How to increase your fuel economy
Posted in Insider News On By David Moffatt
Motoring journalist Andrew Frankel and racing driver and TV presenter Rebecca Jackson succeeded in driving an Audi A6 2.0 TDI ultra to 14 countries, covering a distance of 1,158.9miles on a single fill-up of the car’s 73-litre tank, achieving an astonishing average fuel-economy figure of 75.9 miles per gallon.
The pair began their Record Road Trip in the Netherlands on June 9, taking it in turns to drive almost non-stop for nearly 28 hours through the following countries: Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Austria, Germany, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Serbia and finally Hungary.
Andrew and Rebecca achieved this record breaking feat by following these fuel economy top tips:
- Slowest speed, highest gear – the secret to achieving a high mpg figure is driving at the lowest speed you can, in the highest possible gear. This optimum fuel economy speed will be different for every car. The Audi A6 ultra’s was 52mph in seventh gear on the flat. While there is an ideal speed, road conditions and gradients don’t often allow you to do that speed so you have to improvise and learn to adjust your driving according to the road ahead. Also, if you were to maintain one speed, either manually or by using cruise control, you would never achieve maximum fuel economy
- Maintain momentum – keeping the car moving is key to fuel economy. Obviously this depends on traffic conditions and what’s happening on the road ahead, but slowing down and having to accelerate again naturally uses more fuel
- Gentle right foot – having a light right foot and ensuring all acceleration is gentle is definitely important, but fuel-efficient driving is all about not upsetting the equilibrium of the car
- Lighten the load – don’t keep unnecessary items in your boot as they add weight to your vehicle, which affects fuel economy. On average, every 50kg will increase your fuel consumption by 2%. This is based on the percentage of extra weight relative to the vehicle's weight so it affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones
- Don’t get dragged down – don’t leave your roof bars on because they create wind resistance and cause your car to use more fuel through the ‘drag’ effect. Roof bars tend to weigh between 3kg to 5kg but the aerodynamic factor is greater. An empty roof rack affects fuel consumption by about 10%
- Keep the pressure up – make sure your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure as indicated in your owner’s manual. This will vary depending on the load you are carrying: if you have four passengers and luggage then you will need your tyres inflated to the maximum recommended pressures
- Warm engine – consider making one round trip rather than several short trips. Once the engine is warm it will operate at its most efficient, whereas several cold starts will increase fuel consumption even though the total mileage could be the same. This is why the Record Road Trip team kept going almost continuously, only stopping for 20 minutes at a time
- Might have to lose your cool – don’t use your air conditioning unless you really have to as it uses engine power and therefore increases fuel consumption
- Don’t forget the basics – make sure you maintain your vehicle as regular maintenance and servicing improves efficiency, and can therefore improve your fuel consumption