How to reduce the car's appetite and reduce gasoline costs

How to properly operate the car and not spend extra money at gas stations, the specialists of the concern General Motors .

How not to spend extra money at gas stations.

Since December last year, the cost of gasoline at Ukrainian gas stations has steadily increased and the issue of fuel economy has become relevant for many. About how to properly operate the car and not spend extra money at gas stations, experts told the concern of General Motors.

• The timely replacement of the engine air filter improves the efficiency of the machine by 4%
• Well-inflated tires - by 3.3%
• The rejection of climate control - immediately by 10%
• Unloading the trunk from unnecessary things will moderate the car's appetite by 2% for every 45 kg of trash
• The choice of the optimum speed in the higher gear (about 100 km / h) will save up to 3 liters per 100 kilometers of mileage in the country cycle

GM specialists also reminded that excess acceleration and braking increase fuel consumption by 33% when driving on highway and 5% in the city, and every 15 minutes idle idle time they "eat up" about 0.9 liters of fuel.

Pay for the "gas" during a trip to the sea can be much less - sometimes twice. But in the city, savings can be significant.

You gathered in the Crimea on your own car, but then the gasoline again "jumped" by ten percent? Do not worry: "Today" will tell you how, not particularly straining, to reduce fuel costs by 20%. By the way, it's safe to drive and ride safely - in most cases the same thing!

The first factor, technical

First of all, remember: you can save fuel only on a fully serviceable car. Any trifle, any malfunction can significantly increase the flow. Even such "nonsense", as an occasional thawing candle, can "eat" extra two or three liters on the tank. And in the end, you "do not get there" is not at all superfluous 20-30 kilometers. The main malfunctions and their effect on fuel consumption are in the table. It will be cheaper to repair!

Find your fuel

Refueling with cheap fuel, do not rush to rejoice: measure the mileage on this gasoline. It may well be that the cost of the distance traveled eventually increased - the engine made up for the lack of calorific value of fuel by its quantity.

• Even refueling only at "branded" gas stations for approximately one price, you can get a different expense for two gasolines, filled in different network gas stations. By the way, this does not mean that one of the gasolines is much better. It just suits your motor more. After all, modern types of high-octane fuel can have oxygen-containing additives, and even an admixture of ethanol. Effective combustion of such gasoline is possible only with the intervention of an "intelligent" on-board computer, able to recognize this fuel and accordingly change the engine settings. Therefore, it is worth pomorochitsya and experimentally determine which of the closest refuellings is regularly refuel.
• A separate topic is gasoline refueling with a reduced or increased octane number (if, of course, the manufacturer allows operation on several types of fuel). To determine it is necessary, too having experimented.
• And, finally, a seditious thought: if not gasoline at all? Modern systems of gas-cylinder equipment allow, without reducing the dynamics of the car and not increasing the flow, to switch to liquefied gas. Which, first, rises in price more slowly than gasoline, and secondly, at all times it costs about half the price of 92nd. Of course, we need initial capital investments (from $ 300 to $ 1,000), the more significant the car is. But the costs pay off after a maximum of six months.
• Diesel engine, although it does not allow to save as "dashingly" as the transition to gas (only about 30%), but has its advantages, among which - a greater torque at low and medium speed.

The main factor: the human

As it is not trite, but on the style of your ride fuel consumption depends not less than on the technical condition of the car and the quality of gasoline! And someone in their defense will say: "I like fast driving, and I'm ready to pay for it!" For the pleasure of speed, the feeling of the full power of the engine - I agree. But for missing the right turn, lost in the end time - is it worth paying for it?

• Before starting traffic in the city, mentally "calculate" the route. And "all of a sudden" it will be remembered that the congress was blocked from such overpass, because of repairs, and the passage through another bridge was limited. And to go around is nothing at all! And the road there is less loaded ...
• The second urban "economy-postulate": the movement "zigzags" not only leads to unjustified risk, but also does not give any gain in time. But overruns - please. In order to agree with this statement, ask yourself: how many times have you risked, dangerously "cramming" into a neighboring row moving much faster than yours? And was it not always immediately that the very strip from which you had just left was moving faster than everyone else?
• The third way to save in the urban cycle is to "calculate" the road situation. The author of these lines recently witnessed how the tractor of the landscaping service did not lag behind the passenger cars during 18 intersections! Simply, he drove his maximum 35 km / h, guessing in advance the moment when "green" light was switched on at the intersection. And overtook! And how much fuel can be saved, moving at a uniform speed, without sudden acceleration and braking!
• But it's in the city. And on the road? Remember how many times it happened that the car that drove you at high speed suddenly found itself kilometers in fifteen. Flying in the tail for overcoming the protracted lifting of the "wagon". You went to yourself quietly and safely your 110, avoiding fines, saving fuel and taking no chances! In such cases, it is customary to smirk maliciously: "... what, the fencer, has overtaken?". And now remember how many times it was the other way around ... The difference between these two driving styles can be a few liters five to eight for a hundred.

5 myths of economy

1. When driving from a hill, you need to turn off the gear.
This advice was just about 30 years ago. With the advent of EPHH (economizer forced idling) in carburetor systems, and even more so on modern injector motors when braking the engine (gearbox), the electronics shut off the fuel supply, and it consumes 0! When the same transmission is turned off, the gasoline consumption is resumed, and the economy ends. By the way, the PHX regime is very useful for the motor - there is a drift of fumes and soot. Therefore, from the hill - only in the transfer - and more economical, and more useful, and better from the point of view of traffic safety!

2. It is necessary to switch faster to higher gear.
The most economical engine speed is within 2500-3500 rpm. This is due to the best conditions for ventilation of the combustion chamber (at high suction rates in the cylinders there are increased turbulence that better mix gasoline with air and prevent detonation).
With a decrease in speed (up to 1500), consumption is increasing, although not much. Well, with a drop in turnover below 1.5 thousand, gasoline consumption is growing significantly - the mixture of idling starts to interfere with the addition of "extra" fuel. In addition, the exhaust gases from the cylinders go badly, and the fresh mixture does not burn completely. Therefore, do not particularly "tighten" with the shift to a lower gear.

3. When driving in traffic, you need to constantly muffle the engine.
The Council is fair only if you have more than a minute to stand, and you probably know this (for example, if you stop at the "long" traffic lights). If you jam and start the engine often, it's the other way around, resulting in over-consumption and increased wear on the motor. As well as rapid failure of the battery. Do you want it?

4. Need to slow down slowly.
Smoothly - yes. But not slowly: a prolonged movement in the lower gears will lead to overspending. Of course, at the moment of acceleration, the instantaneous flow rate is significantly increased, but the more short it is, the faster the engine will go to the optimum operating mode and reduce the consumption of gasoline.

5. Spoiler (wing) reduces consumption.
In no case. He has a different task - better to press the car to the road. And he does it due to additional resistance to air flow (read: additional fuel consumption). And the larger the area and the angle of the spoiler, the more it affects the flow. If you are not going to overcome steep bends on the track with the highest possible speed, from the wing in order to save is better to give up. In an extreme case, "for beauty" choose a "neutral" spoiler, which does not have a pronounced angle of attack and is just an imitation of a sports accessory.

Top Tips

1. Do not press the accelerator pedal all the way.
By this you re-enrich the mixture. Add gas with increasing speed, "outperforming" the engine with a pedal a maximum of one-third. It is especially true for driving on a lower gear: if you push the pedal "on the floor" at 1500 revolutions, you will not achieve anything other than a significant overspending.

2. Correctly and in time switch.
Movement at both too low and too high turns leads to overspending. As already mentioned, the optimal speed of rotation of the crankshaft is recognized in the interval between 2,500 and 3,500 revolutions. There is no tachometer - learn to navigate the sound of the motor.

3. Avoid high speeds.
The air resistance increases in proportion to the square of the speed! If your car consumes about 7-8 liters per "hundred" at a moderate speed, you can rest assured: at 180 km / h its "appetite" will grow liters to 16-18!

4. Control the flow of instruments.
When driving on the highway, it is best to turn on cruise control. In this case, the electronics itself selects the optimal (and, therefore, more economical) modes of engine operation. In urban conditions, it is not superfluous to include an average fuel consumption. If there is no boron computer on an old car, put a vacuum economometer for 50 hryvnia, which is suitable for any car. Sometimes one "skew" look at the oversized expense rate is enough to Very disciplined.

"Councils and myths are verified." I agree . "
Sergey Nikolaychuk, participant, technical consultant of the only economy rally in Ukraine "Skoda Grand Prix Ukraine"

Comfort is not free. But...

For convenience, we often agree to pay. But sometimes it turns out that to give up comfort does not make sense at all. For example, fuel consumption during the movement of a small car at a speed of 120 km / h with the air conditioning and closed windows is about 8 liters. But open windows with the conditioner turned off "cost" in 10.5 liters. The phenomenon is explained simply: the air conditioner "brakes" the engine less than the aerodynamic resistance of open windows.

In all other cases, the additional equipment included leads to over-consumption of fuel. Powered by a significant volume of radio tape recorder, the included rear window heater, the heater fan in the "swing" position, the far and dipped beam - all this increases the consumption. In total, the charge for this load on the generator can be up to 15% overrun. But to save on this, perhaps not worth it. Moreover, these costs can be fully compensated by using the following "small" tips:

• 1. To ride in the darkness and silence, with the sweaty rear window - certainly stupid. But here to translate on a line заслонку a fence of air in position "external" instead of inclusion of the fan on full capacity - let and insignificant, but economy both fuel, and a resource of the generator together with the heater of a heater. What other secrets of saving exist, which in total can result in a significant figure?
• 2. About one percent of the savings you will get by raising the pressure in the tires (for the route) by 0.2 "atmosphere." This, by the way, will also reduce the wear of "rubber" at high speeds.
• 3. One more percent you save ... choosing instead of the black color of the car light - it is less heated in the sun, the air conditioner and the "climate" fan work with less load. And do not forget about the need for safety to turn on the headlights during the day on the track - a dark car is barely visible on the road.
• 4. If there is no rain in the street - remove the janitors before the long trip (if they "do not hide"). It is unlikely that this will give more than half a percent, but still improve aerodynamics. In general, all aerodynamic "gadgets" such as deflectors on the windows and "fly swatter" on the hood can both reduce fuel consumption, and increase it in case of incorrect configuration and illiterate installation.
• 5. In summer, use special summer tires with reduced rolling resistance. Win - up to 5%!
• 6. Check the trunk. Overrun fuel for every 50 kg of excess weight is 2%! Remember this figure, and equipping the car on the road, for example, on the sea.

FACTOR LAST: AERODYNAMIC