DRIVING SAFE IN GHANA SERIES: Fuel Saving Tips That Make More Mileage. PT-2.

DRIVING SAFE IN GHANA SERIES: ARTICLE No. 3: Fuel Saving Tips That Make More Mileage. PT-2.

Make Fewer and More Efficient Trips

Combine tasks into a single trip rather than making several trips throughout the day. Because an engine also consumes more fuel during its warm-up period, try doing your shopping on your way home from work instead of making a special trip. Avoid using separate cars to lunch when you can use one. You may also choose using public transport if you have to get into town to shop during your lunch break.

Drive Smarter

Don’t warm up your car unnecessarily. Driving the vehicle slower and keeping the engine speed low until its normal operating temperature is reached, is a more fuel-efficient way to warm up your car especially during the mornings. Also avoid revving your engine immediately after starting it otherwise you would burn more fuel. I always hear some of my neighbours revving their engines every morning to warm it up because they are in a hurry to drive off … this is a very bad practice and it will cause a lot of damage to your engine.

If you have a choice of vehicles, take the one that gets the best fuel economy. Plan routes so you can travel at constant speeds and bypass congested areas. Unless you're taking a scenic drive, try to avoid roads with lots of stop signs, traffic signals, rush hours and peak driving days.

Vehicle Pooling

In some advanced countries like USA, Europe, Japan, Korea and Malaysia, this system is widely in use. Cars, vans and mini bus pools are other potential ways to cut down on fuel expenses and consumption. Many families may use such car pools to transport children to and from school and other social activities. Starting one can be as easy as talking to your neighbours who travel to the same destinations.

When available, public transport may be the least expensive and most fuel-efficient way to commute. If there is none near your home, consider joining a car pool that can take you to your destination as mentioned earlier.


Walk All Short Distances

Avoid driving if your destination is within walking distance. Not only do you save on fuel, it is a good form of exercise too.

Adjust Your Speed Steadily

Research has shown that about 50% of the fuel consumed in city driving is used during acceleration. When accelerating, do it gently and steadily. Driving on the highway at 100 km/h rather than 120 km/h can reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%.

Carry Lighter Loads

Lighten the load, and avoid carrying non-essential heavy items. Remove roof racks and carriers when they are not being used. Keep luggage inside the vehicle, rather than strapped to a carrier on the roof where it will create wind resistance. I know most people carry “Kufuor gallons” (the yellow cooking oil gallons) to fetch water from their work places and this puts a lot of weight on the vehicle. But if you can help it, this will save you more on fuel.

Air Conditioning

Use your air conditioning unit sparingly. Shutting off the air conditioning unit and rolling down the windows will save you a lot of fuel in city driving or in heavy traffic situations. But unfortunately, in this part of our world, that is a time when we need the air conditioning even more, because of the hot weather. At highway speeds, however, the air conditioning may be more efficient. Research has also shown that driving at 55mph will save between 10%-15% as against driving at 65mph or more.

Unless your car has a climatronically controlled air conditioning unit, do not use it because it will not provide adequate cooling in extremely hot weather such as those experienced in Ghana during the hot season. Most of the older auto air conditioning units were designed without such temperature extremes in mind and as such you may think that the unit isn’t working well. You would be wasting money and time trying to resolve such problems.

Always turn off the air conditioning unit shortly before you arrive at your destination and avoid starting your vehicle with the air conditioning unit switch already in the ON position. It will consume much fuel because your engine is still cold and it will also shorten your battery life. Always allow the engine to warm up first before turning on your air conditioner.

Use Your Gears Wisely

Driving in the highest gear possible (i.e. 3rd to 5th) without labouring the engine is a fuel-efficient way of driving.

Always keep a manual transmission in the highest gear possible without straining the engine. Research has shown that driving at 80km/h in 5th gear (approx. 2,500rpm) uses 25% less fuel than driving at 50km/h in 3rd gear (also 2,500rpm) because the engine turns fewer revolutions per kilometre.

It is also best practice to avoid engine braking (downshifting to slow the car down). Just step on the brakes instead. If you are driving a manual transmission, try shifting the gears slightly earlier, as this will keep your revs down and if you have an automatic transmission vehicle, use the overdrive gear as much as possible.

Reduce Wind Resistance

Opening all your windows fully down at highway cruising speeds will substantially increase drag (wind resistance) even in today’s aerodynamically efficient vehicles, and cause an increase in fuel consumption. Keep them slightly rolled up.

Avoid Excessive Idling

Leaving a car’s engine running unnecessarily i.e., in a fuel queue, in very heavy traffic such as the Teshie-Nungua one, where I live, or while chatting with a neighbour, is very wasteful. Shutting off and re-starting the engine generally consumes less fuel and emits fewer pollutants than allowing a car to sit idling for long periods of time. Some may argue that re-starting the engine more frequently can also shorten the life of your starter brushes, but this is far better than wasting fuel idling and causing much pollution.

Some Causes of High Fuel Consumption.

On the other hand, poor fuel consumption and very high expenses could be due to one or more of the following reasons:

Too Much Advice and Opinions

You probably may be listening to people bragging about their model's consumption patterns and there may be in fact, nothing wrong with yours.

Engine Tune-ups

Your engine may require a good tune-up. If it pulls strongly, idles smoothly at the correct speed and starts easily, then there can't be much wrong with it. On the other hand, if it misbehaves in any way, this will usually show up in a worsening fuel consumption, and a good service should set matters right.

Brakes

Your brakes may be binding. Stopping on a slight incline and seeing if the car will run forward when you release the brakes can check this. If it doesn't run forward then the most likely reason is a binding handbrake, or rear drum brakes. Disc brakes will often make a slight scraping sound when coasting, which is normal.

Wheel Alignment

Your wheel alignment may be out. On modern front-wheel drive cars, the rear wheels also have to be set, in many cases. Inspecting the tires for abnormal wear patterns can check this. Consult your trusted vulcanizer for help.

Tire Pressure

Your tires may be running soft, i.e. the pressures are too low. This will show up as an unworn strip in the center of the thread area.

Fuel Leakages

There may be a fuel leak in the line, either underneath the car or underneath the bonnet. Look at your garage floor after you've pulled out to see if you spot such leaks. You may also smell petrol when the car is parked. I experienced this problem on my wife’s golf, when the smell of petrol always greeted you in the morning when the car is started. It was an on and off situation, and I also noticed that the car was consuming too much fuel than usual, so a visit to the mechanic solved the problem. The problem was a punctured fuel line leading to the injectors.

Your Style of Driving

You must examine your driving style. A research showed that a big company found out that in its own fleet, the difference between the worst driver and the best in terms of fuel consumption on similar vehicle models was something like 15%. The following bad habits were found to be the cause:

Frequent full throttle acceleration, keeping the choke operative even after the engine no longer needed it, frequent braking in traffic because of bad planning and cruising at high speeds unnecessarily. Most drivers do this all the time and it’s a very bad practice which will cost you a lot in terms of fuel.

Faulty Thermostat

Your engine may be running too cold because the thermostat has the wrong heat value or has been removed and the cooling fan connected directly. This will also increase engine wear. Most auto electricians will advice you to connect your cooling fan directly to save money on a new thermostat as well as to solve an over heating problem. It is a very bad fuel economy practice and this could also harm your engine. You must immediately contact a competent auto electrician to remedy the situation if you have this particular problem.


Folks, I sincerely hope these tips I have discussed with you will help you get a better fuel mileage from your vehicle. However, I must caution that, not all of the tips I have mentioned are a “cure-all solution” to your fuel economy problems. This is because vehicles vary according to engine type and condition. Those of you with 4-wheel drives, Hummers and SUVs which are loaded with many other accessories and options which are added to them can bring extra weight and load to the vehicle. Also note that larger engine capacities like the 1.8cc, 2.0cc and above burn more fuel by their design and therefore you should be prepared to cough up more Cedis for fuel to run them. Add-ons such as superchargers on the exhaust system, fender spoilers, high velocity fog lamps and other go-fast goodies will ultimately help in beautifying your car, but they will show you no mercy at the fuel pumps.

Nevertheless, practice, as many of the tips as you can, and I bet you will definitely see a noticeable improvement. I already have, because I can feel it and I know it.