Tips To Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency


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Re: Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

The effect of ICE though negligible but is still there. The ICE system draws power from car's battery which in turn is charged by the alternator which in turn is powered by the engine which burns fuel to keep running. So loading the alternator at lower/idling RPMs means more power required to turn the alternator.
Good. Nice Explanation. Thanks freakdude
 
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Re: Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

Guys,

I had to travel to Mettur on sunday in my M800.

Before leaving I had made sure my tyre presure is okie. so I went to a tyre shop in saligramam, arcot road and topup-ed my nytrogen air and brought it to correct pressure.

I had left around 5am from chindaripet [ traveled to Chidadripet from saligramam by 4.30 ] with four of us.

filled pterol for Rs.1500 [22.22] at a petrol bunk opposite to Ega theatre. Traveled constantly in 100-110 till vellore. reached vellore at 7am. had breakfast at friends place and left to mettur arouned 10am. again drove my vehicle in 100 constantly till toll gate next to dharmapuri. Then the road was bad since it was hilly area till Thoppur.

Took a Right from thoppur and travelled in 60-80 till mettur and reached mettur around 1pm. Before reaching the city we found the petrol has reached the bottom. so refilled again for Rs. 1500 [22.22]

Again left mettur around 6pm. could not continiue in the regular road to mettur since there was a block due to a fallen tree [ boy.. it started raining when we started from mettur. it was heavy.. we had rain till we reach thoppur ]

Reached Krishnagiri at 9pm. Refreshed myself with a face wash, Tea and Dum. Started from Krishnagiri around 9.30 and travelled in 80-90 speed and reached Aambur for dinner around 10.30. After having a light dinner [ only one dosa ] started around 11. Travelled again in 80-90 speed and reached chennai around 1.30

The entire strech we travelld was 796Kms. the average milage we have got was 18.5. the best acheived was during our reuturn. It could be because of the speed 80-90 kmph. And one more thing was I was keeping my left leg completely off from clutch for 99% of the drive and did not shifted gears a lot [ there was no need at all ].
 
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Re: Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

Thanks guys for the tips, I usually follow all of them.
keep moving your car in one gear only and avoid starting and stopping your car too frequently. Every start takes around 5-10 secs of running fuel.
Just want more clarification on this point. If I know that my car is not going to move ahead what should be the ideal time that I can switch off the engine ? eg: I use to stop the engine on signals of the interval is 60 seconds.Is this OK?
 
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Re: Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

i dont know if this is true but there are some people who state that an engine uses more fuel during start up and also degrades the life of your starter if you switch of the engine at every signal.
From some more people they say that keep your windows rolled up while driving at speeds over 70 kmph as the wind resistance is more and engine works harder. Accelerate smoothly jamming the gas makes the engine work very hard and fuel is used alot. Ensure your tyres are inflated to the specified pressures and that your tyres threads are good. Avoid abrupt braking and acceleration. Dont keep the clutch engaged for to long. I have seen some people who partialy depress the clutch on an incline best is to use the hand brakes. Use good quality fuels. Go in for decarbs at intervals. Using a good quality oil and changing it at the said intervals helps alot. Spraying water with caution over your radiator and air conditioners condenser coils save fuel efficiency and keeps your engine and your self cool. Save money on fuel but dont try to save money by neglecting to maintain your car. try not to exceed 3000 rpms and change gears mostly at 2500 rpms. Red lining strains the engine and its barings badly and may spoil your piston rings. Love your car more then your wife/ Girl and get the rewards
 
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Re: Reported Post by reheboth

To increase your fuel consumption 20%,to avoid frequent oil changes upto 25000 kmtrs,reduce your engine sound and to keep your engine healthy..you can also use the additive oil GT-OIL Imported ( can use only in four stroke engines ).
Buddy, are you sure about this?
20% is a huuuuge difference and all OEMs would start recommending the same if it really works. Also Oil change at 25k kms?[surprise] this will kill your engine.
 
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Re: Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

i am a slow driver for 2 wheel i stick to 40kmph and on 4 i stick to 50kmph (tocuhed 120 in 800 only once when it was necessary to reach in time for my brother's engagement)
1. i shift to 5th as soon as possible at 40kmph and keep the needle above 40 and ~50.
2. i use AC carefully never over did it. changed the CFC gas to Non-CFC (r134) cost me 8000/- 3 yr back but FE increased reduced load on the engine better cooling
3. never hard-braked
4. always drove with windows rolled up in hihways
5. tyre pressure 27
6. every six months checked the alignment (i don't know why but they never had to align much most of the time they said it is ok)

i got ~22 in city and 28 on highway

very sad that i have to part with her (800)
now i have a wagon r 1 month old will comment on th FE later
 
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10 Tips to Save on fuel costs now

Friends, read this in Yahoo. Hope it is an essential news as the increasing fuel costs are a concern now.

Implementing it practically is not so possible in Indian conditions. But it will create awareness and work a bit.


1) Inflate your tires:

Yes, you heard right, inflate your tires. Semi-inflated tires will drain your fuel tank in the long-term. The next time you are at the petrol bunk, spend an extra minutes and get your tires inflated to the optimum level.


2) Park in the shade:

Look for a shady place and park. This will ensure that your engine is not heated. You don’t need to turn on the air-conditioning to cool down as well. A small thing like this can go a long way in shaving off high fuel costs.

3) Carpool, cycle or walk:

Why use your car or bike at all when you can carpool, cycle or walk? It is incredible how much money you save, not to mention avoiding wear and tear on your vehicle and getting a healthy boost from all the exercise.

4) Turn off your car:

Most cities are choc-a-block with traffic signals. As a rule of thumb switch off the car engine if its going to take anywhere in excess of 30 seconds. Imagine the amount of fuel you save if you are disciplined with this practice.

5) Avoid heavy traffic:

Do you find yourself crawling in bumper-to-bumper traffic? This will drain your fuel tank slowly forcing another trip to the petrol bunk. What can you do? Avoid peak hour traffic by leaving home early and logging out of office before traffic builds up. You will surprised at what it does for fuel bills and not to mention your mood!

6) Turn the air-conditioning off:

Unless it is hot enough to bake cookies inside your car or you are having difficulty breathing turn off the air-conditioning and put the windows down. You can save up to 20 per cent by doing this. You might feel the heat initially but think of all the savings and you are certain to feel cool under the collar.

7) Reduce weight:

If your car is carrying extra weight, it is going to reduce mileage. Open your car and take a look at everything that you are carrying that is not needed and get rid of it immediately. Your car and your wallet will end up feeling lighter.

8) Cruise control:

Ensure that you ride at a constant speed on high gears and watch how you get more bang for your petrol buck. This is a tried and tested trick when it comes to saving on fuel costs.

9) Maintain your car:

Maintaining your car can have a huge impact on how much fuel you save. Checking your air filter and changing oil regularly can shave many thousands of rupees off your fuel costs annually. Go get that annual or bi-annual car service done now

10) Stop sudden acceleration and braking:

A lot of fuel is consumed when you push the accelerator pedal fast. It might be exhilarating, but the added fuel bills will leave you feeling down and out. Sudden acceleration, and speeding in India is also not advisable because of the potholes, heavy traffic and speed bumps.






Source:
10 tips to save on petrol costs now Photos | Pictures - Yahoo! India Finance
 
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Alto k10 vxi

Hi guys,

My new ALTO K10 is 10 months old and I have drove around 1500 kms till date.
I have observed the FE/Mileage is around 10-11 KMS only. I usually drive it in the city and make only around 150 kms on the odometer every month.

I have completed 2 servicing till date.

Do you have any advice on the mileage issue ?

Sudhakar.S
 
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Re: Alto k10 vxi

Hi Sudhakar, welcome to TAI[:)]. 1500 kms in 10 months? seems like the car is used occasionally and I am sure the above claimed mileage would have been delivered for a short distance(with AC on?). Generally, k10 delivers an average mileage of 14kms in the inital run in period in the city. It will gradually increase after 10K kms. My k10 delivers an average of 16 kms in the city.
 
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yes Sudhakar 1500kms is generally not a good time to measure mileage for petrol car
my advice for real mileage check is to take on highway and try tank fill method
also try going for CNG after a few years ;)
 
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@Sudhakar, Why are you worried so much about FE when you running is so less. Just enjoy your car mate. But yes if you want to get the exact FE figures, you should test it on highways.
 
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Re: Tips To Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

The main thing is how are you driving and behaving with the car. The same way car also will return you the favor.

Do not hard accelerate and do not hard break. it will break the rhythm of the engine which cause unnecessary loss of fuel.

Change the gear(down/up) when appropriate speed reach. Failing to do so will result in engine breaking and thus loss of fuel as well.

Do not the rev the engine unnecessary. After slotting first gear do not start like a F1 driver. Start slowly and steadily. This will keep the engine good and economic to the fuel also.

In the traffic light depending upon the condition take the call whether to shut the engine or keep it running.

I feel if traffic light is going to get green within 2 min of time, then it is better to leave the engine running. More then that ,there is definite need of the engine shut.

As everybody says keep Tyre pressure optimum, change the engine oil regular interval, keep the air filter clean etc.

My few cents[:D].

Amit
 
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Re: Alto k10 vxi

Yep, I use car occasionally. But the FE of 10-11 kms was observed over a month and I seldom use AC, unless its required or lt's been long after the last use(atlease once/twice a month). I usually drive around 120 - 150 kms every month. I did speak to Dealer, he said I can't expect the car to deliver much until I drove 10K kms. However he also claimed that I must get alteast 14-15 KMPL in city.
 
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@Sudhakar, Why are you worried so much about FE when you running is so less. Just enjoy your car mate. But yes if you want to get the exact FE figures, you should test it on highways.
Dharmesh : I do enjoy my car :) . I purchased ALTO K 10 for its mileage, maintenance and brand value of Maruti Suzuki. FE of 10 is far less than what its supposed to give me when compared to 14-16 KMPL in the city. I'm sure its not my driving habits because I have been riding MAX 100 for years and rode it for 75k kms with a good mileage of 55 KMPL in city. I'm very economic rider in my view. Just want to be economic driver too. If its not my driving habits or no problem with the car/engine itself then It wouldn't hurt me. If its too early for me to expect too much out my car...I would agree on that too :)
 

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