The expense of car ownership doesn’t end with the sticker price. Whether you buy it in cash or choose the financing route, you’ll still have to contend with recurring costs if you hope to keep the car useful for as long as possible.
We all want to minimize our car-related expenses
One of the more frequent (and fickle) items that you need to prepare for is fuel, especially since the price at the pumps is dependent on market forces and tends to change every week. While modern cars are engineered to be more fuel-efficient than models from several decades ago, people generally won’t pass up the chance to save even more money.
Here are some tips if you want your car to burn even less fuel, especially if you use it often.
Check your tire pressure
The engine and transmission might power your car, but it’s the tires that provide the grip and allow it to move forward. This is made possible through a contact patch, the part of the tire that comes in actual contact with the road surface. The bigger the contact patch (such as with underinflated tires or bigger loads), the higher the rolling resistance that the car has to deal with.
Even performance models deliver the best results when their tires are properly inflated
When the engine has to work harder to keep the car in motion, it ends up consuming more fuel. Make sure to check your tire pressure before driving off, preferably in the morning when the ambient temperatures are still low.
You can use the recommended tire pressure indicated on the car’s door sill as a baseline, as long as you don’t overinflate the tires.
Get rid of excess weight
These days, cars are no longer just modes of transport but also serve as extensions of the home or workplace. Apart from the usual items such as tools and early warning device, you might be lugging around other stuff such as a spare change of clothes, equipment, or even miscellaneous paraphernalia that you haven’t quite figured out how to organize at home yet.
Avoid carrying around unnecessary junk in the car
Remember, all that weight bears down on the car. As much as possible, take only what you actually need on a particular trip or commute, and remove unnecessary loads. For instance, if you have your own indoor parking space in the office, you might want to leave the car cover at home. Or clean out your vehicle’s cargo area of junk and other debris to lighten the load.
Evaluate your accessories
Many car owners are not satisfied with having a stock setup, choosing to add a personal touch so that their car stands out, especially if it’s a popular model. The most visible way to do this is through exterior accessories. These add-ons might enhance the car’s overall look and improve its utility, but they can also add bulk while affecting the vehicle’s aerodynamics.
Top loads increase the aerodynamic drag on your car
You might notice a drop in your vehicle’s fuel efficiency after having attachments such as roof carriers, bull bars, or mud guards installed. If the accessories are easily removable, take them off when you won’t be needing them in the meantime. Otherwise, you’ll need to decide if you can live without having to set aside a slightly higher budget for fuel.
Avoid aggressive driving
Sudden accelerating the vehicle from a standstill (also known as jack-rabbit starts) and hard braking can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40 percent. It can also be uncomfortable and dangerous for your passengers. Even small bursts of acceleration during cruising bring down fuel efficiency.
Cruising at a steady speed helps preserve fuel economy
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Keeping in mind that a car consumes the most fuel when starting from rest, you’ll want to accelerate as smoothly as possible, getting into the higher gears as quickly as vehicle speed allows. Instead of mashing the gas pedal, imagine an egg placed under your foot that shouldn’t be crushed as you accelerate.
Lift your foot off the gas pedal when it’s time to slow down and drive steadily at posted speed limits on expressways. If your vehicle comes with cruise control, use it when the situation allows.
Plan your trips
Trying to wing it when it comes to drives can be an opportunity to discover new routes, but with fuel prices consistently going up lately, this is a luxury most of us can't afford. If you already know the destination, study the different routes getting there (including the alternate ones), just so you'll have contingencies in case of heavy traffic or if a given route is otherwise unavailable.
Knowing which routes to take towards your destination helps you from being caught unprepared
In case you've got a long drive ahead, schedule the stops you'll be making beforehand to minimize unnecessary interruptions to your travel time. You can also take advantage of technology, with apps such as Waze that can provide real-time traffic information.
Go out only when necessary
This was a constant reminder to everyone back in the days of more stringent COVID-19 lockdowns. Just when restrictions have been dialed back down to Alert Level 1, however, soaring oil prices are again forcing everyone to think twice about their travel plans. Leisure drives will largely have to be put on hold, with essential trips once again becoming the order of the day.
Try to have multiple trips in one day if you can, instead of spreading them out over different days. It's a more efficient use of both your time and the car's fuel.
Stick to the right octane rating
Even after choosing an economy model, many drivers want to wring out every available ounce of performance. The common technique is to load up on gasoline with a higher octane rating than what the manufacturer recommends, in the belief that this will make a car run faster.
Higher-octane fuel doesn't always translate to a faster car
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Apart from being priced higher than regular blends, high-octane fuels are formulated to burn more easily, so don’t expect your budget to last as long when going for the more expensive stuff. Furthermore, high-octane fuels offer no advantages over regular ones when it comes to preventing or removing engine deposits.
The only benefit they bring to standard engines is in eliminating knocking or pinging, so if there's nothing wrong with your car's motor, you're better off loading up on the recommended octane fuel.
Observe periodic maintenance
Fuel efficiency is also dependent on how well the car is maintained. An long overdue oil change, a dirty air filter, or a problem with the suspension can all affect your car's fuel consumption by forcing it to work harder than it's supposed to. Make sure that your car's periodic maintenance schedules are observed, not just to save fuel but also to give you peace of mind with every drive.
Find more driving tips at Philkotse.com.