Gasoline prices have now turn into a hot topic compared to more than ten years ago and several oil companies have been scrutinized for their weekly or monthly price increases. What’s more, the outcome of these elevated prices of petroleum products have affected economies all over the world and caused lots of individuals to lose their jobs.
Because of the high price of gas, every person is doing anything they can to cut down on fuel. Conserving fuel would also produce more positive outcome to nature and also our pockets.
So what can we, as consumers, do to save as much petrol as we can? There are a lot of measures we can make to save gas. We just need to be shrewd with how and when we use it and be aware.
If possible, don’t drive unless you need to.
One feasible step to decrease our fuel consumption is to keep our cars in our garage more frequently. If you reside in a region where commuting is easy, you can save both money and gas by taking the train or bus.
Car-pooling will be an alternative way to save on gas and each one of you who gets to ride in that one vehicle can just pitch in to the fuel cost of the driver.
Basic Driving and Car Care
One way of saving fuel is to drive efficiently and properly maintain your car.
For cars with manual transmission, drivers should feel their car’s transmission and should shift gears as soon as it’s needed. The lower the gear, the higher the gas usage of the engine. Timing is the key to achieve proper shifts to the transmission and for the carburetor or EFI to use just the right amount of fuel it needs to make you go forward.
Letting go of the gas pedal during downhill also helps to save gas. It won’t just emit a lesser amount of exhaust, but you’ll also save on fuel.
Each of your tires should have the correct amount of air. An under-inflated tire will definitely lower your car’s velocity and will burn additional fuel than your engine actually needs. An over-inflated tire will also influence your car’s speed and increase the likelihood in bursting your tire. You should also consider how wore your tires are and give them the right air pressure the next time you pump them up.
Gasing-up
High octane fuel does not constantly suggest it’s better than regular. In fact, your car’s engine could be damaged as carbon deposits could accumulate in your car’s engine as not all of it is being burned completely as opposed to regular.
The only exception is that if for years your car has been using high octane fuel and switching to regular all of a sudden might cause some changes that could pose problems.
Ethanol-mixed gasoline such as E10, E20, and E80 are now getting common in gas stations around the world. These are cheaper than pure gasoline and much environment-friendly. Yet, you should make sure your car can handle fuel mixed with ethanol. Earlier car models especially with carburetor engines are not advised to make use of fuel mixed with ethanol since these could corrode the car’s fuel lines which will force you to shell out more money at the repair shop than you bargained for.