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Increase Your
Car Fuel Economy.
Save Money on Fuel
he price of fuel in Nigeria has risen
– we are expecting even further
increases. This means you have to
travel even deeper into your pockets.
You will spend more transporting to
work daily except of course you apply
some of the fuel economy tips I share
in this article.
We all drive different types of cars with
varying engine sizes and capacities -
sedans and SUVs – with body features
that affect performance and thus fuel
consumption. One thing is certain how-
ever – there are certain precautionary
measures that can be observed which
reduce your trips to the filling station –
and obtain more miles from each gal-
lon of fuel purchased with hard earned
money.
These tips are fairly reasonable - I have
tried most of them and they seem to
work. If you have not permanently
parked your car or sold it, read on.
First and most obvious – if you like
some power and drive a big 6 cylin-
der or 8 cylinder engine, consider get-
ting a relatively boring alternative –
something that requires only 4 plugs to
move from point A to point B, home to
work – for example a Toyota Corolla.
They don’t cost much and are amaz-
ingly fuel efficient.
Also, keep your tires properly gauged
at all times to the pressure level recom-
mended. The reason has to do with the
increase in rolling resistance which then
increases fuel consumption for badly
gauged tires.
Driving safely has its benefits. These in-
clude helping reduce fuel consumption.
Go easy on the accelerator or throttle.
Keep constant speeds and allow the car
coast to a halt approaching major stops.
Do you know that for every time you ac-
celerate and apply the brakes immedi-
ately (which is typical Lagos driving),
you just wasted that fuel.
Keep your car properly maintained and
serviced at all times changing the fuel
filter when due. Use good engine oil. I
recommend Mobil 1 but buy the best
you can afford. In any case – show love
to your machinery and it will reward
you with good miles.
Remove unnecessary luggage from
your car. They only increase the weight
and thus the load on the engine. They
also make you more attractive to the
“In-Traffic” armed robbers.
Avoid idling. Turn off the engine at red
lights. Starting the car engine consumes
much less fuel than leaving the engine
on for minutes on stand still.
Some people say that turning off the
A/C reduces fuel consumption. You will
also sweat home after a hard day’s job.
“Why suffer?” I ask. There’s another con-
flicting argument that says leaving the
windows down increases drag on the
highways and thus fuel consumption. I
like that one.
These tips will help save spending on
fuel considerably in the long run if you
bother.
Odusanya Michael Oluwaseun
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