When you are in a tight spot, you would never like to adjust your budget every other day because of rapidly soaring in gasoline prices. Although you plan to buy a fuel-efficient car and you would probably have bought the one, it does not serve your purpose because increasing prices cancel out what you save on it. As income is stagnant and regular expenses are up, it becomes necessary to think about the ways to whittle down total spending. Fuel eats up a large chunk of your income.
Although you can offset this expenditure against tax by keeping petrol receipts, it is still a subject of worry. Suppose you have financed your car with a personal contract purchase. In that case, you will likely improve the fuel efficiency of your car because the normal wear and tear will increase the total amount you will pay to your car dealer that can, unfortunately, be much higher than the actual cost.
When it comes to buying a car, you frequently emphasise the best car loan rates in Ireland, but there are a lot of other things you should consider. Fuel efficiency is the essential one. Of course, some cars are aimed at people looking out for fuel efficiency, but they can be slightly expensive and beyond your budget. Well, if your car is consuming too much fuel, the following steps can help save on fuel cost.
Check the weight
It is not surprising to see many of you turning your car into a loaded truck by shoving more and more baggage in the boot. Of course, you will keep the necessary item like a toolkit. Still, many of you maintain other things like a blanket, children stuff that you usually need occasionally, especially when you are on a trip.
Putting additional weight in the car means putting additional pressure on the car’s engine. The engine will burn more fuel to deliver regular performance. For instance, your body has the potential to carry 10 kilos conveniently at a time, but when you load the double weight on your back, you will be able to carry but soon be sapped. Your muscle will be worn out. This is what the engine feels when you keep more than the recommended weight in your car.
Keep the correct pressure in your tyres
To improve fuel efficiency, you should keep your tyres inflated to the correct pressure. Make sure that your tyres are in good condition before you get behind the wheel. If they have proper air, they maintain good contact with the road reducing the rolling resistance on the surface.
Underinflated tyres by 10 per square inch (PSI) can increase fuel consumption by 1%. For instance, when you ride a bicycle with underinflated tyres, you will have to put extra force on the pedal to cause the tyre to change the shape. This additional energy you cannot see when you are behind the wheel because it puts pressure on your engine leading to excess fuel consumption.
Drive in a high gear
Yes, it does not need to be mindboggling. If you are driving in a high gear as long as it does not put pressure on your engine, you can save a lot of fuel. Driving a car at a speed of 60KM per hour at a third gear will consume one-fourth of your fuel more than it would in the fifth gear. This happens because the engine does not have to work hard on the higher speed at a particular gear you have fixed.
Be sensitive with the accelerator
As you get behind the wheel, you start to push the pedal so fast that it picks up the speed of 80 or 100km within a couple of minutes. Wait, because if you are doing so, you are consuming much more fuel. Your engine will have to work harder to maintain that speed for your car, and therefore it will burn more fuel.
Likewise, you should not often shift gears and abruptly stop the car. Try to be slow and steady. Maintaining a consistent speed of your vehicle can help save fuel. Further, you should try to avoid driving on busy roads where you more often have to put your car on different gears more frequently and switch between the brake and gas pedal.
Your AC is on all the time
Letting the AC be on all the time can also be the cause of excessive fuel consumption. AC extracts power from your engine’s oil, and therefore it has to work harder. Keep the windows down as long as the temperature is bearable. If you have pulled in a car for more than a couple of minutes, do not keep the engine on.
No matter which car you buy, you will always be restless about excessive fuel consumption if you do not follow the tips as mentioned above. Many of you try to buy a car advertised as the most fuel-efficient one and do not hesitate to fund them with online loans in Ireland, but you can save on fuel without following these tips.