10 Ingenious Ways To Save Petrol Bills

This article will attempt to tell drivers how to get as much mileage from a liter of petrol. In Malaysia, the price of petrol will go up 5 sen a liter every month until the arrival of the Chinese New Year in 2011.

Follow this article carefully. Hopefully you will be able to reduce your petrol bill eventually. The following are 10 ingenious ways and means a driver can save fuel:

1) Change from RON 97 to RON 95.

Whether its RON 95 or RON 97, the important thing is, your car still moves. Your air-conditioning system works all the same. Your air con will not be an iota hotter should you use RON 95 instead of RON 97. In the end, your monthly petrol bill will at least be anything from RM20 – RM50 less than its usual cost.

2) Inflate your tyres to a higher pressure.

First of all, allow me to explain to you what basically is PSI. PSI means pounds per square inch. In layman term, PSI means that you have pumped in a certain pressure or air onto your tyre. Experts hold the opinion that the more air there is in the tyres, it will give vehicles a higher or better mileage.

If for example, you are not getting 40 km per liter of fuel, by inflating your tyres to a higher PSI will bring you a better mileage of say 42km or 43km per liter instead. But avoid inflating your tyre with too high pressure, because excessive pressure will cause your tyre to explode.

3) Practice coasting or hypermiling.

You know what is coasting. I have written an article earlier entitled “To coast or not to coast”. Please read it to get the benefits of the suggestions given. As for hypermiling, which is reported to be practiced rather widely in European countries, hypermiling is said to be a form of driving designed to get the most out of each tank of petrol.

For example, should you find yourself going downhill, put your car into free gear and let the vehicle cruise along effortlessly, thus saving petrol. Do it often and certainly you will discover your petrol bill will become less at the end of the month.

4) Use clean spark plugs.

Experts and experienced mechanics believe a good set of spark plugs provide a vehicle good acceleration and power that a vehicle need. So ensure that your car spark plugs are always in excellent condition. Believe it or not, it saves fuel in the long run.

5) Clean your air filter.

A clogged air filter contributes to your vehicle consuming lots of petrol. So have your mechanic change this important item as frequently as possible. An air filter only costs around RM15. But it saves petrol tremendously.

6) Replace fuel filter regularly.

The fuel filter which most cars possess is the most neglected item of a car. Some drivers do not even know that it exists in the first place. It costs less than RM20. But its functions in saving fuel are tremendous. If fuel filter should get clogged up, it can even cause a car to break down or stall.

7) Rid your vehicle of unwanted items in your booth.

Unwanted items like boxes, tools, heavy item etc causes a vehicle to become heavy. Unnecessary things should be removed from the car to make it as light as possible. This saves fuel consumption.

Some cars have spoilers. I’m of the opinion such things have no purpose at all. They only contribute to making a car heavier thus consuming more petrol and giving a car less mileage in the end.

8) Use good engine oil.

Good engine or lubrication oil for engines may be costly but in the long run, it actually reduces fuel consumption. I use Slick 50 because it has very good viscosity. The engine becomes smooth and light. Acceleration power is simply fantastic. Driving a vehicle is indeed effortless.

9) Check the gear oil.

My car which I use to tutor students in driving is 10 years old. It’s amongst one of the oldest in the institute. But do not be fooled. In a recent spot check by the authorities, this 10 year old vehicle was not cited for any mechanical faults at all, beating newer cars available in the institute’s fleet of cars.

For readers’ info, my 10 year old car gear box is filled up with X1R gear oil costing RM50 a liter. It’s the best gear box concoction available in the market.

10) Switch off your engine whilst waiting for someone.

Nothing wastes more petrol than an engine that is running while you are waiting for someone to arrive. From henceforth, do take my advice. Switch off your engine. Believe me, this practice can save you a lot of petrol.

This also applies to waiting at traffic lights junction.

Long queues at such places require a person to wait for fairly long time. Be wise. Switch off your engine until the traffic lights turn green and it’s time to go. Try it out and discover for yourself how much petrol it can actually save you.

I feel that 10 suggestions are more than enough to help you save on your petrol bill. Maybe in the near future, if need be, more suggestions will be given. Until then, do try to adopt some of the things which have been suggested so far in this article.