Saving That Liquid Gold

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 230, 9 February 1988, Page 3 (Supplement)

Saving That Liquid Gold

With the economic squeeze on, the last thing drivers in the King Country need are petrol tanks that empty too quickly.

Driving habits play a big role in fuel consumption. Driving economically is largely a matter of common sense and doesn't mean a driver has to creep along the side of the road watching everyone else speed past. The Ministry of Energy gives the followingadvice. It assumes the car is welltuned, with the ideal setting not too hi^h, the air filter clean and so on. One worn spark-plug can reduce petrol economy by 9 per cent at 80km/ hr. •A car uses least petrol when all its moving parts are warmed up. Idling and revving a cold engine wastes

petrol and can cause damage. In fact, more engine wear occurs during a cold start and the first 1 0 seconds of a run than in all the rest of the trip - even if it is hundreds of kilmetres long! • Move off immediately and put the choke in as soon as possibie. •If you accelerate too slowly you'll waste petrol. Try to be in top gear - where your car is getting the best petrol economy - as soon as possibie; as long as the engine isn't straining. •When starting, never pump the accelerator. If you are restarting a warm engine, keep your foot off it alto-

gether, unless the maker says otherwise. •Never rest your foot on the brake or clutch while driving, even lightly. •Driving within speed limits might earn you a few honks from other drivers racing to a heart attack from stress, but you'll find you reach your destination in about the same time, and you'll probably find it more relaxing. Your car never gets better petrol economy at lOOkm/hr than at 80km/hr. For example cruising at 70km/ hr uses at least onethird the petrol for the same distance as at 1 lOkm/hr. •Accelerate before the start of a rise, then try to keep a constant pressure on the accelerator. Resist the urge to push it to the floor; it gives no more power but gobbles the gas. Change down. •Keep a "buffer space" between you and the driver ahead of you to avoid sudden braking and accelerating. When stopping, lift off the accelerator early and roll up in top gear, the less you have to use brakes and gears the more petrol you save. Try not to come to a complete stop - unless you must. Getting back to cruising speed from a dead stop wijl use up to 15 percent more petrol. If your car can use 91 octane Regular petrol, why not save that $2 - $3 a tank-

ful. Ask you service station for advice; most Japanese cars can use it safely. •It may be more relaxing to wind down car windows than use the air conditioning, but its harder on petrol. Goodyear studies show that if you don't close windows at speeds over 50km/ hr you'll be using more petrol just to maintain speed. •Separate studies show projections from the body of the vehicle can have similar effects on aerodynamic drag; rooftop luggage racks by as much as 12 percent, mudflaps 7 percent, spotlights 2 percent and even radio antennae 1 percent. •Ever wondered how much petrol your car is using while you're staring at the back of that lorry in a traffic jam. A European car manufacturer estimates an average car idling for three minutes uses the same amount of petrol it needs to travel one kilometre at a reasonable speed. Switch off the engine if you're stopping for more than 30 seconds. Restarting uses less fuel. •Under-inflated tyres can use 5 percent more petrol - and they'll wear out quicker. Use radials; generally they'll improve petrol consumption significantly in the city, and by 10 percent on the open road. If all else fails, your options are CNG, LPG or shoe leather!