A few ideas on how to save petrol
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Most of us have to watch our outgoings nowadays and one fairly major expense is running our cars. The cost of petrol seems to be forever going up and so there are a few rules we can all follow to help save on fuel.
One thing a lot of us are guilty of at times is putting our foot down when we accelerate. If you drive an automatic it is best to accelerate at a fairly moderate speed in order to give the transmission time to move to the higher gears. Also if you accelerate away and brake right away this is a big waste of fuel.
One good way to save petrol is simply reduce your speed. As the speed increases fuel decreases!
Tyres which are under inflated are often overlooked. If they are not set at the right pressure they will need to use more petrol to keep the car moving. Get yourself a good tyre gauge and check the tyres at once every month. One tip is to check them when they are cold because driving the car warms up the tyres and also the air inside which increases pressure and gives a falsely high reading.
Check your air filter because a dirty one will restrict the air to the engine which will affect performance and also economy.
New wheels and tyres may look really good and they can improve the way that a car handles, but if they are wider they could create more resistance and even increase petrol consumption. So it is worth considering keeping the old tyres for long road trips which give you a far smoother ride and far better economy.
If you are thinking of changing your car then maybe this will be the ideal time to downsize a little. Nissan and Toyota are two of the leading manufacturers who have developed highly fuel efficient cars.
This may not seem obvious, but look inside your car and give it a bit of a spring clean. We are all often guilty of hoarding rubbish in our cars and its surprising how this extra baggage mounts up in the terms of weight. The more the weight in the car the more fuel is burnt.
Finally, not a very popular thing to say, but whenever possible why not simply walk?!!
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