Fu-e-llemak!

Hahaha... I was expecting this piece of news to appear after the hike of oil price. The Star reported yesterday that four PKR MPs cycled to Parliament in petrol hike protest. They highlighted that changing lifestyle is not as easy as the Government claims as the road transport system here is not designed for bicycles and cyclists will find it difficult to cruise around town.

The skyrocketing oil price has made holes in our pockets. A Kancil car now needs almost RM 50 for a full tank and a Proton Waja drinks more than RM 130. That's crazy! In today's scenario, Saving petrol means saving money. As, you think on how to save more money on every drop of petrol your car consumes, I share you some tips I received via email:
  • Pump up your tyres. Keeping your tyres inflated is one of the easiest and most important things one can do to improve fuel economy. If a range is recommended by the manufacturer, the higher pressure should be used to maximize fuel efficiency. Lower pressure hurt the fuel economy by increasing the rolling resistance.
  • Drive at moderate speed. In highway driving, over 50% of the power produced by the engine is used to overcome aerodynamic drag. Drag and thus fuel consumption increases rapidly at speeds above 90km/h. On the average, a car uses about 15% more fuel at 100km/h, and 25% more fuel at 110km/h compared to when it is doing only 90km/h.
  • Clean the air-filter regularly. Clogged air filters increase fuel consumption by restricting airflow to the engine, and thus should be cleaned/replaced when necessary. Clogged air filters can increase fuel consumption by up to 10%.
  • Start up the car properly. With today's cars, it is not necessary to prime the engine first by pumping the accelerator pedal repeatedly. Do not crank the engine excessively. This only wastes fuel. When starting the engine, idle it no more than 30 seconds to warm it up. An engine will warm up faster on the road. However, avoid sudden acceleration before the engine has warmed up sufficiently.
  • Drive in high gear (overdrive). The engine runs most efficiently between around 1,500 and 2,500 rpm. To maintain these low revs you should change up through the gears as soon as practical and before the revs reach 2500 rpm. For automatic transmission cars, you should always switch on your overdrive to help saving fuel.
  • Travel light. Avoid carrying any unnecessary weight in your car. On the average, every 50kg added load in your car will increase fuel consumption by 2%.
  • Anticipate traffic ahead. A driver can reduce fuel consumption by up to 10% by anticipating traffic conditions ahead and adjusting the speed accordingly, and avoiding tailgating and thus unnecessary braking and acceleration.
  • Avoid strong acceleration. The fuel consumption remains at a minimum during steady driving at a moderate speed of about 90km/h. Keep in mind that every time the accelerator is hard pressed, the engine goes into a "fuel-enrichment" mode of operation that wastes fuel. The vehicle should always be gradually and smoothly accelerated.
  • Minimise aerodynamic drag. Additional parts on the exterior of a vehicle such as roof racks and spoilers, or having the window open, Roof racks are bad for fuel economy increases air resistance and fuel consumption, in some cases by over 20%.
  • Don't let your engine idle. Minimize fuel wasted in idling by stopping the engine whenever your car is stopped or held up for an extended period of time. Idling more than a minute consumes much more fuel than restarting the engine.
  • Use the air-con sparingly. Air conditioners can use about 10 per cent extra fuel when operating. However, at speeds of over 80 km/h, use of air conditioning is better for fuel economy than an open window.
That's all from me.. you have any more? Meanwhile, let's be smart.. jom LRT! :P

p/s: I'll be offline most of the time till mid July. My updates on The Blank Page wil be minimal. But, you can always enjoy my archives. :)

Monday, June 23, 2008 // // 8 comments //

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