Maximise Your Mileage – Starting Today!

Maximise your mileage!

If there’s one thing we love in Australia, it’s driving. Ever since cars were first introduced to our continent, demand and sales have steadily increased – not stopping for the global financial crisis or anything else for that matter. So it only makes sense that because we spend so much time in them, that we would want to make our fuel go as far as we can.

According to a survey by market researchers Canstar Blue, three out of every four drivers wait for the lowest fuel price before filling up their tanks, with over 70% of drivers admitting to taking measures on the road to cut down on their fuel consumption.

Most fuel savvy drivers already know the basics tips for maximising fuel efficiency such as using your car’s air conditioning less and making sure your tyres are always properly inflated. Here are some less well known tips that can also increase your fuel efficiency when driving:

Wear flat, thin shoes 

Wearing thick soled shoes or high heels not only slows down your response time, but it also prevents you from feeling the natural vibrations of your clutch until they become very obvious.  Increased sensitivity will help you change your gears more often, saving you fuel.

Don’t warm up 

Despite the fact that most people drive cars manufactured in the last few years, many people still persist in the belief that a car must be allowed to ‘warm up’ on a cold day. All idling does is use up your fuel and damage your engine. The best way to get your car warm is to get it moving.

Switch off 

Popping into the shop for some milk and left the engine running? This will save you milliseconds of time at most, and as we mentioned above, all idling your car does is consume fuel and strain your engine through an incomplete combustion of fuel.

Lose the rack 

A car roof rack can add extra weight. It might be convenient to leave it on, but if you are really serious about reducing your fuel consumption then leave the roof rack in the garage when you aren’t using it. Remember that a mere 45 kilograms can increase your fuel usage by 1%.

Fuel consumption tips like the ones above don’t add up to hundreds of litres of fuel every trip. But a little saved here and a little saved there does add up over time!