With Fuel Costs Rising, How Can You Reduce the Amount You Spend?

The price of petrol is rising in England and looks to remain high for some time with oil prices at record levels. In addition with climate change we need to reduce the our dependance on oil for the environment and for our wallets. This can be done by just making a few small changes to the way we drive.

Tune In
Most engines these days are electronically controlled and by simply plugging in a laptop adjustments can be made to tune the engine. More and more these days people are not trying to tune them to increase the speed or acceleration but to increase fuel consumption. Your local dealer will have more information on how to tune or ‘chip’ your car. However be warned, that this may affect any warranty you have on the engine.

Chill Out
By simply slowing down you can save an incredible amount of fuel. Travelling on the motorway at 60 mph can save around 30% of the petrol you would use at 70 mph (or higher for those the other side of the law). Also, by reducing the amount of quick accelerations and decelerations and driving at a more constant speed not only reduces petrol but helps traffic flow.

Heat It Up
Using the air conditioning unit uses up engine power and hence increases fuel consumption. It is sometimes possible to see the effect in the rev counter as its switched on.

Pump It Up
Shockingly 36% of cars in England are currently running with tires below the recommended psi. This dramatically decreases the fuel efficiency and also decreases the handling of your car. It usually says the optimum pressure on the tire or in the handbook and a lot of garages graciously provide free air. In addition Michelin offer a type of tyre that will increase your fuel efficiency compared with other tyres on the market.

Shop Around
Before you go to the pumps check which ones are the cheapest. It may only be a matter of pennies per litre but the careful driver can save a lot over a period of months. Check out Petrol Prices website for the best deals in your area.

Downsize
It may be time to rethink whether your current gas guzzler is the right car for you. There may not be a need for that 4×4 around town or that sports car sat in traffic. There are however loads of cars around that could be a lot more suitable. Nowadays hybrid vehicles such as the Lexus can offer an competitive amount of power or you could completely downsize to the trendy Smart car. But you don’t always have to go this route, even within the 4×4 range there are some more economical cars than others for instance the Mitsubishi Outlander.
Nationwide offer a range of more economical cars and one of our sales team would be happy to recommend one.

At the end of the day we are going to have to change to adapt to the price and availablity of oil and these are just a few simple steps which may help.

This entry was posted on Friday, June 20th, 2008 at 1:42 pm and is filed under Car and Van Info. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.