Fuel efficiency

Fuel-saving tips provided by the non-profit Car Care Council*

The Car Care Council offers these fuel-saving tips -

• Vehicle fuel filler caps - About 17% of the vehicles on the road have gas caps that are either damaged, loose or are missing altogether, causing millions of litre’s of fuel to vaporize every year.
• Under inflated tyres - When tires aren’t inflated properly, it’s like driving with the parking brake on.
• Worn spark plugs - A vehicle can have either four, six, eight, or ten spark plugs, which fire as many as 3 million times every 1,500 km, resulting in a lot of heat, electrical and chemical erosion. A dirty spark plug causes misfiring, which wastes fuel. Spark plugs need to be replaced as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.
• Dirty air filters - An air filter that is clogged with dirt, dust or bugs chokes off the air and creates a “rich” mixture – too much gas being burned for the amount of air – which wastes gas and causes the engine to lose power. Replacing a clogged air filter can improve fuel efficiency by as much as 10%.

Here are some more fuel-saving tips -

• Don’t be an aggressive driver - Aggressive driving can fuel usage by as much as 33% on the highway and 5% on city streets.
• Avoid excessive idling – Leaving a stationery vehicle idling wastes fuel. Letting the vehicle warm up for one to two minutes is sufficient.
• Observe the speed limit - Fuel usage increases rapidly at speeds above 100kph.