How To Maintain Car Engines For Fuel Efficiency
Fuel efficiency of car engines is considered as an imperative and essential factor when buying a new car, all thanks to the high fuel prices. Most car makers have taken action to provide more fuel efficient cars that return more than 80mpg of economy however, there are millions of old cars that people use for their daily commute, by following the simple guidelines below, they can also achieve maximum fuel efficiency and the lowest carbon emissions from their car engines.
1. Keep the Engine Appropriately Tuned
It is very important to follow the maintenance schedule of the engine, for instance, replacement of air filter, spark plug and oxygen sensors, also keep an eye on any on-board diagnostics malfunctions in the Engine Control Module. The most important is to change the engine oil as instructed in your car’s manual.
2. Fuel Evaporation
Fuel evaporation is another parameter that needs to be attended by tightly closing the fuel tank lids and by parking in shades, believe it or not, can improve your mileage by as much as 10 percent.
3. Use the Recommended Grade Engine Oil
The most important factor to keep your car engine at fuel efficient state is proper engine oil with low-kinematic thickness that is also referred to as low “weight” engine oil. You can get better mileage by 1-2 percent by using the recommended grade of vehicle engine oil. For instance, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine intended to use 5W-30 can worsen your fuel efficiency by 1-2 percent. Contemporary engines have such accurate tolerance that very trivial oil is often required, thicker oil, such as 10W30 or 10W40, may not lubricate as well, because it won’t pour as swiftly into key oil ways and fractures. You must check the owner’s manual for suggested viscosity and ask for it exclusively when oil is changed.
4. Minimise the Idling
Your engine wastes fuel when car is in idle state, simply because you are burning fuel while going nowhere. If you are waiting for someone and you know that it will take more than 30 seconds, switch your engine off because you are just burning money.
5. Keep Tyres Appropriately Inflated
You can get up to 3.3 percent better mileage by keeping your car tyres inflated to the suitable pressure, this reduces the resistance so less power is required to move the car. Under-inflated tyres can lower your engine efficiency through more fuel consumption. The correct tyre pressure for your vehicle is generally found on a sticky label in the driver’s side door jamb and/or in your owner’s manual. Do not use the utmost pressure printed on the tyre’s sidewall.
6. Smooth Driving
The way you drive your car also plays a huge role in fuel consumption, by driving fast, you might save 5-10 minutes, however by smoothing down you can improve the fuel consumption of your car’s engine, if you normally drive on a motorway at 70mph, try changing it to 60mph can increase the fuel economy by up to 4 miles per gallon. Avoid as much as you can from putting your foot down on the throttle and from stomping on the brake paddle, this will not only save you on fuel costs but also money on wear and tear of brakes.