Save on Fuel: Tips for Moneywise Motorists
Save on Fuel
Last night, fuel prices were hiked considerably, hitting motorists hard. However, there are ways you can save on fuel. Regularly servicing your car and tweaking your driving habits will ensure you burn through less fuel on a monthly basis.
It’s essential to maintain to your engine and service your car on a regular basis. Frequently replacing engine components, like filters and spark plugs will ensure your car does not gulp down petrol needlessly. Just make sure to follow your car manufacturer’s recommendations, when changing any engine components.
Keeping your car in prime condition will not only reduce your fuel consumption, but also save you a lot of money on car repairs going forward. Another way to save on fuel is to ensure your wheels are well-aligned and that your tyres are sufficiently inflated.
Your car will consume a lot more fuel if your tyres are under-inflated, as this makes them more road resistant. Also, if your wheel alignment is off, your car will consume a lot more fuel, as it will require more power to keep going. Moreover, the lifespan of your tyres will significantly decrease.
Fuel Saving Tips
When driving, be sure to go easy on the accelerator, keeping the pedal as steady as possible.
Keep the momentum and avoid stop-start driving to save on fuel. When you pull off from a standstill, your car is least economical. Furthermore, by anticipating robot light changes, you can minimise acceleration and breaking. Do so within reason and without taking risks though.
To save on fuel, drive in top gear with your revs low, taking care not to strain your engine of course. Don’t speed excessively, just keep at the pace of traffic. For example, your car consumes 25% more fuel at 110km/h than it does at a steady 90km/h. Then again, driving too slowly can also be uneconomical.
Blasting your aircon unnecessarily also eats up fuel. So only use your ac when you absolutely need it to save on fuel, instead open your windows to catch a breeze.
That said, speeding with your windows open can cause drag. When driving at speeds above 80km/h, switch to aircon, as your car will consume less fuel this way, than it would with open windows.
Increase your clutch’s lifespan by using your handbrake on hills, instead of riding the clutch.
Fuel Price Increases
In his budget speech, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan announced that the fuel levy would be hiked by 30c/l from April 6. So this latest fuel price hike comes as no surprise.
Both lead replacement petrol (LRP) and unleaded 95 petrol (ULP) have increased by 88c/l and 93 petrol (ULP and LRP) has increased by 86c/l.
93 ULP petrol has gone up to R12.32/l, from R11.46/l inland. On the coast, it has gone up to R11.94/l, from R11.13/l. Whereas 0.05% sulphur diesel went up by 96c/l and 0.005% sulphur went up by 98c/l.
