How to save fuel: the most effective ways and useful tips

To reduce fuel consumption, you should first pay attention to the type and state of tyres. How much money a car owner will spend on fuel depends, first, on this. Fuel consumption is influenced by the following tyre parameters:

inflation pressure;
season;
width of tyre and rim;
intended use.

Inflation pressure

You should always monitor tyre pressure. If it decreases by 0.1 atmospheres in all four tyres, fuel consumption will increase by 2-3%. Insufficient pressure affects the grip and handling of the car.

With sufficient pressure, less rolling resistance is observed. Rolling resistance is a combination of forces that prevent the tyre from moving forward. The weaker they are, the less energy the engine needs to make the car move. A 10% reduction in rolling resistance saves 2% more fuel. This is not so much, but when calculating for a year, a good saving is obtained.

High mileage tyres have the lowest rolling resistance and best fuel efficiency. Fuel efficiency is indicated on a tyre label in Latin letters from A to G. A is the most efficient tyre, while G is the least efficient tyre. You cannot completely get rid of rolling resistance, as these are the laws of physics.

Manufacturers can only minimize it as follows:

use materials with higher resistance to heat generation ;
improve the tread pattern;
design sidewall, location and shape of tread blocks;
reduce tyre weight;
reduce wind drag of tread pattern.

To save fuel, it’s enough to maintain the right inflation pressure. Nominal working pressures can be found on the plant label for recommended inflation pressure.

Season

It is always necessary to buy and mount tyres according to season. Winter tyres are heavier than summer tyres and have increased grip. On paved road surface, slipping can be even at above +5 °C, and this leads to fuel penalty. In sub-zero temperatures, winter tyres should be used, because they do not become stiff, do not make so much noise and the car moves much softer.

Tyre width and type

The wider the tyres, the larger their diameter, and so the engine load is higher. This is explained by the following:

A wide tyre is more heavy, this increases the weight of the car itself.
The increased weight and lever arm cause the engine to spend more effort to give the necessary acceleration to the tyre and the car. As a result, fuel consumption increases.

But this does not mean that you should mount the tyres as narrow as possible. At uniform driving, tyre size is not a big deal. Fuel consumption increases with engine starting and acceleration.

Fuel consumption by different types of tyres:

Highway Terrain (H/T) tyres do not consume much fuel. They are designed for driving on wet or dry paved roads.
All Terrain (A/T) tyres consume a little more fuel. These tyres are used both on- and off-roads. They have more aggressive tread pattern than H/T.
Mud Terrain (M/T) tyres consume even more fuel. These are tyres for off-road, ruts and clayed soil. They have lateral lugs that are almost not soiled.
Mud (extreme) tyres. They consume the largest amount of fuel, because they have to overcome great resistance when driving.

Fuel saving tips

Not only tyres are important for fuel saving. To ensure uniform and economical fuel consumption, it is necessary to develop the optimal style of driving. This should not be an aggressive ride with jerks and extreme braking. For smooth movement, you should gently press the accelerator pedal.

To save fuel, it is also important to pay attention to the use of the gearbox. Here you need to know the following:

First gear is used when starting from standstill.
Second gear is used for acceleration.
Third gear is used for overtaking a vehicle.
Fourth gear is used in human settlements.
Fifth gear is used on highway.

A few more ways to save fuel:

Engine speed should be not more than 2000 per minute.
Gap in candles - 1 mm, which ensures complete combustion of mixture in cylinders.
Keep a distance of 2 m to a passenger car, 4 m to a truck, and 5 m to a bus. In these cases, your car will travel in an area with discharged air, which in some cases will save fuel up to 40%.
Do not drive in heavy rain. With heavy rain, fuel consumption increases by 15%.
Drive a car with the windows up, because when the windows are down, the resistance to movement increases and leads to an increase in fuel consumption by about 1.5%.
Avoid potholes, as the foot on the gas pedal is shaking, which is quite sensitive for the engine.
Unload a car, because the lower the weight, the less effort the engine needs to start from standstill.

It is also important to regularly check the state of a car. With dirty filters, there is greater resistance to air entering the engine, and this significantly affects the fuel consumption. By replacing the filter, you can achieve good fuel saving.

In addition, you need to choose the right oil. If it is of poor quality, there will be high friction between the parts, which leads to an increase in energy consumption and, consequently, fuel consumption. Therefore, it is important to choose oil with the required viscosity, as well as take into account the age and conditions of a car operation. Using at least a few of these tips, you can expect a significant reduction in fuel.