In an era when fuel is sold for N145 per litre, previously sold for N86.50, you might want to save some money fuelling your car. Th...
In an era when fuel is sold for N145 per litre, previously sold for N86.50, you might want to save some money fuelling your car.
The following 10 tips will help you save
some money on fuel and you’ll be able to free up cash for other things.
These tips work if your car also runs on diesel:
Don’t drive in the rush hour
Getting stuck in a traffic jam is not only energy-zapping, it is also
cash-zapping. It is a very expensive way of travelling. Every time you
stop and start in traffic, your car needs first gear and a huge amount
of fuel to get moving again. Second gear is not much better.
The best solution is to not travel
during the rush hour. You can also save some fuel by trying to
understand what the traffic is doing in front of you, and travelling
steadily at a slow speed, rather than accelerating and braking. In a
busy city like Lagos, there are now some mobile traffic information apps
and radio stations which update you of traffic in almost every area in
the city. You could also call a friend who plies same route like you if
they have some information about traffic on the route.
Make fewer trips
Did you know that when you drive a car
that has been parked for a few hours, the engine is cold and it uses
much more fuel for the first five miles or so? Ideally, you should
combine all your daily errands into one big trip. However, this may not
be possible all the time, especially if you have to pop out during the
day to take your kids from school, but you could try do shopping while
bringing them from school rather than going to the store at a different
time.
Close the windows and/or sunroof
It’s not so much of a problem when
you’re driving in town, but when you’re out of town or on the expressway
and moving more quickly, the shape of your car is very important. Car
designers call it aerodynamics and make lots of effort to reduce the
‘drag’ and make the car as sleek as possible. Anything that makes wind
noise as your car goes along is actually making your car more expensive
to run. You can’t do much about the design of your car, but you can
avoid making it worse by not leaving the windows and sunroof open. It’s
better to use the air vents for most of the year and the air conditioner
when it gets too hot.
Remove the roof rack or ski box
This is just like leaving the windows
open, but worse. Even if the roof rack is empty, it increases drag and
makes your car use more fuel, while a big ski box is like having another
car strapped to your roof. The latest roof racks and ski boxes are
quick and easy to fit and remove, so make the effort to stow them away
when you’re not using them.
Your car is just like your body; it needs more fuel to move around more
weight. So, just as you won’t wear a heavy rucksack unless you have to,
don’t cart stuff around in the boot of your car unless you need it.
Ironically, the heavier the item (the usual culprits are golf clubs and
trolleys), the less likely you are to bother taking it out of the boot
and the greater the effect it will have on your fuel consumption.
Accelerate smoothly
The perfect way to travel is at a
constant speed (ideally around 50 miles per hour), and in the highest
gear (five or six). So if you’re a patient driver, you’ll have lower
fuel bills — it is as simple as that. It’s unrealistic to avoid
overtaking, but there’s little point accelerating past a car to simply
be in front of it and then finding yourself at the next set of traffic
lights. Any instant gratification will appear on your fuel bill the next
time you fill up.
Don’t push the accelerator down too far
This one always surprises people. It’s
not just to do with what gear you’re in. You may be in a high gear and
travelling at a sensible speed, but if you’re pushing the accelerator
down a long way to avoid changing into a lower gear (into third from
fourth, for example), then you’re actually using more fuel not less.
Obviously, if your car has an automatic gearbox (you’ll know if it
does), then it will probably do a better job than you of choosing which
gear to be in, so it’s not a problem.
Only use air conditioner when hot
It’s tempting to leave the AC on the
whole year round. It stops the windows misting up in the winter and you
don’t ever need to think about the temperature inside the car, but it
uses quite a bit of fuel. Agreed, it’ll be miserly of you to be sweating
when you have AC in your car, but when it’s not hot, it’s advisable to
turn it off.
Stick to the speed limit
Although not all Nigerian highways have
speed limit signs, there are still some which have. If you ignore the
speed limit law, you could shave a bit of time off your journey by
travelling above the speed limit, particularly on long trips. Even
though you might arrive about 20 minutes early on a 200-mile trip by
travelling at 80mph instead of 70mph, it’s also a false economy. While
the car is running for 20 minutes less, it uses much more fuel when it
is travelling. That 20 minutes could cost you thousands of naira in
fuel.
Check tyre pressure regularly
The lower the tyre pressure, the more
fuel the car needs to move it down the road. It is recommendable that
you take five minutes fortnightly to check the tyres. If you’re not sure
what the pressure should be, you can find the figures near the lock
inside the driver’s door.
Source: telegraph.co.uk
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