How to minimize fuel consumption??

I still on track to know how i can save money efficiently. This evening i just messed up with the traffics,so many cars on the roads. So, I get an idea why not i try to look at my fuel consumption. There are 8 steps to save money by making simple changes to our driving style and habits. This will have an impact on the lifespan of our car, by reducing potential mecahnical repairs and unnecassary fuel consumption:

1. Drive at a steady pace.

Driving in the right gear and at a steady pace means we dont need  to accelarate or decelarate as often, minimising fuel wastage.

Be alert at all times to our surrounding road conditions and behaviour from fellow motorists, this will reduce the need for sudden breaking, which increases fuel consumption and increases wear on our car.

2. Avoid aggressive driving.

Aggressive driving habits such as excessive speed, abrupt braking and heavy-footed accelaration will lead to higher fuel consumption and more emmisions.

Reckless driving also increases the likelihood of us being involved in an accident, which may cause our future car insurance premium to rise if we are the at-fault driver.

3. Cruise control

For long drives on highway or in country areas, try using the cruise control setting, it will improve our fuel efficiency.

4. Refresher driver training

Consider taking a refresher driver training course to brush up on our driving and road handling skills. Even the most experienced of drivers can perform poor driving habits over time. A refresher course will quickly bring you up to speed on ways to improve our driving teachnique, thereby reducing accidents and improves our car fuel consumption.

5. Use airconditioning sparingly

During summer, use our car sparingly to reduce our fuel consumption. As an alternative, wind down our car window and let some of natural air flow into our car, and save the air conditioning for really hot days.

6. Remove excess weight from our motor vehicle

Increase our fuel economy by removing any excess weight from our motor vehicle - a common culprit is a boot full of  heavy tools and equipment that are never used.

Also removed any attachments such as heavy roof racks that are only needed occasionally; these can add significantly to the the weight of our car as well as increasing wind resistence, further reducing our fuel economy.

7. Maintain our vehicle regularly

Wether we have purchased a new or used car, its important that we take the time to maintain our car on a regular basis. Some of the regular tasks for maintaining our motor vehicle include; checking the our tyres are at the right pressure, rotating our tyres often if there is evidence of uneven wear and tear, and replacing dirty air filters to improve our motor vehicle's engine efficiency.

If we have a car under warranty, make sure to comply with the manufacturer's recommended schedule. The schedule will vary from car to car, but a service is usually required 10, 000 km or every 6 months. This also ensures that our vehicle does not become unroadworthy as our insurance cover could be impacted if an accident was the result of vehicle defects that arise from lack of regular maintenance.(i.e. faulty brakes)

8. Plan our car routes

If possible, try to avoid getting stuck in the traffic jams during peak hour traffic. Constant stopping and starting can be costly on fuel adds stress to engine compenents.

To avoid  traffic jams, plan ahead on travel on alternatives routes that are less congested. Sometimes, the shortest route may not necessarily be the most efficient if we end up gridlocked or encounter multiple traffic lights over a short stretch of road.