With exponential surge and ever changing political scenes fuel prices have rocketed off the roof lately. The demand and supply pressure not expected to ease in near future, u may consider to cut your consumption. It will not only ease you economically to boot will serve the environment for a change. Here i have listed some steps which will help u to achieve it. But most importantly
WHY NOT TO LIMIT USAGE OF YOUR CAR, AND COME UP WITH SOME BETTER SOLUTION like walking or using public transport... please think over and u will serve the dual purpose... we should leave a better world for the generation to follow...and u should be the change u want to bring in this world... so bring it in your behavior asap...
1)accelerate smoothly : when starting on a cold day or after some break its better to start smoothly and accelerate with distance rather than idling, it not only lengthens life of the engine but also improves fuel efficiency( idling gives zero distance traveled with fuel consumption, thus a big zero mileage).
A sudden acceleration as may be concluded from Newton's law, as well as some common sense causes engine to take a greater load and consumes more fuel. There is no rush and few seconds hardly make a difference unless you are racing for pole, ain't it? Also it makes even less sense in city traffic where u may end up in next bottleneck no matter how ahead u strive ahead of the traffic in the other lane. There is no shying away from the point that in the end u will have to compromise on the flamboyant driver outlook but is hardly a point to be given much thought to.
2)fill the fuel tank more than one third : yup an extra pound increase your gross weight, but having to fill the tank time and again will drill a bigger hole in your pocket. Also a filled tank enables fluent fuel supply.
3)slow down : yes slow down. The air drag, other frictional forces as well as the strain on the engine follow a square/cubic relation with speed. Drive according to the time u have, or think before hand and plan. Maintain a 'sweet speed'... the min speed the car attains in highest gear, it provides best speed/rpm ratio. 'Cruise control' serve this purpose but avoid using it on wet and non-linear roads and an absolutely no on hilly terrains.
4)plan your trip : avoid going in circles and get the job done at one go. Also take into consideration traffic conditions, parking places. Avoid parking too close to busy locations, it may save u time and comfort but could cause problems in maneuvering during peak hours. Also avoid going round and round looking for more apt location to park, park in the very first good enough place u get.
5)avoid braking : driving at high speeds requires more braking, thus fuel wastage and of course usual wear and tear that cud be avoided by being sensible. Keep eyes ahead and mind open, judge forthcoming traffic conditions and shift gears accordingly. Avoid immediate halt rather reduce speed over a distance, also its better to start from some speed to halt when traffic ahead gets clear.
6)lighten your load :an extra 100 pounds do make a lot of difference.
7keep tires to proper inflation : winters cause air to thermally contract reducing pressure,check on monthly basis as tires lose 1PSI/month(Rolling friction provides least resistance to movement) While replacing tires keep this in mind...Wider tires do offer better grip, also they give a bully look to the vehicle but so comes along greater air resistance. Same goes with accessories like bumper, tail. Remove baggage trolley on roof top when not in use and when in use keep the baggage in a way that it causes least resistance.
8)check engine air filter: : a blocked or malfunctioning one, reduces fuel flow considerably.
9replace fuel filter as recommend by manufacturer : timing and genuine parts being the factors.
10)AC and windows : try to avoid Air conditioning in city. the heavy traffic condition with AC cause a plunge in economy but while driving on highways with widows rolled up and/or AC give better deal due to negated air drag.
11) Avoid idling : a better option is to accelerate smoothly with distance. Even in severe winters limit it to 30s and there is no point in switching on and off the engine again to warm the engine.
12)Fuel: U may consider adding a synthetic oil additive[turbo fuel]. Also keep the octane content in the fuel to the least number prescribed by manufacturer. Studies have found using higher octane content do provide extra power but does no good to fuel economy, and obviously more expensive. The lower limit varies vehicle to vehicle, U may use a mixture of two fuels in case the octane number is not available as a product, ex mix 85 and 90 to get 87, by filling the tank evenly with both.
13)maintain a safe distance from vehicle ahead : Though drafting can be used to benefit, reducing air drag which is major part of the friction. In light of the unnecessary braking and safety issues i would suggest to avoid it.
14)G.P.S system : It not only gives you information about multiple routes thus reducing distance of commute, some provide value added service as the cost of fuel in different areas.
15)use of acetone: first of all i am yet to experiment with this one. There are many on net who claim to have achieved brilliant increase in mileage, varying from 10 to 25%, and rather few claiming null effect or negative impact on engine dynamics and interiors. Acetone is a key ingredient in paint removers and can dissolve certain substances. The interiors of engines differ from manufacturer to other, thus making it harder to really come up with a conclusion.
My personal take on this is that i am going to take a plunge. Acetone fans claim that the well known low partial pressure and its tendency to reduce the same for mixtures provides better fuel flow and oxidation. The oil corps as u must have guessed would like people to stay away from it as it ll surely cause a dent in their revenues, i find it difficult to digest that why somebody hasn't come up with some scientific research to settle the issue. The net is full of questions looking for answers in this regard.
Though the amount of acetone required to be added as per users is very less(0.78 cc per 1000) , its difficult to believe that it can damage the engine mechanics and at the same time bring some appreciable change in mileage. Well for people who are open to experiment with it as am i please roll with following points in mind --
CAUTION :WEAR RUBBER GLOVES, KEEP IT AWAY FROM CLOTHES, CAR CHASSIS
[KEY INGREDIENT FOR PAINT REMOVERS]
KEEP IT OUTSIDE HOME,HIGHLY FLAMMABLE
KEEP IT AWAY FROM CHILDREN.
DON'T INHALE
CHECK CONTAINER AS IT DISSOLVES CHEAP PLASTICS
USE ONLY 100% PURE ACETONE
HAPPY AND SAFE DRIVING
