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Save money by reducing petrol consumption with these lifesaving hacks
Petrol prices have been on the rise for the past few months, with no prospect of decreasing, so it might be time to save up on petrol with these hacks.
File image by © Imaginechina/Corbis
Motorists can expect yet another petrol price increase this month because of the increase of crude oil, the weakening rand against the dollar, among other factors, Rosebank Killarney Gazette reports.
Some parts of the country have already increased taxi and bus fares, but car owners need to be wary of how much petrol they use, and how they drive to save petrol and money. Here are some hacks to help you along:
READ MORE: Here are your official petrol prices for June
1. Don’t drive a heavy car or carry heavy loads
The heavier your car, the more work your engine has to do, and the more petrol you burn so only drive with what you need in your car.
2. Keep your tyres inflated at the right level
A lot of people make the mistake of over- or under-inflating their car tyres. This is neither fuel efficient nor is it safe for your car. If your car tyres are inflated at the proper level, you could save as much as 3% of your petrol.
3. Cruise control is your friend
If your car has cruise control, use it. Cruise control is a mechanism in your car that automatically controls the speed of your car.
The system is a servomechanism that takes over the throttle of the car to maintain a steady speed as set by the driver. The difference in fuel consumption is substantial. For example, if you use eight litres of petrol per 100km, you could save up to three litres just by using cruise control, especially when driving longer distances.
4. Don’t let your car warm up for too long
Jumping into a freezing car is never a fun experience, but there is definitely no need to warm up your car for hours. One or two minutes of warming up your car should do the trick and save you fuel and money.
5. An idle car burns fuel
The estimated fuel consumption of an idling engine is 0.6 litres/hr per litre of engine displacement. This means that an idling 3.5 litre engine consumes more than two litres of petrol per hour.
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