Even if your vehicle's a gas-guzzler, the following tips could cut its fuel usage by as much as 30 per cent. Some of them are now incorporated in the tests that new drivers take in the UK, the Netherlands and several other countries.
• Drive at the right speed
Most cars, including hybrids, are most efficient when travelling at speeds in the range of around 45 to 80 kph (30 to 50 mph). As speeds edge above 90 kph (55 mph), cars gulp an increasing amount of fuel to travel the same distance -- as much as 15 per cent more for each additional 16 kph (10 mph).
• Lighten the load
Keep heavy items out of your car unless you need them -- you'll typically lose one or two per cent in efficiency for every 45 kg (100 lb) you haul. While you're at it, check the tire pressure often: rolling resistance goes up and efficiency goes down by as much as one per cent for every PSI (pound per square inch) below the recommended pressure range. However, there's no benefit, and some risk, to driving with over-inflated tires.
• Avoid idling
Except when it's required (such as in stop-and-go traffic), idling is a needless and wasteful practice, and it doesn't benefit your car, except perhaps in extremely cold conditions. Even five minutes of idling can throw half a kilo (1.1 lb) of greenhouse gas into the air. Anything more than about 10 seconds of idling generates more global-warming pollution than stopping and restarting would.
Page 1 of 2 - Learn more ways to cut your gas usage on page 2.
