Fuel Saving Tips and Tricks For 2016

First you should start by removing all the unnecessary clutter from your car. More weight means bigger fuel consumption. Remove unnecessary boot luggage and avoid heavy accessories. Remember that wider tires are adding rolling resistance, so you might want to downgrade from your get-outta-my-face-I'm-a-racecar tires you have now.

Always reverse going into a parking space. When you start off again, the engine will most likely be cold and at one of its most fuel inefficient stage. This technique will enable the vehicle to drive smoothly away without having to reverse when the engine is cold. It also saves you precious time by cutting the number of maneuvers we might say.

Some cars nowadays have stop&start technologies. Since most of you guys don't have that on your car, why not mimic it? By turning your engine off every time you stop for more then, let's say 20-30 seconds, you avoid excessive idling. Even though the fuel saving is minimal, it is still a saving, and every bit helps. This is especially efficient in stop&go traffic in crowded cities.

By keeping your car well maintained and properly serviced according to the manufacturer's recommendations you can increase your fuel economy by 10 % or even more. We know it sounds a bit eerie, but a simple action like not changing the oil, fuel and air filters in due time can have a pretty disastrous effect on the car's fuel efficiency.

Correctly inflated (not over and especially not under-inflated) tires can reduce the rolling resistance of the vehicle, which in turn translates into better fuel economy. Driving with your windows up and using the air-conditioning unit as rarely as possible also helps to maximize your air rolling resistance. Apart from making you less reliant on A/C, always parking in the shade can minimize fuel evaporation.

If you have a cruise control system fitted to your vehicle, you should use it every time you have a long distance trip, since it will help you avoid unnecessary surging on the highway. If you know the exact fuel consumption of your car in certain situations and are about to embark on a trip with lots of gas stations on the way, never fill up your tank. The extra weight caused by the additional fuel found in a half of tank is enough to decrease your fuel efficiency.

Always stick to the speed limit and never over-rev the engine. Everyone knows that driving faster uses more fuel, but not many people know exactly how much. Let's just say that for a regular mid size sedan with a 2 liter petrol engine, going 50 mph (80 km/h) instead of 70 mph (112 km/h) will save you about 25% in fuel economy.