Tips for driving more efficiently?

ironlady2022

I'm a new driver and wondered what tips people had for making fuel stretch further? I have nothing in my boot, fill at most 3/4 full as I drive about 200 miles a week for work and go on that petrol price checker. I have 6 gears in my car and tend to d gear 6 in 50mph, is this advisable?

My BF suggested buying that fuel mixture to add into the fuel? What are people's experiences of this?

newfoundglory

1. Drive in the correct gear, accelerate smoothly.

2. Avoid using the brake (leave bigger gap between you and car in front, or drive slower in a lower gear to keep the car moving if there is traffic ahead)

3. When you know you are going to be stationary for several minutes, switch the engine off.

Jonesya

Check your tyre pressures regularly and keep them inflated to the correct pressure.

forgotmyname

6th gear at 50mph in my car gives worse fuel consumption than changing down to 5th.

40mph in 4th = 11% throttle travel.

40mph in 5th = 18% throttle travel,

So in the higher gear im actually pushing the throttle down more and putting more fuel in to compensate for the lack of torque in the higher gear.

Thing is you wont notice, As it will easily pull less than 40mph in 5th.

Best economy = around the peak torque figure.

scotsbob

Lose weight, the less weight the car has to carry the better the fuel consumption figure will be.

marlot

Every time you use the brakes you are converting your momentum into waste heat.

Try driving without using the brakes.

If you can see the traffic lights ahead are red then ease off the accelerator even before you get there.

Leave bigger gaps to the car in front of you so that when they brake you can let the gap close up without having to brake yourself.

Press the accelerator gently when you need to go.

As forgotmyname says, don't assume that higher gears = lower consumption. Labouring the engine at low revs is bad for the big ends and can use more fuel.

reeac

In my opinion [held a licence for 55 years] minimising use of the brakes is the big one as it forces you to adopt other good eco. practices.

benham3160

I've always found in practice the best thing to do is:

Depending on how old your car is, but if it's a bit low mileage and the sort of car that's only been driven in town, it needs a dose of "yang" to the "ying" you are currently giving it.

Drive the car say ten miles to make sure it's nice and warm, then you need to give the thing some abuse........ Find a nice stretch of A-Road, then accelerate hard in every gear, up until 3rd, then cruise for say five miles in third gear at 60-70 miles per hour, if you slow down or stop, thrash the car back up to speed again, don't be gentle on it, but remember to have some semblance of mechanical sympathy. Remember to only do this if you are confident your engine is mechanically sound, seek advice if you are in any way uncertain.

Cars that are driven in the most saintly manner constantly tend to choke up, giving them the odd 'Italian Tune-up' is conducive to fuel economy, as I have found with many, many, many cars over the years, also it gives the mechanics a bit of a workout, gets the catalyst super-hot to burn off any crap and makes sure any "crap" building up the engine is sutibly oxidised and got rid of.

The car will drive a hell of a lot better the next time you take it out too.....

Regards,
Andy

almillar

Don't ask for specific advice about what gear to be in at what speed - it depends completely on your car and engine model, as well as road conditions of course. But in GENERAL, I'd say top gear at 50 (maybe even 40).
Since you're a new driver, I presume you were taught to 'slow down in gear', then put the clutch pedal in right at the end? This is good practice as it helps you keep good control of the car, and also means you're burning NO FUEL in any modern car. This effect (feeling the engine pull the car back) is called 'engine braking' and can help save fuel (and brake pads!).
So, look as far ahead as possible, and get your foot off the throttle as soon as possible, when you see a hazard or red light ahead. As soon as you take your foot off the throttle, you stop burning fuel and the movement along the road is running your engine (this is how push-starting a car works), but as soon as you hit the clutch pedal again, you're burning fuel.
Speeding up uses most fuel, so you want to avoid doing it, and if you do do it, make it worthwhile, so, for example, if you're going to be on the motorway for a long time, get straight up to 70, but if there's a very short stretch (subject to traffic conditions), you may be able to get away with only going up to 60. Don't hold anyone up just to save though!

grizzly1911

If you use Motorways and Dual carriageways keep the speed "down".

Doing 80 v 70 makes a big difference, as despite the 6th gear, you are actually having to counter the effects of drag.

Don't over rev the engine, change up when the car can carry the next gear easily. Most diesels for instance don't need to go past 2000 and will often trundle around in traffic, or cruise on light throttle at a lot less.

grizzly1911

forgotmyname wrote: »

6th gear at 50mph in my car gives worse fuel consumption than changing down to 5th.

40mph in 4th = 11% throttle travel.

40mph in 5th = 18% throttle travel,

So in the higher gear im actually pushing the throttle down more and putting more fuel in to compensate for the lack of torque in the higher gear.

Thing is you wont notice, As it will easily pull less than 40mph in 5th.

Best economy = around the peak torque figure.

Your summary is right on the nail.

Interested in how you measure the throttle travel so accurately? Surely load must come into the equation?

What fuel does you car use?

Surely load must come into the equation .