especially if
you have to pop out during the day to take your kids from school, but
you could try do shopping while bringing them from school rather than
going to the store at a different time.
Close the windows and/or sunroof
It’s not so much of a problem when you’re driving in town, but when
you’re out of town or on the expressway and moving more quickly, the
shape of your car is very important. Car designers call it aerodynamics
and make lots of effort to reduce the ‘drag’ and make the car as sleek
as possible. Anything that makes wind noise as your car goes along is
actually making your car more expensive to run. You can’t do much about
the design of your car, but you can avoid making it worse by not leaving
the windows and sunroof open. It’s better to use the air vents for most
of the year and the air conditioner when it gets too hot.
Remove the roof rack or ski box
This is just like leaving the windows open, but worse. Even if the roof
rack is empty, it increases drag and makes your car use more fuel, while
a big ski box is like having another car strapped to your roof. The
latest roof racks and ski boxes are quick and easy to fit and remove, so
make the effort to stow them away when you’re not using them.
Don’t carry unnecessary weight
Your car is just like your body; it needs more fuel to move around more
weight. So, just as you won’t wear a heavy rucksack unless you have to,
don’t cart stuff around in the boot of your car unless you need it.
Ironically, the heavier the item (the usual culprits are golf clubs and
trolleys), the less likely you are to bother taking it out of the boot
and the greater the effect it will have on your fuel consumption.
Accelerate smoothly
The perfect way to travel is at a constant speed (ideally around 50
miles per hour), and in the highest gear (five or six). So if you’re a
patient driver, you’ll have lower fuel bills — it is as simple as that.
It’s unrealistic to avoid overtaking, but there’s little point
accelerating past a car to simply be in front of it and then finding
yourself at the next set of traffic lights. Any instant gratification
will appear on your fuel bill the next time you fill up.
Don’t push the accelerator down too far
This one always surprises people. It’s not just to do with what gear
you’re in. You may be in a high gear and travelling at a sensible speed,
but if you’re pushing the accelerator down a long way to avoid changing
into a lower gear (into third from fourth, for example), then you’re
actually using more fuel not less. Obviously, if your car has an
automatic gearbox (you’ll know if it does), then it will probably do a
better job than you of choosing which gear to be in, so it’s not a
problem.
Only use air conditioner when hot
It’s tempting to leave the AC on the whole year round. It stops the
windows misting up in the winter and you don’t ever need to think about
the temperature inside the car, but it uses quite a bit of fuel. Agreed,
it’ll be miserly of you to be sweating when you have AC in your car,
but when it’s not hot, it’s advisable to turn it off.
Stick to the speed limit
Although not all Nigerian highways have speed limit signs, there are
still some which have. If you ignore the speed limit law, you could
shave a bit of time off your journey by travelling above the speed
limit, particularly on long trips. Even though you might arrive about 20
minutes early on a 200-mile trip by travelling at 80mph instead of
70mph, it’s also a false economy. While the car is running for 20
minutes less, it uses much more fuel when it is travelling. That 20
minutes could cost you thousands of naira in fuel.
Check tyre pressure regularly
The lower the tyre pressure, the more fuel the car needs to move it down
the road. It is recommendable that you take five minutes fortnightly to
check the tyres. If you’re not sure what the pressure should be, you
can find the figures near the lock inside the driver’s door.
Source: telegraph.co.uk