Ever wondered how to get better gas mileage or why your car or bike does not achieve the fuel efficiency company advertised? This is a very common problem encountered by gas vehicle owners. People even get frustrated sometimes when they do not achieve the expected fuel efficiency from their cars and motorcycles.
However, automakers achieve claimed mileage in optimized conditions. You’ll be surprised to know that it’s not difficult to maintain those optimized conditions and churn out a similar mileage from your vehicle. Today, we’ll focus on how you can get better gas mileage using simple tips.
Also Read:
How To Improve Gas Mileage?
1. Maintaining Tire Pressure to Get Better Gas Mileage
A simple and easy yet most effective way to improve mileage is by maintaining correct tire pressure. Low tire pressure leads to more fuel consumption as more energy is required to pull your car.
Similarly, an over-inflated tire increases the risk of a tire blowout. Hence, optimum tire pressure is required to churn out the maximum fuel efficiency and improving gas mileage.
Now, you might be wondering what the optimum tire pressure is? Well, for most of the cars required tire pressure is around 35 PSI (pounds per square inch) and for two-wheelers, it ranges from 30 to 35 PSI. However, you should stick to the user manual for the accurate tire pressure of your vehicle.
Pro Tip:
Try to inflate the tires of your vehicle using nitrogen air once a month. Unlike normal air, you have to pay for nitrogen gas but it’s worth spending some bucks considering the return.
Pure nitrogen has several benefits and enhanced fuel efficiency is one of them.
2. Drive Gently And Maintain Speed
Irrespective of the type of vehicle you own, rash driving, quick acceleration, and aggressive braking always reduce the mileage.
Therefore it’s recommended to drive gently and, if possible, try to maintain a uniform speed. More than that, what’s really important is the RPM (revolution per minute) of the engine’s crankshaft.
Many experts recommend maintaining a constant speed to achieve higher mileage. However, it doesn’t work that way, there’s another side that the masses should be aware of.
You should try to maintain a uniform speed, but the RPM should be between 1500 to 2500 in cars and up to 3000 in bikes or scooters.
For example, if you are driving at a constant speed of 60 km/h but the RPM is more than 4000, it won’t save you any fuel. Anyway, you’ll experience these things with time.
Though it’s obvious, in all vehicles, the tachometer or RPM meter is situated right next to the speedometer.
3. Switch off Ignition In Idle Condition
Don’t waste fuel unnecessarily; hence, switch off the engine in idle condition. For example, when you stop for a red light. Many cars come with built-in tech that automatically cuts off the engine when the vehicle is idle and puts it back on. If your car doesn’t have it, you’ll have to do it manually in order to save fuel and improving the mileage.
Pro Tip:
Do not turn off the ignition if the time on red lights is less than 30 seconds.
Always switch off the engine if the time is greater or equal to 60 seconds.
4. Don’t Carry Unnecessary Weight
Make sure your vehicle is clean and there’s no extra luggage inside the cabin. The lighter the vehicle, the better will be the mileage.
5. Keep Changing/Cleaning Air Filters On Time
Changing air filters is part of routine maintenance, and it’s replaced on every service. However, sometimes the service of our vehicle gets delayed. In that case, make sure you at least get the air filter changed at any local mechanic. It’s a fairly simple and quick process, and you can also do it yourself.
Air filters supply fresh air to the engine cylinders which is crucial for the combustion of the fuel.
In polluted cities, air filters get choked frequently and restrict the air supply to the engine. This leads to improper combustion and eventually affects the fuel efficiency of your vehicle.
6. Get Service On Time to Improve Gas Mileage
Last but not least, do get the service of your vehicle on time. Regular maintenance not only helps in improving the mileage of the car but also prolongs the life of the vehicle.
Some of the basic operations of routine maintenance include replacing the air filter, fuel filter, AC filter, engine oil, topping up of brake oil, and more.
We are positive that following the above tips will surely help in improving the mileage of any gas/petrol and diesel vehicle.
If you guys have something to add then feel free to drop your views in the comments section below.