Gas prices in many parts of the United States, and across the world, have increased drastically, and many drivers are struggling to stretch their gas tanks as much as possible.
Apart from buying a fuel-efficient car, there are a few ways to help you save your money on fuel. Today, it is very important to watch how you drive instead of what you drive.
This means stop being aggressive on the roads! The U.S. Energy Department has announced that the biggest savings on fuel will come from avoiding aggressive driving. This can help lower your mileage by nearly 33 percent on highways and by about 5 percent around towns. Driving carefully is a great way to save on fuel. Gentle braking and gradual acceleration are great ways to save your fuel.
Joined: Oct 05, 2008
Posts: 79
Location: Albuquerque NM
Posted:
Wed May 16, 2012 3:35 am
Accelerating too gradually is not efficient! If you accelerate too gradually, you spend too much time in the lower gears but maximum efficiency is not achieved until you get into the highest available gear.
Years ago, BMW did tests to determine the most economical way to drive their cars. They found that most economical way was to start out with a heavy foot (2/3 to 3/4 throttle) but to upshift at only 2000 rpm. The exact specifics would vary slightly depending on the car. Of course, you can do that only with a manual transmission; you cannot do it with a slush box.
With an automatic transmission, it is generally most efficient to accelerate at a moderate rate until you reach a speed at which backing off on the accelerator will cause the transmission to shift into top gear with the torque converter locked, then back off on the accelerator to cause that to happen. Then, be careful to accelerate gradually enough so that the transmission stays in top gear with the torque converter locked.
One of the worst things you can do for efficiency is to drive in a lower gear than necessary for the power you are using. Basically, you should upshift at the lowest possible speeds without lugging the engine unless you need more power than that provides.
The other commonly given advice to maximize fuel efficiency is usually correct, but accelerating extremely gradually is not efficient.
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