How to reduce the fuel consumption of a car

The cost of owning a vehicle is a very significant part of the family or personal budget. The main expense item in this case is fuel. If repairs and maintenance happen from time to time, then you have to go to the gas station regularly. Therefore, most drivers have a natural desire to reduce spending on gasoline. And this desire increases in proportion to the increase in prices at gas stations. Well, there are some opportunities for saving on fuel.

Before trying in one way or another to save a set of fuel percentages, pay attention to the technical condition of your iron horse. Incorrect exhaust, jerks while driving, tripping in the operation of the internal combustion engine, its overheating, and the “Check Engine” indicator lighting up indicate serious problems with the unit and the power system. With an unhealthy engine, it's pointless to talk about fuel economy.

If your gearbox is messing up, it will also increase fuel consumption. From two to five percent of the excess consumption of gasoline will give, about the same - clogged nozzles.

Pay attention to the condition of the brakes. If the brake mechanisms jam, not only do they directly suffer, but additional fuel consumption appears, which is necessary to overcome friction.

A worn out battery also contributes to excessive fuel consumption, as the generator is constantly trying to recharge a dead battery. With an overloaded generator, fuel consumption can increase by up to 10%.

Quite significantly increases the fuel appetite of the internal combustion engine clogged. Clogging increases resistance to airflow, as a result, less air enters the ICE cylinders than is required for normal combustion of the mixture. Timely replacement of the air filter will help to avoid excessive fuel consumption.

The condition affects fuel consumption to a lesser extent, but you should not forget about it either.

Another set of percentages can “eat” the bad ones with dirty or worn electrodes. Regularly monitor the condition of the spark plugs and change them on time. Fanaticism is not required here; replacement should be made as needed. The quality of the candles also matters. Spark plugs with refractory platinum or iridium electrodes provide a stable spark discharge, which promotes reliable ignition and complete combustion of the air-fuel mixture. At the same time, a powerful discharge promotes self-cleaning of the electrodes and spark plug insulator from carbon deposits.

The correct selection will have a positive effect on fuel consumption. After all, one of the main functions of oil is to reduce friction of interacting parts, and therefore reduce corresponding energy costs. What is primarily important here is optimal viscosity, taking into account the season. Pay attention to the presence of detergent and antioxidant additives in the oil, which help keep parts clean and minimize friction. If you use mineral internal combustion engine oil, switching to high-quality synthetics will give you a set of percentage savings on gasoline.

The situation is similar with the transmission. Too viscous will make it difficult for the gearbox parts to rotate and will also increase fuel consumption.

Every driver knows that they must be inflated to a certain pressure, the value of which is indicated in the car's operating instructions. Underinflated tires increase rolling resistance, which means additional fuel consumption is required to compensate for this effect. Tire pressure should be checked and tires inflated at least once a month. A sudden cold snap or an upcoming long trip are also reasons to monitor your blood pressure.

Normally inflated tires will reduce fuel consumption by 2-3% and reduce the load on the suspension, not to mention less wear on the tires themselves.

However, this does not mean that by adding a little pressure over the nominal, you will get additional savings. Not at all. Only tire wear and the risk of depressurization will increase, and the car's handling will become worse.

Up to five percent fuel savings can be obtained by selecting the optimal tread pattern. But this is theoretical. And in the possibility of the so-called energy-saving tires can provide significant savings only on good roads. Yes, and they are much more expensive than usual. If operating conditions and finances allow, you can try.

If the wheels have incorrect installation angles, the energy consumption for their rotation increases, which means that fuel consumption increases. A properly performed camber/toe check and adjustment procedure will reduce rolling resistance and save on gas costs. Additional bonuses will be better handling and less tire wear.

When the question of saving fuel arises, the first thing they try to do is turn off everything that is superfluous. Air conditioning, audio system, seat heating, rear-view mirrors, windows - all these electrical consumers eat something and increase fuel costs. But is it worth giving up all this for the sake of economy?

The most voracious consumer of electricity is the heater. You can save a little if you turn on the stove not immediately, but only after warming up the internal combustion engine. At the same time, the internal combustion engine will reach operating temperature earlier, and the interior will then warm up faster. Turning on the recirculation mode will speed up the heating of the cabin even more.

The air conditioner consumes a little less. Do not be extravagant, chasing it without much need. But giving up comfort and riding in a hot, stuffy cabin is also stupid, especially since it often becomes a matter of health and safety. Here everyone chooses for himself the golden mean. Save wisely.

Heated mirrors and windows prevent fogging and improve visibility for the driver. Significant savings here will not work, and in general it is better to avoid saving on security.

The power consumption of the audio system increases as the volume increases. But in general, it is not too large, so you can not get hung up on this issue.

Poor aerodynamic properties of the machine can give up to 10 percent increase in energy consumption. Therefore, this factor should be taken into account. In the city, this is not so significant, but on country roads the difference will be noticeable. And the higher the speed, the greater the importance of aerodynamics.

Each vehicle model is carefully tested in a wind tunnel during development and adjusted to minimize the resistance to oncoming airflow. It is hardly possible to improve the factory aerodynamics of the body on its own. However, you can dismantle some optional decorative elements, as well as a roof rack, and get 1 ... 2 percent fuel savings for nothing.

Open windows act like a drag chute, increasing fuel consumption, so it's best to keep them closed. If the cabin is hot, turn on the air conditioner, at high speed fuel consumption will most likely not increase.

And tuning enthusiasts should be aware that wide tires significantly impair the aerodynamic properties of the car.

Probably, it can be considered obvious that with an increase in the load of the car, fuel consumption also increases, since you have to constantly accelerate a significant mass, and tires deformed during overload have greater rolling resistance.

Therefore, leave everything superfluous at home or in the garage, especially when going on a long journey. The more you unload from the car, the less fuel you use.

In any modern car, the on-board computer, using sensors, analyzes the composition of the air-fuel mixture supplied to the cylinders and corrects it. The control unit compensates for the low quality of the fuel with an increased injection time. Accordingly, fuel consumption increases. Therefore, you should not refuel with cheaper gasoline with a lower octane rating. Instead of saving, you can get the opposite result.

So-called washing gasoline can give a temporary savings effect if the internal combustion engine is dirty. For a clean unit, it makes no sense to overpay for it.

Avoid miracle octane boosters. At first, the effect can be impressive, but then crystallizing naphthalene will clog the fuel system, and you will have to clean or change fuel lines and. 

Another opportunity to save fuel on a country road is to follow a heavy truck or bus. The savings come from reducing air resistance behind a large moving vehicle.

But this method also has significant drawbacks. Firstly, moving in the tail of a bus or truck, it is quite possible to burn out due to abundant exhausts. Secondly, visibility will deteriorate greatly and it will be more difficult to react in case of an unforeseen situation, especially if another large truck is following behind.

On a long descent, many prefer to coast to save fuel in this way. Indeed, in this way you can get tangible savings. But only in gear. In modern cars, this starts the forced idle mode, when the fuel supply to the internal combustion engine stops.

But trying to coast downhill in a car with an injection engine, when the gear lever is in neutral, will not save a drop of fuel. This was possible on older carbureted ICEs, but with an injector it is a sure way to overheat the brakes and cause an emergency.

Smart driving is the most efficient and cost-effective way to save fuel. Unfortunately, it is not suitable for everyone. It is difficult for someone to change long-term habits, while for someone aggressive driving is second nature.

In short, you need to accelerate quickly, but smoothly, and use the brakes as little as possible. Do not sharply put pressure on the gas, trying to slip through a flashing traffic light. It is better to coast to the intersection with the gear engaged (without switching to neutral). And save gasoline, and avoid accidents.

The principle of smooth acceleration and braking is also valid on country roads. If you have a manual transmission, don't delay shifting gears. The faster you get into top gear, the less fuel you will use during acceleration. Next, you need to evenly drive in top gear with the minimum speed allowed for it - about 70 km / h. In this mode, you will achieve maximum fuel economy. Often referred to in this sense, the value of 90 km / h is actually a compromise between fuel economy and speed.

Avoid traffic jams - taking a detour with a minimum of traffic jams and traffic lights can be faster and more economical than the shortest route.

Avoid off-road - constant braking in front of pits and subsequent acceleration will significantly increase fuel consumption, not to mention the detrimental effect on.

Insulate the internal combustion engine in winter, for example, with a special blanket.

It happens that on the Internet or in the markets you can stumble upon offers to purchase certain devices that supposedly allow you to achieve significant fuel savings. Additives have already been discussed above. We can also recall wonderful magnets, cavitators, ignition amplifiers, ICE ionizers. Let no one be misled by the serious names of these devices and pseudo-scientific descriptions of the principle of operation. At best, it's a waste of money. At worst, you can get unnecessary problems. Do you want to experiment? Well, the money is yours, you can spend it however you like.

So, if you are burning with the desire to save money by reducing gas costs, there are opportunities for this. You just need to analyze different methods and choose the ones that are acceptable to you. And the use of several methods at the same time can give good results.