How to scrimp on fuel after the price hike
How to scrimp on fuel after the price hike
Arief Hidayat, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
The recent soaring prices for fuel, telephone, electricity, water
and LPG gas has given more headaches to most people. No matter
how much one earns, one must be prepared to scrimp due to the
hikes.
The increasing fuel price has forced car owners to start
saving. But how? Here are some tips on how to maintain your
vehicles in a bid to save on the use of fuel.
* Make sure your car tires meet the volume required by the
manufacturers (information is available in each car's manual).
Tires that have less volume will create more drag, thus making
the engine work harder and using more fuel. Insufficient tire
pressure will also make the cars less stable when making a turn.
* You don't necessarily need to warm up your engines in the
morning to reach their ideal temperature as required in the
manual, which on average is around 80 Celsius degree. If you do,
it will take between five and 10 minutes to reach the ideal
temperature, meaning you waste the fuel and cause pollution.
Today's automotive technology has advanced enough that, in
general, owners need not spend the extra time warming up the
engine. Just start the engine and if the lubricating oil
indicator is switched off, you can drive your car slowly. Just
don't exceed 4,000 rotation per minute (rpm) while you start
driving the car!
* Maintenance is important. Keep your air filter clean. It's
easy to know when your air filter is filthy. If you feel the car
is "heavy" when it is about to move, it means the air filter is
dirty. Don't throw away the filter. Just soak the filter in soapy
water for 10 minutes, rinse with clean water and then dry it in
the sun. Clean it once a month and your filter can last two times
longer.
* Never drive like a racer! Be relaxed. increase speed gradually
when the car is already on the move. Shift the gears (if you have
a manual transmission) at between 2,500 and 3,000 rpm. The sooner
you shift the gear to a higher level, the less fuel you consume.
* If you have a car with a fuel injection system, never change
the ignition time by yourself. Just take your car to the nearest
authorized workshop for regular tune-ups, which are usually after
every 5,000 to 10,000 kilometers on your odometer.
* Check the sparkplugs every 5,000 kilometers. If you see your
sparkplug's tip is getting rounded off, it needs to be changed.
An outdated sparkplug will make the engine inefficient thus
consuming more fuel and also causing pollution. Before installing
the new sparkplug, make sure the gap is correct for your engine
and sparkplug.
* Try not to load up your car with too much unnecessary baggage.
Make your vehicle as light as possible because it will help
reduce fuel consumption.
* Switching off the air conditioner will help your car save
between five and 10 percent fuel consumption. Of course, you'll
get sweaty inside the car.
* Avoid driving with the windows all the way down (if you do
switch off the air conditioner) as it will create aerodynamic
drag.
* Never open the thermostat valve to get a cooler engine
temperature. Thermostat valve enables the engine to reach its
ideal temperature at around 80 degrees Celsius. At this heat, the
piston and cylinder will expand as expected, giving enough space
for the lubricating oil to lubricate the piston. It will make the
piston moves smoothly and efficiently. The consequence is a
smooth engine will save fuel and it will last longer.
Good luck!