{"id":605,"date":"2010-12-30T10:53:21","date_gmt":"2010-12-30T00:53:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.privatefleet.com.au\/?p=605"},"modified":"2020-06-20T01:59:56","modified_gmt":"2020-06-19T15:59:56","slug":"trimming-petrol-consumption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/home\/trimming-petrol-consumption\/","title":{"rendered":"Trimming petrol consumption"},"content":{"rendered":"

I shouldn\u2019t have to list the reasons why you should drive more frugally and use less petrol.\u00a0 You can probably think of the same ones as I can, and possibly more.\u00a0 But this is where the rubber hits the road:\u00a0 how do you drive more frugally?\u00a0 How can you cut down on petrol consumption without selling your family-sized Ford Falcon or similar and squashing three teenagers, two adults, the dog and the luggage into a pint-sized hatchback?\u00a0 (However, if you are a singleton or a couple, then considering a new fuel-efficient small vehicle might be a good option.\u00a0 And even small, frugal hatches can be quite hot and sporty \u2013 believe me!)<\/p>\n

Try these petrol-saving tips on for size (and give yourself a pat on the back if you already do any of them):<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Discover what your feet are for.\u00a0 If you\u2019re just popping down to the dairy or to post a letter, don\u2019t use the car!\u00a0 Obviously, this will save petrol because you\u2019re not actually using the car, but you\u2019re actually saving more than you think.\u00a0 Stop-start driving and cold running is less efficient than long runs and hot running.\u00a0 Distances of less than 2 km are easy enough for the average person to walk, and in rush hour traffic when the roads are congested, you can sometimes overtake the gridlocked cars, all chewing through the petrol at a standstill…\u00a0 You might also be able to do without your gym membership, which makes for another saving.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  2. Drive like a smooth dude.\u00a0 Rough, jerky driving involving rapid takeoffs and sharp braking chomps the fuel more than taking things smoothly.\u00a0 Not only will this demand less of your engine, but you\u2019ll also make things more comfortable for your passengers.\u00a0 Keep an eye on the road ahead so you can anticipate red lights, sharp corners and stop signs \u2013 gentle easing off and braking is more fuel efficient.\u00a0 Keep your distance when following so you don\u2019t have to bang on the brakes in a hurry if the driver in front stops for that daft stray dog that has wandered into the road.<\/li>\n
  3. Remember your high school physics, especially the bits about momentum and gravity when doing hill driving.\u00a0 If you build up speed before you approach a slope, your momentum will do a lot of the work for you, rather than leaving it all to the engine.\u00a0 Same goes for at the top of the slope \u2013 gravity will provide a bit of acceleration, so ease off.\u00a0 However, it\u2019s probably not the best idea to do what a friend of mine in La Paz, Bolivia, used to do.\u00a0 At the top of one of the big slopes that formed a main artery through the town, he would switch the ignition off at the top and let gravity take his beloved VW Beetle down, with the aim being to see how far we could get on momentum alone (usually the traffic lights).\u00a0 This can be hazardous, as a lot of safety bits need the ignition going to be deployed, and the gearing can be used to slow you down if things get a bit hairy.<\/li>\n
  4. Service with a smile.\u00a0 A well-maintained car doesn\u2019t have to work as hard, and is thus more fuel efficient.\u00a0 You know how much harder it seems to do everything when you\u2019re not feeling quite 100%?\u00a0 Your car feels the same.<\/li>\n
  5. Blow the whistle on the bells and whistles.\u00a0 Yes, the convenience features are convenient.\u00a0 But switch them off when you don\u2019t need them, as they can slurp bits from your engine.\u00a0 The biggest culprit here is air-con \u2013 having this on increases fuel consumption by about 8%.\u00a0 While air-con is a sanity saver during the Australian summer, if you don\u2019t really need it, switch it off.\u00a0 Sometimes, you can get away with opening the windows and letting the breeze cool you.<\/li>\n
  6. Take a load off.\u00a0 Back to basic physics again, folks!\u00a0 The heavier the load inside your car, the harder the engine will have to work to get it up to speed.\u00a0 This is why car designers strive to reduce the weight of components: it makes the car more economical.\u00a0 If you don\u2019t actually need your cricket gear in the back this time, take it out.<\/li>\n
  7. Take another load off.\u00a0 Roof racks increase your drag, which increases your petrol consumption, as you\u2019ve lost some of the aerodynamics of your vehicle.\u00a0 By all means put the roof rack on when you\u2019re off on holiday and need to carry the kayak and the tents, but once you\u2019re back home, remove the roof rack (a bit harder to do if you have integral roof rails, but these tend to have been factored into the aerodynamics of the exterior design).<\/li>\n
  8. Don\u2019t sit idle.\u00a0 Idling is a real gas-guzzler, so avoid it as much as possible.\u00a0 Turn the engine on once all the passengers are inside, rather than sitting there with the motor running waiting for little Justin to finish tying his shoes and get in the ruddy car.\u00a0 Take the scenic route rather than main drags if you know the traffic will be heavy and congested.\u00a0 Avoid travelling during rush hour if you don\u2019t have to.\u00a0<\/li>\n
  9. Keep it legal.\u00a0 The more you go over the speed limit, the more your fuel consumption goes up.\u00a0 Just because your car can do 200 km\/h in ease and comfort doesn\u2019t mean that you should.\u00a0 You also avoid speeding tickets.<\/li>\n
  10. Teach an old dog new tricks.\u00a0 Most modern cars don\u2019t need to be warmed up before getting underway, so don\u2019t bother doing this, unless it\u2019s really cold or you haven\u2019t driven the car for a long time.\u00a0 Just starting off gently (see tip number 2) will do the job of warming up the engine.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    http:\/\/credit-n.ru\/offers-zaim\/lime-zaim-zaymi-online.html<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    I shouldn\u2019t have to list the reasons why you should drive more frugally and use less petrol.\u00a0 You can probably think of the same ones as I can, and possibly more.\u00a0 But this is where the rubber hits the road:\u00a0 how do you drive more frugally?\u00a0 How can you cut down on petrol consumption without […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12526,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605\/revisions\/12526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.privatefleet.com.au\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}