We make use of our cars everyday to comfortably transport ourselves from one place to another. However, just as we need food to give us energy to perform, cars also require fuel to work. The cost of fueling your car everyday can be really pocket draining, so I’ll be giving a few tips on how to improve your fuel economy.

Check your tire pressure

Making sure your tires are inflated to the right pressure before setting out is very important to improving fuel economy. Running on low tire pressure will increase the rolling resistance of your car’s tires on the ground surface, and this will not help your fuel efficiency in any way.

You don’t have to sweat yourself about how to check your tire pressure because there are lots of measuring tools you can easily get your hands on. There are also gadgets you can connect to your phone that will give you real-time status of your tire pressure.

Reduce idling

Letting your car run idle for too long isn’t exactly going to save you fuel. If you are in your car and you are not ready to move, turn your engine off. If you are in a very bad traffic also, turn your engine off. During start-up, your engine burns a little extra gasoline. However, leaving your engine idle for more than a minute burns more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it.

Park in the shade

This is pretty straightforward. Try as much as possible to park your car in a shade or in a cool place to avoid evaporation.

Drive at the highest possible gear

Those driving manual cars will be able to relate to this. Driving in higher gears will drastically improve your fuel economy. You might be reluctant to do so maybe because you don’t want to speed, but it is actually doable. Cruising at 70kmph on 3^rd gear won’t give you a very good mpg as cruising at the same speed on the 5^th gear would.

Drive moderately

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Yes sure, you don’t want to be driving at a pace of a tortoise, but you shouldn’t be driving like you’re a Formula one driver either, the road isn’t a race track. You might feel like you are in a Fast and Furious movie when you are hitting hard on the throttle, slamming your fool on the brakes and making sharp turns in corners, but all these habits will tell on your fuel economy. Driving at a respectable speed will help reduce your fuel consumption by a reasonable amount and also reduce your chances of crashing your beautiful car.

Use your AC moderately

Well, it is true that frequent use of your car’s AC can affect your fuel economy. However, it actually depends on when you use it. Using your AC while driving in the city where you won’t really pass say 80kmph will probably affect your fuel economy. But driving on the highway where you’ll be doing speeds way above 80kmph won’t really matter. How’s that so?

Well, it is better to turn your AC off in the city and roll down your windows, and do the exact opposite when you are on the highway. Rolling up your windows at high speeds helps to reduce drag and therefore saves fuel.

Drive in neutral

Lastly, it is a very good practice to put your car in neutral, especially when going on long trips. After amassing considerable speed, it is advisable to put your car in neutral and let the generated force and car weight propel you for a while. This is best done when descending a sloppy or hilly road.