The price of fuel has skyrocketed yet again this past weekend, and we’re all in shock as to how our paychecks are going to survive this steep increase. This is why The Daily crisp had to step in and make you a list of things to do to conserve fuel to save money as much as possible on your daily commute.

 

1. Make your car more Aerodynamic.

This is an obvious one, but not everyone knows that you should roll up your windows (and sunroof if you have one) while driving. This will help the air glide along the body of the car instead of slowing it down by getting inside it and causing drag. You need the car to be as sleek as possible so it doesn’t cause any “drag” and consume more fuel. This also means removing the roof rack (if you have one) or anything that’s on the car roof, This will cause a lot of resistance which again will need more fuel.

 

2. Clean out your trunk.

Another obvious one, but the more additional weight you add to the car, the faster it’s going to use up fuel. Approximately, every 90 extra kilos removes about 1.6 km of fuel efficiency. So, give the trunk of your car a good thorough tidying and remove anything you don’t need (that doesn’t include the first aid kit or fire hydrant of course), but that box of unwanted of junk you’ve been hoarding since you first got the car washed in 2015 needs to go.

 

3. If you can, avoid traffic as much as possible, especially if you’re driving stick.

I know we all hate traffic almost more than we hate this constant inflation of prices, and we’d avoid it if we can, but now you have one more reason to try your best to not get stuck in traffic. Every time that you stop and start in traffic, your car needs first gear and a huge amount of fuel to get moving again, even if you start on second gear, it’s still not that much better. Also, turning off the engine and starting it again is not a better option since your car uses about the same amount of fuel to start up again it would have if you’d stayed still in traffic for 30 seconds. Automatic cars know which gear is better for your car, so you won’t worry about this as much, so maybe this will be another reason why you should invest in an automatic.

 

4. Pretend you’re NOT driving in Eygpt.

If you’ve ever experienced driving or being a car anywhere else in the world you’ll realize that people can drive without overtaking the car in front of them. Driving actually at a steady pace is the best thing you can do for your fuel efficiency. If you just respect the road law’s and drive to speed limits, your fuel won’t go to waste trying to accelerate quickly trying to get one spot ahead in traffic, it honestly won’t make a difference except in your fuel bill.

5. Treat your car to a remapping at KT Tuning.
Remapping is simply overwriting the original ECU (Electronic Control Unit) software and modifying it in order to enhance the engine’s performance by increasing horsepower and torque while decreasing the fuel consumption, (sounds like a dream right!)
This actually helps reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%. It increases the torque of the car, which will allow the vehicle to require less throttle to accelerate because the engine will have more power. So your car will not struggle to accelerate to a certain speed. It also depends on the way you drive, full throttle all the time will definitely not save fuel as talked about before (pretend you’re not driving in Egypt)
You can find a remap for your car here.

 

6.  Accelerate the right way.

Most people will be surprised to know that how you accelerate will affect your fuel consumption a great deal. Actually, not accelerating aggressively can save up to 20% in fuel economy. Anticipating traffic conditions, especially in Stop-and-Go traffic jams, looking at two or more vehicles ahead of you will allow you enough time to accelerate and decelerate smoothly and gradually, without having to go really fast and stop suddenly. When you being aware of an upcoming stop sign, or the need to slow down for any reason, you’ll help you reduce brake use. So you’ll be saving gas and increasing your brakes longevity.

Tip: When accelerating, pretend you have a fresh egg underneath your right foot (the one on the accelerator pad). This way you’ll help your leg give a light steady pressure on the accelerator to lessen fuel consumption.

7. Carpooling, it’s a thing.
Whether you have a car or not, you can strike a deal with your friends to alternate days where each one of you is responsible for taking the rest in his car to work or to your daily hangout, this way each one of you will save a bit on fuel and you’ll have more fun than driving alone in the car. Just as long as everyone remembers the rule that the driver is in control of the music, then no one should get hurt carpooling!
8. Check tire pressure every 2 weeks.
Because an underinflated tire can cut fuel economy by 2 % per pound of pressure below the proper inflation level, we need to check the tire pressure at least every 2 weeks. If you have an underinflated tire, even by 4-5 psi below the manufacturer’s recommendations, your fuel consumption can increase by 10 whole percent!!
9. Keep your car’s maintenance up to date.
Keeping your car fully maintained increases your vehicles fuel economy. A lot of issues can interfere with your car’s fuel consumption, like unaligned wheels that fight each other, thus wasting fuel or dirty air filters that can clog an engine’s air supply, causing a higher fuel-to-air ratio and increasing gasoline consumption.
10. Park in the shade, so you can reduce A.C usage.
Almost everyone knows that turning on the air conditioning uses more fuel because of the extra load it adds to the engine. Turning off the A.C can reduce fuel consumption from 5- 20 % depending on the type of vehicle and way of driving. If you can’t get around keeping the A.C off, and it’s just too hot outside, keep it at 22C, and park in the shade, so you wouldn’t need a lower temperature.
11. Maker Fewer Trips.
When your vehicle has been parked for a few hours, the engine is cold which leads to use a lot more fuel for the first 8 kilos or so. This means, that if you go do your errands three different times a day, instead of just combining them all into one trip, you’re using more fuel than you need to. So, as much as possible, get all your errands done in one trip, and don’t get in your car just for a quick supermarket run, you can walk or bike there (far fetched I know but doable)
12. Use Cruise Control on the highway.
If your car has got that option then go for it, it eliminates unnecessary changes in speed that can be wasteful, which mean it helps your fuel economy.
Tip: When climbing a hill, the engine is already working hard to overcome gravity. You’re wasting fuel by stepping harder on the gas paddle, it won’t change anything, just use up more precious fuel.
Share the love and send this to everyone you know with a car because we’re all in this together, and these tips and tricks will hopefully let your wallet thank you. If you want to know how to take care of your car in this heat, we’ve got you covered.