Using less fuel can save you money and save the planet. There are many driving habits that you can take up in order to conserve fuel such as driving less aggressively and using your car’s heating less. However, if you want to go the extra mile (literally), you could also consider making a few upgrades to your car to reduce fuel consumption. Below are just several options.
FUEL-EFFICIENT TIRES
The condition of your tires can have a big impact on fuel consumption. When tires are worn or underinflated, you’re likely to use more gas due to the added rolling resistance. Replacing worn tires or pumping up underinflated tires is just one easy way to increase gas mileage. However, there’s more you can do to make your tires more fuel efficient. It’s possible to buy specialist fuel efficient tires from companies such as Border Bandag tyre service. Such tires are often lighter, built with different materials or made using certain treads in order to reduce friction and make rolling easier – therefore reducing the amount of gas needed to turn them.
VACUUM GAUGE
Vacuum gauges are old pieces of tech that are sometimes built into lorry or aircraft dashboards – but generally not car dashboards. These gauges are used to measure manifold vacuum. This guide at Motor explains exactly what manifold vacuum is – basically, the higher the vacuum the less fuel you’re consuming. You can buy gauges which can be installed into the interior of your car and linked up to your engine to help you read the manifold vacuum. By reading this gauge while driving, you can adjust your acceleration by trying to keep the vacuum level high.
HIGH FLOW AIR FILTER
High flow air filters are often installed by car owners as a means of increasing horsepower and torque, however they can also increase your car’s fuel efficiency. These air filters allow more air into your engine, which provides more oxygen for fuel to combust. This allows you to accelerate faster, but also allows you to maximize fuel while cruising. Another bonus of these filters is that they don’t get blocked as easily, so you’ll barely have to change them (unlike regular filters, which should be changed every year). In other words, they can be a worthy investment.
WEIGHT REDUCTION
The heavier a car, the more fuel is required to get it moving. This is why reducing your car’s weight can help to also reduce fuel consumption. Removing a roof box when not in use and removing excess items from the trunk (such as the spare tire) can be one way of reducing weight. However, you could go further than this and install lighter parts or even permanently remove parts such as back seats (if not used). When removing parts to reduce weight, make sure to not remove parts that could negatively affect safety.
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Photo Credit: Hyundai
