Thursday, May 16, 2013
How to Save Fuel Without Losing Horsepower
Saving Fuel Through Maintenance
1. Tune your engine often. Just tuning can improve fuel efficiency by up to 4 percent, depending on the quality of the repair. If your oxygen sensor is faulty, replacing it can improve your fuel efficiency by up to 40 percent.
2. Inflate your tires properly to the manufacturers specifications. Under-inflated tires will reduce your mileage by .03 percent for each drop of 1 Psi in pressure below the recommended level. Be careful to inflate to within the recommended range, not all the way to the maximum level.
3. Use the right grade of motor oil. Each engine has a recommended grade of oil. Using it can gain 1 to 2 percent more mileage. Look at the package of the oil to ensure it has friction-reducing additives in it.
4. Replace clogged air filters. This may improve fuel efficiency slightly and will certainly boost performance for a given level of fuel use, allowing you to save even more fuel without losing horsepower. If your car has a carburetor this is even more effective.
5. Eliminate unnecessary weight from your car. If you dont need it on that trip, leave it at home. This will improve your fuel efficiency by making the car lighter, which allows the engine to work less hard for a given speed.
Driving Habits
6. Drive calmly and defensively. Speeding, rapid braking and rapid acceleration will all use more fuel than smooth driving.
7. Drive at or below 60 mph. This is the speed for peak engine efficiency, which falls off quickly past 60. Driving a bit slower (at 50 or 45) hurts fuel consumption less.
8. Avoid idling. When your car is idling, you are burning gas to get nowhere. If your starter is in good shape, you should be able to turn off your car if stopped even for a minute and not waste gas on the engine start.
9. Use cruise control. It will keep your speed constant, which is more efficient and will save fuel.
10. Use your overdrive gears. They let the engine spin slower for a given wheel speed, which uses less fuel and isnt as hard on the engine.
