Maximizing Your Cars Fuel Efficiency: 5 Tips for Better Mileage
With gas prices rising constantly, fuel economy has become one of the most essential parts of every individual’s car shopping procedure. For Americans, the process gets easier with the Fuel Economy Guide available to give them a general idea of the fuel efficiency of a vehicle as compared to other vehicles. Nevertheless, this guide is just a part of the equation, as several factors are crucial to understanding a vehicle’s fuel economy.
While estimates of a vehicle’s fuel economy are significant for comparisons, they are just estimates. Remember, your car’s mileage may also vary by how you maintain and drive it. So, go through these five tips below and do your best to maximize your vehicle’s fuel efficiency:
Table of Contents
1. Store Fuel in Advance to Save Costs
Store fuel that your car may require much before time, so you do not need to worry about increased rates. For this purpose, you can use a jerry can or a strong liquid container of pressed steel and high-density polyethylene. Storing large quantities of fuel in a jerry can mean you make good savings on smaller containers while benefiting from economies of scale. Initially designed to hold approximately 20 liters of fuel, the present-day jerry cans have several innovative features for robustness and ease of use.
Plastic jerry cans are perfect for storing fuel because they are cost-effective, lightweight, and recyclable. You can customize them with accessories, like tap caps or pumps, labels, and printing. If you want to store larger quantities of fuel, like 5 liters and above, choose the stackable varieties that go safely on top of each other in compact areas. Also, consider jerry cans with accessories, like rigid and flexible pouring spouts and solid holders to mount the cans onto vehicles for safe transport.
However, take a few safety precautions when storing fuel inside your home or in the car by marking it as flammable. For extra safe storage, pick explosion-safe jerry cans with an internal honeycomb structure designed to spread heat build-up while preventing the appearance of hot spots. These are also manufactured to adhere to several international safety standards.
2. Maintain Consistent Speed
Your driving habit may significantly impact your car’s fuel efficiency. As per the U.S. Department of Energy, poor driving practices can bring down fuel economy by 15% to 30% on the highways and 10% to 40% in traffic conditions, based on your car type. Braking, rapid acceleration, and speeding are all wasteful of fuel. With the current national average rates for gasoline soaring at $3.66 per gallon, driving sensibly and not like a racing driver may help you save somewhere between $1.46 and 37 cents per gallon.
First, consider the speed at which you drive your vehicle, as it greatly impacts its fuel economy. The faster you are, the more wind resistance your vehicle faces, and thus needs more power to maintain speed which automatically reduces its fuel economy. Reports of the U.S. Department of Energy say that a car’s fuel economy significantly decreases at speeds above 80 km/h. To maximize fuel economy, maintain consistent speed, find a sweet spot for your car, ideally between 80-90 km/h, avoid sudden starts and stops in stop-and-go traffic areas.
3. Open Windows May Affect Your Car’s Mileage
Although driving with the windows open is enjoyable, it may harm your vehicle’s fuel efficiency. Open car windows drag the vehicle, making it difficult for its engine to maintain proper speed. This automatically means that the engine will use more fuel to maintain speed. As per a survey by SAE International, driving with the car’s windows down can reduce fuel economy by 8%. Alternatively, you can use the AC to improve fuel efficiency while enjoying fresh air. Or if the weather outside is cool, turn off the AC and open just one or two windows slightly.
4. Consider Aerodynamics
A car’s aerodynamics, like diffuser channel, vanes, fins, and hump, can also impact its fuel efficiency to a considerable extent. Rough estimates suggest that aerodynamic forces, like thrust, weight, drag, and lift, may hamper fuel efficiency by 2% to 8% when driving between 50 and 60 kmph and by 25% if you go above 100 kmph. This explains the logic behind not driving aggressively. Car cosmetic enhancements, like roof racks, spoilers, and body kits, can elevate your vehicle’s drag coefficient, thus reducing fuel efficiency.
Specifically, roof racks drag the car, making it work harder to maintain speed. As per studies by Consumer Reports, roof racks can reduce a car’s fuel efficiency by around 5%. While a roof rack is helpful for your vehicle, consider removing it when not in use to save on fuel. Even when you use it, ensure packing your equipment and luggage in such a way that it reduces drag. Place the heavier items at the bottom and use a wind deflector to reduce drag.
5. Lighten Your Car’s Load
Your vehicle may require more fuel to propel when loaded with extra items. For example, an additional 100 pounds in the vehicle trunk may reduce fuel efficiency. Therefore, offload all unwanted items from the cargo and cabin areas. Keep your vehicle clean with only essential things and an emergency preparedness kit.
Conclusion
To conclude, maximizing your car’s fuel efficiency requires considering several factors besides those mentioned above. For example, you may be very careful about maintaining your vehicle and considering aerodynamics, but these benefits may easily rule out if you drive aggressively or overload the vehicle. Hence, balance things to get the best out of your car.