It is perfectly understandable why people continuously search for a way to reduce their monthly expenditures on gasoline or diesel since fuel prices have been escalating to historically high prices.
There are plenty of tips to improve fuel economy available on the internet that are easily accessible to anyone. Simply Google “improve fuel economy” and you’ll get a whopping 26,900,000 different sites offering some sort of tips to improve your car’s fuel economy! If you were to open all of them every second, it will take you 311 days! And that is without any break at all; no toilet break, no sleep, no breakfast lunch dinner, etc. (well you get the point)
It can be overwhelming with all of this information available and sometimes it can be misleading. While going through all of this information, you need to understand that not all of them will help you improve fuel economy. In fact, some will make it worse! Before applying any of the tips online, get expert advice first. Now, even as an expert, I have tested hundreds of claims that are said to improve a car’s fuel economy. Here are a couple of myths that I’ve busted:
Myth #1: Larger engines gives better fuel economy because they “don’t have to work as hard”.
This is a misconception. If you were to drive a 4-cylinder, try not to accelerate at the same rate as the guy next to you in the V6 or V8. This will obviously make your 4-cylinder engine struggle to keep up with the larger engine. Stop trying to make up for the performance shortfalls of small-displacement engines. If you were to do that, the smaller 4-cylinder engine will definitely be more fuel-efficient. It’s this single action that makes people believe that a larger engine out economizes a smaller engine.
Myth #2: Newer vehicles are always more fuel efficient than older vehicles.
The average fuel efficiency levels of new vehicles are pretty much in an upward trend. However, the average fuel efficiency levels of 2006 model cars haven’t improved really that much since the mid-1980s. On top of that, there are car manufacturers that prioritize performance instead of fuel economy. After all said and done, I would still recommend you to buy newer vehicles as they produce much less smog and improved safety features which should never be overlooked.
Myth #3: It’s more fuel efficient to turn off the air conditioner.
Now, this is actually true however there are several conditions involve. You will achieve better fuel efficiency if you were to turn off the air conditioner but only if you keep the vehicle windows up. If you were to open the vehicle windows, you can still achieve better fuel efficiency by running at speeds below 35mph (60km/h). At higher speeds, the added wind resistance will diminish any fuel economy that you were trying to achieve.
Personally I would rather turn on my air conditioner. I wouldn’t want to reach my destination sweating.
However, there is a new device I recently got that regulates my electrical system and also helps me get better mileage, I mean improved fuel economy. You can check it out here.
Myth #4: Your owner’s manual says “premium fuel recommended” thus you’ll ruin your car by filling it up with regular.
There is not a need for you to ever put premium fuel in your vehicle. Your car’s engine fuel-management system is perfectly prepared to handle lower-octane fuel. Using regular gas in a car that says premium fuel is merely “recommended” is perfectly fine. And doing so will save you 25 cents per gallon. By using regular gas, it would cost you a few horsepowers but chances are you won’t notice any significant difference, and it definitely won’t hurt your car.
Myth #5: Driving at higher speeds will affect your fuel economy.
At higher speeds, your car encounters more wind resistance and the tires encounter more rolling resistance. So it is better to drive at lower speeds. However, fuel efficiency starts to drop only once you’ve reached speeds higher than 60mph (95km/h) so it is fine to drive anything below that. Although instead of worrying about your car’s speed, you should be more observant of the way you drive. Jackrabbit starts and constantly accelerating/ decelerating your car will affect your fuel economy more significantly as it takes much more effort for a car to speed up than to keep it running at a consistent speed.
There are many more myths available out there however do not accept them until you have tested them thoroughly and verified that it truly does improve your fuel economy.
Warmest Regards, Royal Mall.