What does all this add up to?

It is likely that if you had not been practicing these 12 tips and you applied them consistently, you could expect an increase in fuel economy of around 15%.

To put that into something that you may relate to better, if someone spent on average $100 per week or $5,200 per year on petrol, a 15% saving would equal a saving of $780 per year!

These savings could be used to cover a large percentage of your cars insurance cost, registration, car service, car repair or general maintenance costs.

Of course the saving could be put to use anywhere.

Enjoy your improved fuel economy.

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#12 Gear On or Roll On?

Many people coast along while driving, with the view of saving fuel which is a great idea.

The trick is to let the car coast in a high gear instead of using neutral. When a car is in coasting in neutral, the engine continues to idle and will consume more fuel.

Today, most cars will shut off the fuel supply to the engine completely if you coast in gear, saving you fuel while coasting. A great example is coasting in a high gear while going downhill.

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Gear Changing to Improve Fuel Economy

#11 Skipping Gear Changes

Compared to an automatic gearbox, manual cars already enjoy an advantage of a slightly better fuel economy.

In relation to gear changes there is a technique called block gear changing that can assist drivers of manual cars to further improve fuel consumption. It may not be easy at the start, but with practice will become earlier and second nature. This technique is commonly used by motorcyclists.

What is Block Gear Changing?

Block gear changing is where you carefully skip gears when changing up through the gears. That is you may go from 1st to 3rd to 5th, skipping 2nd and 4th gears. There is a trick to this. Make sure you don’t go too high up in the RPM range in the lower gear, or too low down in the upper gear. If you go too high in the lower gear, then excess petrol is consumed for marginal benefit. If you go too low in the higher and the engine will labour and consume more petrol.

The good news is that for newer cars with 6 and 7 speed boxes, block gear changing is much easier.

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Change your cars oil and oil filter

#9 Higher Viscosity, Lower Friction

We have discussed friction and air and tyre resistance earlier. Generally the less friction the better. Even though it is unlikely there will be significant improvements in fuel economy, changing the car’s oil and oil filter will assist to keep the engine well lubricated and minimise internal engine friction, resistance and the need for a costly car repair bill.

Refer to your car’s owner manual for details of the type of oil recommended for your car and the frequency for flushing and replacement. Most manufacturers recommend the oil and oil filter being replaced every service or every second service.

Call 13 20 42 for ACE Mobile Mechanics should your car be due for a service.

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Spark Plug Inginition

#8 Keep Your Spark Fresh

Spark plugs delivering spark to the combustion chamber need to provide sufficient spark at the right time. Spark plugs are located within the engine, operating in a hostile environment that is extremely hot and pressured. Carbon deposits and impurities build up through use and time which reduce the effectiveness of the spark plugs and the effectiveness of the engine to produce power.

There are a variety of spark plugs for a number of applications and vehicles. Standard spark plugs usually maintain their performance for 10,000km to 20,000km. These should be checked and replaced during a regular car service, which your car owners manual should have recommendations. However, there are some premium (non-standard) spark plugs, like platinum spark plugs, that last longer such as up to 100,000km.

Call 13 20 42 for your ACE Mobile Mechanics should your vehicle be due for its car service.

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Car Fuel Injectors

#7 Fuel Injection – Time for a Bath?

To have better fuel economy, a more predictable and efficient burn in the cylinder is needed and therefore clean fuel injectors that provide a more even fuel-air mix are needed. To illustrate this refer to the photos:

• The top picture shows the spray pattern of a dirty fuel injector
• The bottom picture shows the full flow spray pattern from a clean injector

How do fuel injectors become dirty?

Contrary to air filters and what would seem logical, fuel injectors become dirty mostly from the fuel itself and not from dirt or debris in the fuel (unless the car’s fuel filter has not been performing or has not been replaced regularly).

Petrol contains waxy compounds that can leave varnish deposits at the injector pintle when the fuel evaporates. This commonly occurs after the engine is turned off. The heat that is generated from the engine evaporates the residual fuel in the injector tips, leaving a deposit of varnish. These deposits in the nozzle build up and restrict fuel flow or disrupt the injector’s spray pattern (as seen above). On many late-model engines, the shape and direction of the spray pattern is critical for clean combustion and good performance. If the injector nozzle is dirty, the pattern may be distorted or deflected to one side, causing a lean spot in the combustion chamber that can cause misfire, or even pre-ignition or detonation and can cause car engine problems.

What tolerance is there for injectors? The simple answer is it does not very much of a restriction in an injector to lean out the fuel mixture. To put a measure on it, an 8% to 10% restriction in a single fuel injector can be enough to upset the air/fuel mixture and cause a misfire.

There are two main methods of cleaning fuel injectors. The fuel injectors can be cleaned on an inline basis (on car) or better still by having them removed and given and ultrasonic bath. If your injectors have performed close to or over 100,000 km without being thoroughly cleaned, your fuel economy will certainly improve once services and cleaned, translating into direct savings.

Call 13 20 42 for your ACE Mobile Mechanics should your fuel injectors are due for a clean and service.

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Car Engine Air Filter

#6 Clear the Lungs – Better Air is Better Mileage

Your cars air filter is usually located within a plastic mounted box in the engine bay. The car’s air filter, filters and cleans the air that is used by the car’s engine during the process of combustion. The air filter performs a role of protecting your engine from dirt, dust, particles and other imperfections in the air which can cause car engine problems.

Through normal use and over time the air filter will collect these imperfections and this build up will lead to increased resistance of airflow, restricting the amount of airflow through to the engine. In most cars the engine management system will make the mixture richer to compensate for the reduced amount of air flowing through and hence uses more petrol to keep the engine running smoothly than would normally be needed.

You will improve the car’s fuel economy by having the air filter replaced regularly. Most car models recommend the air filter being replaced at every car service or every other service.

Call 13 20 42 for your ACE Mobile Mechanics should your car be due for a service or you would like to improve your cars fuel efficiency.

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Reduce You Cars Air Resistance

#5  Air Resistance – Less Is More, Leave it all behind

Roof racks are usually great for creating more room for carrying more gear, however for fuel efficiency leave the roof rack, bike racks, ski racks and roof boxes off your car unless needed and being used.

Air resistance causes aerodynamic drag (friction), requiring more energy and therefore more fuel to be used to overcome the friction.

Despite how fancy or aerodynamic these additions may look, they add drag and decrease your fuel economy. You will be rewarded with better fuel economy for taking a little bit of time and effort to remove these additions from the car.

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Correct Tyre Pressure

#4 Get Your Tyres Right to Drive You Further

Tyre Inflation: Something that is simple and easy is to check your tyre pressures. This should be part of a regular routine such as once a week or as frequently as every time you fill your petrol tank or every second or third time. Some service stations may offer this service for you.

Your tyre pressures need to be right. If your car has low tyre pressure it will increase the rolling resistance of the tyre against the road surface, increasing the amount of energy the engine must produce to overcome the resistance. A separate issue of low tyre pressure is it will also cause premature wear of the tyre and decrease its lifespan adding further costs unnecessarily.

The manufacturers recommended levels will be contained in the owner’s manual and many times on the vehicle. Ensure your tyre pressures are maintained to this level as a minimum.

Tyre Rolling Resistance: There are tyres that are designed for and feature low levels of rolling resistance. Tyre makers are able to produce low rolling resistance tyres via a combination of tyre design and material. This tyre feature has increasingly more common and has been proven to improve fuel economy.

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Fuel Watch Websites

#3 Find Low Cost Petrol Stations – Utilise the Internet and Information

A simple way to be more cost effective in managing your fuel costs and save money, is to make yourself aware of the locations of lower cost petrol stations. There is likely to be one or more internet sites that can provide information on petrol prices within your local or travelled area.

Petrol is considered a commodity product usually with a fairly standard quality across stations, but sticking with major brands will minimise any risk should this not be the case. On the internet, use your favourite search tool to find an information source suitable for you. There may be websites servicing your area that can regularly provide price information to you or on demand.

Some of the many other options include using loyalty cards or programs, discount vouchers or discount cards, with many major outlets providing discounts for using certain credit or debit cards at their outlets.

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