My Car Fuel Bill Has Gone Up

Here are ten top fuel saving tips. In light of the current economic situation I'm going to put them into practice to try and offset the almost daily fuel price rises

?1. Go streamline!

If you don't need the roof rack, take it off and leave at home, apparently it increases the car's drag and thus fuel consumption.

?2. Lose weight!

Make extra savings by emptying your boot of all the stuff you don't need for your journey.

?3. Inflate the tyres

Ensure your tyres are inflated to the manufacturers recommended pressures. Under inflated tyres will increase tyre wear and can increase your fuel consumption by between 3% and 5%.

?4. Service the car

Make your car is serviced regularly using the correct oil to minimise engine friction!!!!!!

?5. Be cool!

A tricky one this, excessive use your air conditioning as this will cause the car to burn more fuel. On the other hand, driving with the windows down is also inefficient as the drag on the car increases, especially at high speeds. So, how about using air con for motorway driving and only when it's hot! and wind the windows down on slower journeys around town.

?6. Don't fill it up.

This one is interesting, fuel is heavy, and so by filling the tank to the brim, you're adding a lot of weight. The less fuel your car has in it, the more efficiently it drives. So, fill up more often but put less in (to 1/2 or 3/4 full) and increase your MPG.

?7. Pedal to the metal?

No, no, no, drive smoothly, accelerate and decelerate gently, read the road ahead and avoid unnecessary braking.

?8. Speedy Gonzales?

Sorry, leave speed at home. It's obvious really that if you drive too fast you will soon notice your fuel gauge dropping just as quickly. What I didn't know, was that every 5 miles per hour that you drive over 60mph can increase your fuel consumption by 10%.

?9. Don't be lazy.

Plan your journeys, and try to combine short trips so that once you warm up the engine, you keep it running for a while. Continually warming up your engine for lots of short trips will waste fuel.

?10. Do I need my car?

And finally, save fuel, save your gym membership. Leave the car at home and walk to the shops. On the way home, tone up those 'bingo wings' by doing a few bicep curls with the shopping bags.

?Figures Used

?Taking the AA figures from the end of September 2007 to today 5th June 2008, the price of petrol has risen by 23.2 pence per litre, a massive 25% rise, however diesel has fared worse rising by 34.8 pence per litre, a 37% increase.

With an average commute of about 1000 miles a month 35 miles per gallon, this is an increase of over ?30 per month. For a diesel car then the increase would be over ?45.

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