saving fuel when driving?

Question

wot is best way to drive a passenger car i.e. normal car to save as much fuel as possible. e.g

1. drvivng as often as possible with clutch held down
2. drivving as often as possible without pushing the gas pedal
3. drving as much as possible in high gears i.e 4th gear

pls - simple answers with no physics and engineering mechanics!

Answer 1

Engine not running. Tow strap to car in front of you. Take out floor boards like the Flintstones and move feet. Take out all unnnessary weight=Seats and engine and spare tire And passengers etc.

Answer 2

Well the modern car engine uses no fuel at all when you do not depress the accelerator at all while in gear. if you decide to coast up to a set of traffic lights in 5th or 6th instead of out of gear the cars movement and momentum will keep the engine ticking over without using any fuel what-so-ever. Never make the engine work too much is the best method ot save fuel. Try to never depress the accelerator much, run through the gears fairly quickly but not too quickly, in too high a gear the engine will use more fuel to get the power it needs for moving. Also remember these figures:

Opening a window will increase fuel consumption by 5%, The hearer will increase cunsumption by as much as 15%, Air Con around 20%, Heated seats and windows around 12.5%. Essentially the less power you use the less is needed so the less fuel is burnt to create that power. Don't worry about the radio though, thats negligable.

Answer 3

No it depends on the Car

Your tips are fine for a carburettor car like a Morris Marina or an old Escort.
Hard acceleration needs a lot of fuel, I used to get 1.6mpg on an MG Maestro flat out in 1st , while sowing down wastes fuel on old cars,
Driving as above will cost about 2 mpg on a fuel injection (EFi)with fuel cut off. but improve an old Marina by about 2mpg

So keep the speed up like a lorry driver dont slow for bends esp roundabouts, avoid towns, go fast down hill lose speed climbing, climb in a high gear, decend in a low gear(EFi) Neutral with a carb. Keep the revs dowwn but above 1500 when the accelerator is not pressed with an EFi, the 600 to 1500 rpm is a no no with EFi when coasting, I found this the hard way when the fuel strikes were on, I used to get 30 mpg no matter how fast I went, which dropped to 28 when i tried coasting going real slow etc

The bigger car the faster the most economial speed, 2.5 V6 Auto probably its 55, slower more fuel is needed, faster more fuel is needed so set the cruise at 55 and avoid town,
Get a big battery and adjust the idle so it dont, is a fuel saving tip on an EFi, use high gears accelerate to 2mph in first 30 in 2nd and into 5th at 30, down to 3rd as soon as you need to slow.

Get the car hot, a good thrash up to 60 will warm it up, use a bit of fuel which you get back because the auto enrich comes off sooner as the engine warms up.
Small engines are more economical at Idle than big ones but even in Pints per hour idle is wasteful, mine will run 15 mph with no throttle at 700 rpm yet idles at 750,
No Environmentalist will ever show a proper fuel consumption vs speed graph because the high side by a massive margin is idling at 0 mph, which is 0 mpg, this drops with the bottom of the U coming at peak torque in Top gear for many cars somewhere between 40 and 70 mph.
Because the fuel efficiency of Internal Combustion engines varies with revs and load, with a minimum at peak torque there is no direct link between the energy required and the fuel required.
There aint no simple answer but if you want good fuel consumption, you want a light, aerodynamic car with an efficient engine, Midas Gold with a blueprinted standard 1275 engine or a Lotus Elise with a Rover K series 1100 retro fitted instead of the 1800 would be a good start.

Answer 4

The most economical way to drive is without hard acceleration. So basically use the accelerator as lightly as possible, especially when accelerating.

4th gear is fine for cruising but don't use it to get to your cruising speed.

Clutch in will obviously save fuel but will take control from the wheels - this could create a dangerous situation. Not advised.

Basically drive with a "light right foot".

Answer 5

First clean your car out of the junk.Drive smoothly without accelerating harshly.Try and get up the gearbox and into as high a gear as possible.Dont overdo it.You need to be in a gear that you can drive steadily in.On the motorway or dual carraigeway drive at a steady 60-65 mph [in the uk] as thats generally good for economy.
The main thing i to try and drive gently.Try and anticipate traffic lights etc Dont make a nuisance of yourself doing it but you will be surprised just how much further your litre of fuel goes.Oh and dont get stuck in traffic jams!

Answer 6

In short - The higher the gear the better the economy.

If driving on level ground through town etc, get up to forth gear ASAP (i mean get through the gears quick, not acellerate harshly!)

If you are on the D/C or M'Way try and stay in fifth.

When you change down, ie to third to go up a hill, get back to forth quickly as you can.

Don't drive fast (expreience tells me that 90mph uses far more fuel than 70mph)

However, when not accellerating, (ie when slowing down) going into lower gears does not use more fuel, because momentum is turning the engine - not burning of fuel

Hope this advice helps.

Answer 7

Well,
1. with clutch held down will actaully cost more money. Thus burning up the clutch.

2. Is ok, as long as you coast alot.

3. is good for highway driving, where you don't have to keep changing gears and such.

Answer 8

1. driving as often as possible with clutch up. modern cars have a fuel cut out when coasting.
2.set of and stop gently. racing starts drink your juice like you wouldn't believe.
3.make sure your tyres are at the right pressure for your car.
4.remove all unnecessary weight from your car.
happy motoring!

Answer 9

No. It might save a little fuel but the trade off in giving that much controll to any government is not worth it.We just need to increase supply.

Answer 10

sadly driving with the intention of saving fuel is a super fun way to drive.
driving in your highest gear as often as possible is best. also shifting earlier is good, and dont accelerate to hard and drive a steady speed. also if you have it cruse control is good. but dont use cruse control in the rain cause it makes it really easy to hydroplane