Experience driving a car to save fuel in winter
(Baonghean.vn) - Driving in the cold season will make you encounter more difficulties and consume more fuel than usual. Below are tips to help you cut down on significant costs for buying fuel and maintaining your car in the winter.
Tire Pressure Monitoring
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Monitoring your tires is a must and will help you save fuel. According to "veterans", properly inflated tires will make braking easier. On the contrary, the more deflated the tire, the more fuel consumption will increase. Specifically, if tire pressure (tension) is reduced by at least 0.1 atm, fuel consumption can increase by 2 - 3%.
That's why it's so important to keep an eye on your tire pressure. You should always check your tire pressure and keep it at a moderate level, especially in cold weather.
See google map to find the most convenient route
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If your journey requires many stops, it is best to consult Google Maps to calculate the most convenient route. Warming up the engine also consumes more fuel than usual.
So calculate so that the car does not have to reheat many times a day. This habit helps you save a lot of money on gas, especially on cold winter days.
Speed control on the highway
If you plan your routes to get to your destinations efficiently, it will save you a lot of money on gas, especially during the winter months.
Accordingly, a cold engine will consume more fuel for at least the first 8 km or more. Therefore, starting and warming up the engine also consumes more fuel than usual.
Therefore, if you intend to go through many locations, it is best to choose the most convenient route, to avoid having to reheat the engine many times a day.
Use speed control on the highway
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The best way to save gas is to keep your car at a steady speed over long distances. On the highway, if you constantly increase and decrease your speed, you will burn more fuel.
Every time you accelerate, you will use more energy than usual.
Minimize idling when starting the vehicle
Manufacturers recommend driving slowly for the first 30 seconds. The engine will warm up faster when the car is moving. As a result, the temperature of the car will increase faster, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.
Limit sudden braking/acceleration
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Many drivers have a habit of pressing the accelerator/brake suddenly on the road. However, in driving schools, they are told that acceleration and braking should be done gently to ensure that no extra fuel is wasted.
When you suddenly brake or accelerate, it will cause your car to consume more energy and gas.
Use cruise control
This is an automatic speed control system that has appeared on many modern cars today. For example, when set at 112km/h on the highway, the computer will calculate and adjust the throttle valve to maintain that speed, helping to save fuel for the car.
Even more effective is the Adaptive Cruise system, which uses radar to maintain distance from the vehicle behind and in front.
Remove unnecessary items from the car
Some drivers like to pack a lot of stuff in their car, regardless of whether they need it or not. However, experienced drivers say that you should remove some of the stuff from your car and only keep the essentials like spare wheels, tires, and hats.
The heavier the vehicle, the more effort it will take to transport it and the more fuel it will consume.
Regular vehicle maintenance
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To avoid unnecessary costs, perform regular maintenance on your car. Otherwise, your engine will soon have trouble and the repairs will be very expensive.
You should use genuine engine oil, meeting international standards, correct SAE viscosity, correct API grade suitable for your vehicle to increase engine life and save fuel.
Also don't forget to check your car regularly.
Why do cars consume more energy in winter? • It takes longer for the vehicle to reach the optimum temperature for efficient energy consumption. This is more important for short distances as the vehicle will be operating at a lower temperature than the optimum for most of the journey. • The vehicle will use more fuel for using heated seats, heated windows and heated fan. • Warming up engines when starting a car also wastes fuel. Idling a car can waste gallons of gas without even moving. • In cold weather, the air also becomes denser, increasing the aerodynamic resistance of the vehicle, especially when the vehicle is moving on the highway. • Reduced tire pressure in cold weather will increase the vehicle's traction. • Cold temperatures cause gasoline to condense into layers, so there is less energy in each gallon of gasoline. • Driving speeds on slippery roads can be much lower than normal, which can greatly reduce the vehicle's fuel economy, especially when the vehicle is operating at 30 - 40 miles per hour. • Operating the drive system on a car will use more fuel. • Battery performance decreases in cold weather, making it more difficult to charge. This also affects the performance of regenerative braking systems in hybrid vehicles. |
Ngoc Anh
(Synthetic)
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