Top 6 fuel-saving tips without buying a new car
The cost of petrol has hit record highs across Australia, with most regions busting the $2 per litre barrier – and some areas hitting in excess of $2.20 or $2.40 per litre – after a long term average of less than $1.50 per litre in the lead-up to the latest round of price hikes.
With the cost of petrol rising by the sharpest levels in recorded history, Drive has compiled a list of the Top 6 tips to save fuel in your existing car, rather than upgrading to a new one.
Not everyone can afford a new car, there are stock shortages and delays, and the price premium of a new motor vehicle will likely outweigh the fuel savings.
There’s no point spending $20,000 to save $2000 a year.
With most motorists caught in this dilemma – having to stick with the car they’ve got – here’s how to make the best out of a bad situation.
This advice aims to venture beyond the obvious, of course, which is shopping around for the lowest fuel prices using smartphone apps.
Here are our Top 6 tips to save fuel in your current car.
Tyres
Check the air pressure and the tread depth of your car’s tyres.
Under-inflated and worn tyres create more friction and have more “rolling resistance”. This means you need to use more energy (and more fuel) to keep your car moving.
The recommended tyre pressure is identified on a “tyre placard” label, often inside the front door opening. If in doubt, ask a mechanic or tyre shop to show you where the label is.
Best of all, filling your tyres with air is free at service stations.
New tyres – if you need them (it’s recommended to replace tyres with 3mm tread depth or less, and they are illegal at 1.5mm tread depth or less) – as well as properly-inflated tyres also deliver a safety benefit.
Servicing
Do you skip routine car servicing to save money? Now it could be costing you money.
Fresh oil, a new oil filter, new spark plugs (if needed), and a check of engine coolant will help your car’s engine run more efficiently.
If your car is overdue for a service, get it booked in.
Declutter
Is your boot or back seat full of things you don’t need?
Time to have a clean-out. That weight is holding you back and denting your fuel economy.
Car makers literally have meetings to save grams and kilograms from their vehicles before going into production, because less weight leads to better fuel economy.
It’s the reason we have those ghastly space-saver spare tyres. It’s not for added convenience (they’re the opposite of that, they’re a nuisance). It’s to save weight.
Also, maybe get rid of the selection of bathroom tiles in the boot you that were hanging onto for that renovation one day.
Roof racks and open windows
Can we please put the roof rack and open window myths to rest?
Open windows cause turbulence at freeway speeds, and so use more a touch more fuel in that scenario. But around town, maybe wind your windows down and switch off the air-conditioning.
Turning off the air-conditioning will save 1 to 2 per cent of your fuel consumption in city and suburban driving.
Meanwhile, roof racks and cargo pods (if empty) won’t weigh you down and blunt fuel economy at suburban speeds – but they can increase your fuel consumption at freeway speeds.
So to recap: On the open road: windows up and roof racks and cargo pods off.
Around town: windows down are ok, roof racks won’t hurt your fuel economy (unless of course you’ve loaded a mattress or timber on top of them).
Regular or premium unleaded?
This is one of the most common questions we get asked: Is premium unleaded petrol worth it?
In essence, it works like this. E10 unleaded (unleaded petrol blended with 10 per cent ethanol) is a false economy because you need to burn more of it to travel the same distance as a car on regular or premium unleaded.
To that end, premium unleaded will drive you further than regular unleaded thanks to the higher calorific values and higher octane ratings.
Whether premium unleaded makes senses versus regular unleaded depends on the price gap. If the price gap is small (5 cents or so per litre) it’s worth considering premium unleaded.
But with a 20 cents per litre gap, premium unleaded is not worth it.
Adding to the confusion: some cars must run premium unleaded (either 95 or 98 octane, depending on the model).
In summary our general advice is this: If your car can take regular unleaded, stick with regular and avoid E10 because it is a false economy (cheaper to buy but runs out faster).
If your car requires 95 or 98 octane fuel, well your decision is made for you.
A reminder: if your car’s engine is designed to run on 95 or 98 octane premium unleaded, do not use regular 91. That could cause engine damage which is not covered under warranty. (Workshops run fuel tests to check the octane rating used).
Driving techniques
We’ve all seen the idiots who floor it from the traffic lights only to get to the next red light before everyone else. Don’t be that driver.
But it’s a fine line between accelerating too fast and too slowly when it comes to fuel efficiency.
Don’t accelerate too gingerly. There is merit getting up to speed efficiently, as you could use more fuel if you take forever to get to the speed limit.
But don’t accelerate like you’re in a Grand Prix either. Pacing yourself will also enable you to read the traffic – and traffic lights better.
Moving a car from rest is the thirstiest part of commuter driving. If you take it easy and maintain a bigger gap between you and the car in front, you can keep drive with more momentum because you can better read the traffic.
Good luck.
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