Mileage / Fuel efficiency

Mileage or fuel efficiency is the distance your vehicle will travel in kilometres using one litre of fuel. This means the higher the mileage of the car, the lower will be the fuel consumption and, therefore, lesser would be your fuel expense.

In recent times, the prices of fuel in India have increased drastically and this trend is likely to continue in the future. Therefore, it has become important for car buyers to consider mileage as an important factor before purchasing a car.

So, here are 8 practices that you can incorporate in your daily drive to increase the mileage of your vehicle and save valuable money.

1. Pick the right gear

You should always try to keep your car in the appropriate gear according to your speed. Keep your car around 2000rpm for a petrol car and 1500rpm for a diesel car for maximum mileage. If the cars rpm is greater than the specified value, increase/upshift the gear. If the cars rpm is lower than the specified value, decrease/downshift the gear. Shifting to neutral while driving thinking that it will save fuel is a myth.

2. Avoid sudden acceleration and braking

The best way to increase the mileage of your car is by driving your car at a constant speed. Though, sudden acceleration and braking give thrills to a driver it decreases the mileage manifold. Driving at 35-45kmph@3rd gear in the city and 80-90@5th gear Kmph on the highway is the ideal speed for maximum mileage

3.Regularly check tyre pressure

 Tyre pressure plays a key role in increasing the mileage of your car. Under-inflated tyres increase friction and hence reduce car mileage. On the other hand, Over-inflated tyres have a risk of bursting and reduced grip( which leads to poor car handling) even though they increase the car mileage. Therefore it is important to keep the tyre pressure as given by the car manufacturer to ensure maximum mileage accompanied by a smooth ride.

4. The 30-second rule

Idling or keeping the car engine running when you are not moving consumes a considerable amount of fuel and reduces mileage. It is advised that on halts for more than 30 seconds such as red lights, steady traffic etc. it is advised to turn off your car. The widely used notion that “restarting a car consumes more fuel” is a folk tale. Nowadays car manufacturers use Electronic fuel injectors which results in almost zero fuel to start a car.

“Switching the engine on and off regularly leads to unnecessary load on the battery and starter of your vehicle, leading to failure” is a saying which very often whistles past our ears, but is again a widely circulated myth. Batteries nowadays use a very small amount of power to start the car and have huge power reserves, hence switching off your car doesn’t damage the engine or the battery.

5. Regular Servicing

Most people do not get their car serviced as per the schedule provided by the car manufacturer. This leads to unwanted dust and particles in the air filter, spark plugs, etc. This in turn reduces the mileage. Regular servicing is a boon, not a curse, and will save your money in the long run.

6. Reduce extra weight and keep windows shut

It is obvious that the more the weight in the car, the higher is the load on the engine and hence the higher is the fuel consumption. Try removing extra considerable weight from the car like mounted child seats, roof rack, etc. when not in use. This technique will increase mileage. Opening windows while traveling creates a considerable amount of wind drag force which leads to a decreased mileage.

7. Plan your trips

 Another way of reducing mileage is by planning your trips. Here are a few planning tips you can follow

• One long trip is better than two small trips, as it takes at least 8 kilometres of drive for an engine to reach maximum efficiency.
• Though it is easy to say and hard to execute, starting your drives 10-15 minutes before peak traffic time will reduce frequent car stoppage and increase mileage. Not only will it help in increasing mileage it will also save you valuable time

8. Air Conditioning 

Air conditioning (AC) is a necessary evil that we have in our cars nowadays because of the extreme temperatures showered upon our country. Turning off your car’s air conditioning system helps a great deal in increasing the mileage of your car. If turning off the AC completely is not possible, try keeping the fan speed low and temperatures high for maximum mileage.

These are a few practices that you can follow to bring out the maximum mileage of your car. Even though in real-life conditions such as traffic, wear and tear of tyres, bumpy and uneven roads, etc. the mileage figures provided by the car manufactures cannot be matched, we still can increase mileage by following the above practices.

We should be smart drivers and follow these practices. Increasing mileage saves your money as well as the environment as fewer fossil fuels are burnt. Stopping your car at red lights will reduce pollution and make the air around us clean. In India, 27% of the total pollution is caused by vehicles. If more and more people become smart drivers and follow these practices, we can reduce air pollution by a significant amount.