M.vinay

How to maximize fuel economy of your car to beat the petrol price hike!






In life, there are some things that we can change and others which are best left as they stand currently. Petrol price hikes fall into the latter category. When India marched into economic reform mode in the early nineties, the uncomfortable socialism that the nation lived in for a better part of 4 decades soon fell into the throes of socio-capitalism of which the latter part acquired much more prominence.

Like everything around us being linked to the free market and its diktats, increasing petrol prices too are a price we have to pay for the economic development that is happening around us due to a rapidly liberalizing economy. In this light, crying hoarse about every petrol price hike only to resignedly accept the change in prices soon after has become a regular affair.

A leading economist even remarked that the path of liberalization India and her citizens have chosen means that global price alignment of fuel need to be obeyed as a small price to pay for all the economic prosperity that allows you and me to buy a car or a motorcycle in the first place. While it is true that a large component making up petrol prices in India consist of various levies that the central and state government imposes, protesting against the hike does have its own merit.

But, since protestations and governmental policies are best left to our parliamentarians and activists like Anna Hazare, let’s focus on how you can reduce your petrol bill and beat the petrol price hike by adopting some simple measures.If you own a two wheeler, you must first read this post that we published a while ago to extract the best mileage. For cars though, we’ll give you a comprehensive low down on how to beat the latest hike in petrol prices. Many of these tips hold good for two wheelers as well.


Maintain your vehicle in top shape!


Car Service

First of all, a well maintained vehicle will perform better than a badly maintained vehicle and that applies to fuel economy as well. If you have not been changing your oil or servicing your vehicle at the prescribed intervals, time to kick that habit and do so right now as a happy engine is a frugal engine. Also, optimum tyre pressures and proper wheel alignment are what you need to focus on to ensure best mileage as wrong tyre pressures and improper wheel alignment by itself can reduce your mileage by 10-20%. And that figure is much more than the latest petrol price hike.


Car pool is cool!


car pool

You might not like your boss, but you might like his newly joined cute secretary, better still if she live just on the route you take to office everyday. Car pool and you can save a bunch of money and also develop great friendships. On a more serious note, car pooling is great idea now that the Indian cities are vehicle clogged to their limits. Lesser number of cars and for that matter even two wheelers on the roads means lesser traffic and thus you can reach much faster if more folks adopt car and bike pooling as a way of life. Not to mention the fact that even traffic jams are bearable if you have good company in the car.


The art of coasting!


Car Coasting

While it is fun to accelerate furiously like you’re Fernando Alonso at every traffic light only to brake equally harder at the next traffic light which arrives quicker than you can actually put pedal to metal, this type of driving is simply the most inefficient type. Yet, you’ll find that half of India including you’re neighbor’s 70 year old grandmother driving like this. Try the art of coasting and lo and behold, you can improve you;re mileage by 10% straightaway. Coasting basically involves using the car’s momentum and engine braking(in case of down slopes) to slow down rather than braking hard at every signal.

You accelerate gently from signal to signal keeping the rpm needle at the zone of maximum torque and once you see a red light you gently take your foot off the accelerator pedal to glide to a stop rather than use the clutch and the brake to come to a stop from a high speed. On cooler nights, switching off your AC and driving with the windows rolled down a little to allow fresh air to come in if you’re speeds are under 60 kph would be a good idea. Also avoid keeping the windows rolled down if you’re speeds in excess of 80 Kph as that would create additional drag in the car and increase fuel consumption.


Drive gently!
Gentle driving will not only help you save fuel but will also help you stay much safer as you will get more time to react in case of an emergency on the road. Gentle driving involves measured and gentle inputs to the accelerator, upshifting at the right rpms, minimizing brake and clutch usage, coasting to a stop and switching off your car’s engine if you anticipate being stationary for more than minute.

On the highways, try and maintain a constant speed of 80-100 Kph for maximum economywith air conditioning on and the windows rolled up. Avoid sharp overtaking maneuvers. Instead plan overtaking maneuvers well in advance. The other big advantages of gentle driving is that you will save on maintenance costs. For instance, brake pads on gently driven cars will last much longer than those in cars which are driven hard. So, get the drift?


Filling up from good petrol bunks!

Many owners’ complaints of poor mileage can be traced back to suspect petrol bunks who have mastered the art of swindling customers to make a quick buck. So, finding a reputable petrol bunk would be a good idea. Also tanking up early in the morning when the density of fuel is maximum will mean that you can squeeze in a couple of liters more than what you’re car maker says is the maximum capacity of the tank. This will let you go that extra few kilometers longer and minimize you’re trips to the petrol bunk in the longer run.


Avoid car usage for short trips. Instead, invest in a bicycle!


Bicycle vs Car

Short trips like a 2 km drive around town to buy groceries isn’t exactly what you should be doing if you plan to save a bunch of money through fuel savings. Invest in a good bicycle for running short errands, preferably a steel framed one costing under INR 10,000. What a bicycle will do is, it will help you stay fit and also ensure that you save some more money which you would have spent as fancy gym membership charges.

Like Lance Armstrong says in this book, “It’s not about the bike” , there’s something fundamental about two wheels, a crank and muscle power to move. Even as you’re reading this, many people in India have jumped on to the bicycle bandwagon and have gotten hooked like never before. You could be next and by the way, read that book, it’s a very inspirational read.


LPG/CNG kit conversion!


CNG Fuel

Alright this is a much debated and deliberated topic. CNG/LPG being much cheaper than petrol means huge cost savings for you, the car owner. To put it in a nutshell, converting your petrol car into LPG or CNG means that you’re engine will definitely suffer higher wear and tear when compared to a stock vehicle. For instance, if you’re petrol car would have lasted you 1,50,000 kms before an engine overhaul, conversion into LPG/CNG could reduce that figure to around 1,20,000 kms.

So, if you plan to drive yo’re car at least 50,000-80,000 kms and then sell it off, then converting into LPG/CNG would be a good option. Or else, you’re better off sticking to petrol. So, that wraps up the few ways through which you can beat the petrol price hike and do so quite comprehensively while even managing to save a bunch of money by tweaking you’re driving habits to favour maximum economy.


Source: How to maximize fuel economy of your car to beat the petrol price hike! | IndianCarsBikes.in


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How to improve mileage on a motorcycle/scooter?


Poor mileage can be due to various causes but often it leaves most riders flummoxed with many often not being able to sort out the issue in a scientific and a step by step manner. I will now list out a step by step procedure to find out the cause and sort it out. If this method is followed methodically, the culprits of low fuel efficiency can be pin pointed and sorted out.

First of all, make sure that the petrol pump you fill fuel in dispenses the correct quantity of fuel and does not cheat you. Many a time, this is a principal cause of people complaining of poor mileage as the petrol filled is lesser than what the bunk indicates. Also, it is advisable to fill fuel from a reputed fuel pump.

Secondly, check your fuel tank for any minute leaks. In my Yamaha YBX, I suffered poor mileage due to a very small hairline crack on the fuel tank’s underside from which fuel used to drip drop by drop and cause poor mileage. While at it, make sure that there is no debris/particles in your fuel tank that may find it’s way into fuel lines/carburetor.

Thirdly, the carburetor needs to be cleaned and serviced as dust or dirty fuel could clog the jets and the float bowl needle, resulting in the carburetor not metering fuel optimally. If you own a fuel injected motorcycle, you may also get the injectors cleaned as this is the most likely suspect for low mileage and jerky performance in a fuel injected motorcycle.

Fourthly, check for any minute leak in the fuel lines. Also make sure that the motorcycle is serviced regularly with the prescribed oil changes adhered to, to ensure that the engine is tuned optimally with valve clearances set and the spark plug cleaned/replaced. Also get a compression check done to see whether the engine is in a good condition as worn out piston rings/piston could result in poor mileage also.

Also, valve clearances should be at manufactured recommended levels. A prime culprit for poor mileage often is a clogged air filter. A clogged air filter means that the engine will get lesser air making the air fuel mixture going awry with the engine running richer than required. This will affect fuel economy adversely and will also cause carbon build up in the engine head resulting in poor combustion.

The clutch plate also needs to be in good condition as otherwise, you will have to rev the engine more or the same power, resulting in fuel consumption going up. Also, the chain should not be loose and the air pressure in both the tyres should be set to manufacturer suggested pressures. Also, the wheel bearings should be in good condition to prevent excessive drag.

Also check whether the brakes, both the front and rear are not binding. Binding brakes might cause the engine to work harder to move the bike, resulting in fuel consumption going high. Now that we’ve covered almost all the reasons that can cause poor mileage. The only other cause for poor mileage will be the rider.

Ensure that you follow the prescribed gear change speeds as given in your Honda user manual for optimum mileage. Also, do not rev the engine unnecessarily. Also, make sure that you don’t rev the engine excessively during cold start. Make sure your ride easy for the first 400 metres. This goes a long way in minimizing engine wear and thus low mileage as maximum engine wear occurs during cold starts.

Turn off the engine if you have to idle at traffic signals or any other stationary position for more than a minute. Minimize usage of clutch and brake and try to coast in the gear rather than pulling the clutch in while decelerating. This will reduce brake usage and clutch usage massively, thus impacting fuel efficiency positively. Also, many riders tend to ride the clutch and often unconsciously depress the brakes while riding. You must make sure you don’t do that. Thus, Polishing up your riding skills will go a long way to give you better mileage.


Source: How to improve mileage on a motorcycle/scooter? | IndianCarsBikes.in

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hellbreaker46

lol. that was funny