DRIVING SAFE IN GHANA SERIES

DRIVING SAFE IN GHANA SERIES: ARTICLE No. 3: Fuel Saving Tips That Make More Mileage - Part 1.

Petroleum has changed the cost of living in Ghana today and this is a direct result of the upward trend in the market price of crude oil. A few weeks ago there was a rise in the crude price which hit the $50 mark after it fell sharply toward the end of last year as a result of the impact of the world economic recession. The NPP government reduced the price of petroleum two times in December last year by almost 20%. The NDC party promised to reduce it further if they were elected into office. The good people of Ghana therefore heeded their promise and voted them back to office because among other things most Ghanaians had complained that the NPP government had taken them for a ride and thus it was time to march out of the castle.

True to their word, fuel cost was reduced after the impatient Patriotic Ghanaian had waited for almost 3 months after the NDC had taken office. Could they be blamed for the impatience? The world economic crunch had already knocked on the doors of Ghanaians in the Diaspora and the effects had started hitting the home boys very hard. This situation, coupled with the $3 plus prevailing at the fuel pumps served no consolation at all for the poor Ghana man, hence the cry to persuade the government to honour their promise. The NDC government heard the cry of the masses and honoured their promise by reducing the pump price by 5% or so. This was quite disappointing from what had been expected by Ghanaians when they went to the polls in December last year. According to some sources, it was claimed that Prof. Atta-Mills promised a reduction from the prevailing GH¢4+ per gallon to GH¢1.80 per gallon. If that was true, then the 5% reduction was just a drop in the ocean and believe you me, it did not make any difference because most of us Ghanaians did not feel it in our tanks.

Just when Ghanaians were getting used to the 5% reduction, government reviewed the petroleum prices upward thus eroding the previous reduction. Now that the world price of crude has hit the $50 mark, I cannot see any logical reason why government will reduce the pump prices anytime soon, unless there is a drastic reduction on the world market.

The rises in petroleum prices have also affected every facet of our lives in terms of raising the cost of living generally and also in the cost of transportation which have remained the same since last year. There is also rumour that there will be an upward adjustment in utility tariffs such as electricity, telephone and water. When this happens and if it does happen, others like transport fares, food, school fees etc. will climb up the ladder again. A situation which every patriotic Ghanaian cannot deny feeling its painful pinch. In the light of these trying circumstances, coupled with the global economic crunch, vehicle owners cannot decide to park them in their garages and walk or take trotro; simply because petrol has become very expensive and thus running a vehicle is no longer an attractive venture.

On the contrary, owning a vehicle is very important due to its numerous advantages even though I spend about 15-20% of my salary on fuel and maintenance. But it still would not bring down the price of petrol and so there must be a way to run your vehicle economically so that the overall cost benefit will be felt at the end of the day. Regular vehicle maintenance and modified driving habits can help achieve this and bring about a reduction in fuel consumption expenses and also lower vehicle emissions, which is good for the environment too.

The following maintenance, driving and consumer tips, when practiced together can make a noticeable difference in your monthly fuel consumption expenses.

Perform Regular Maintenance

Most vehicle owners in Ghana today do not take cognizance of making maintenance a priority in their list of “To Do” items. This fact cannot be denied because we see these poorly maintained vehicles on our roads all over the city of Accra every day. Most of the vehicles, which fall in this category, are the commercial ones and a few private ones as well. Some state owned vehicles also fall into this category too. Drivers of commercial vehicles complain that the vehicle owners, demand very high daily sales and as such it is very difficult to meet these demands and so the vehicles are stretched to the limit at the expense of maintenance. What we do not know is that a poorly maintained vehicle can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40%. As a result of this ignorance, about 40% of the income the vehicle makes goes back into buying fuel for it.

We must all endeavour to change the engine oil every 5,000 km, unless we regularly do long distance or highway driving, we must change it at maximum 10,000 – 12,000km intervals. The users of energy conserving oils like the newly improved fully synthetic ones are the best choices. They cost a fortune but will also save a fortune as well.

We must replace air and fuel filters regularly. A new oxygen sensor alone (found in most modern cars) can improve petrol mileage by as much as 15%. You can get these from any spare parts shop in and around the country or simply ask your trusted mechanic to get them for you.

Check your tire pressures at least once a month and watch out for signs of unusual tire tread wear that might indicate an alignment problem. An under-inflated tire has a greater rolling resistance and research has shown that a 20% drop in pressure will increase your fuel consumption by about 10% and reduce tread life by 15%. Contact your trusted vulcanizer to advise you on the best pressure and also avoid using bad tires for your vehicle.

A faulty cooling system thermostat, which doesn’t allow the engine to quickly reach or maintain its correct operating temperature can dramatically increase your fuel consumption and thereby affect the performance of an electronically controlled engine. I noticed this on my car a couple of months back and you know what? As a result of the faulty thermostat, my electrician recommended that he connected the cooling fan directly, which I agreed. After all, it will save me some cash on a new replacement thermostat, I thought to myself. I later realized that I was spending more on fuel than before, so I visited another electrician only to find out that the previous recommendation was very wrong and this could have eventually weakened my engine.

Please do not let your electrician connect your cooling fan directly to save some cash, but rather buy the recommended thermostat. This will improve your engine performance and also save you money on the fuel.

Buying Fuel

Many motorists choose to buy higher-priced premium fuel like the recently introduced high performance ones, (you already know them) when it may not be necessary. Most of today's cars are designed to operate on regular unleaded fuel. Using anything other than regular is simply a waste of money because the difference will be very minimal. Also take note of the following suggestions:

Avoid topping up your fuel tank in warm weather because fuel expansion can cause an overflow. A poorly fitting fuel cap can cause extensive evaporation so make sure it is replaced immediately. I see some taxi and trotro drivers using polythene and sometimes rugs to cover their tanks. This is a very bad and even dangerous practice, so please if you are a culprit, stop it now.

Always buy fuel during the coolest time of day, preferably early in the morning on your way to work or in the evening on your way home. At these periods the fuel is at its densest and will not evaporate or condense. You even get more fuel buying during these recommended times. The worst time to buy or top up your fuel is during the afternoon. Around this time the underground tanks at the fuel station would be experiencing extreme hot ground temperatures and thus evaporation will take place as it is being dispensed into your tank. Most drivers complain that they have been given raw deals at fuel stations, but for all you know its due to the wrong timing of buying fuel.

Also avoid buying fuel in bits if you can help it, (i.e. buying one or two gallons at a time). There will be too much room left in your tank to cause the fuel to evaporate or condense in hot weather and thus introducing water into your fuel system. Drivers have complained that they have found water in their fuel tanks and they blame it on the fuel station, but for all you know, it could be due to buying fuel in bits. Keeping your tank full will prevent excessive evaporation or condensation and this will greatly enhance fuel economy and improved engine performance. After filling up your tank, tell the pump attendant to turn the pump nozzle around 180 degrees to drain the last drops of fuel into your tank, rather than wasting it on the ground.

Avoid filling your tank right up to the brim. You would be amazed that as much as a quarter of a gallon can leak out from the over flow channel, when the petrol sloshes around the tank during the first few kilometers of travel.

Resetting your mileage meter each time you fill, will allow you to keep track of your fuel mileage. If miles driven per tank are less than what you are used to, your vehicle may not be operating at peak performance and should be inspected. Also, keeping track of your fuel mileage on a monthly basis is better than on a weekly one. The reason, being that, driving patterns may change from week to week, but average out over the course of a month.

To be continued ...