Summer, vacations and more trips. Among the added expenses that we must face at this time of year is the fuel for our vehicle, with trips to places of rest or weekend getaways. For this reason, it is worth remembering some habits or tricks that can help us save gasoline significantly. And, in addition, they are simple to carry out and effective.
You can get significant fuel savings
Summer has arrived, and with it the usual heat of every year and a very high expected number of trips , although uncertain due to the circumstances that have occurred in recent months. We are talking about millions and millions of journeys by car, many of them thousands of kilometres.
And for this, it is logical, saving gasoline will be crucial, especially at a time like the one we are in when its prices are through the roof and it does not seem that they are going to change much in the near future. For this reason, and for you to travel in a calm way, there are some methods that can be different from the traditional ones to achieve significant savings.
In fact, in summer, in addition to having the air conditioning on, the vehicle is often overloaded with luggage from vacations, without forgetting that high temperatures reduce engine performance. This, for its part, makes the car need more energy to move than it did slightly on a day-to-day basis.
How to do it
Thus, as we say, there are factors that trigger fuel consumption. Among others, misuse of air conditioning, which could increase it between 5% and 20%.
For example; If we focus on specific behaviors , having it on continuously would increase spending by 8%. That is why it is essential to use it only when necessary. It’s also a good idea to turn it off in town at low speeds and open the windows instead. But there are several other tricks to save gas, as we will see below.
Beware of overweight luggage
As we mentioned, with the arrival of summer, family trips to vacation destinations such as coastal or rural areas multiply. Images in which vehicles full of luggage are seen are common, something not recommended in terms of energy efficiency.
And it is estimated that driving with 100 kilos of extra weight can lead to 5% more fuel consumption and, therefore, greater emission of polluting gases. As a consequence, it is key to control the weight of the luggage . In other words, it is necessary to do without those things that are not necessary and to place the load well in the trunk.
The refueling technique
It may sound unlikely, but it is more important than you think. We are talking about the refueling technique that allows us to save significantly on our trips. Thus, the filling of the tank must be carried out by applying medium pressure to the trigger of the hose.
This is because tightening to the limit generates more gases and increases evaporation. At the end of the operation, without activating the button, the nozzle must be rotated so that the accumulated fuel falls into its final area .
Check your tire pressure
The tires must be inflated to the pressure indicated by the manufacturer and according to the weather conditions (in very hot weather the tire needs a little less pressure ).
Driving using tires with a pressure of 0.5 bars less than the correct one causes consumption to increase by 2% in urban areas and 4% in interurban areas. All this means, in your case, that we can significantly reduce our tank to save a good amount of gasoline efficiently.
Better adjust the temperature of the air conditioner
To save gas well, the temperature of the vehicle (and outside) always counts. Or what is the same; If the car is traveling at low speeds , the best thing to do is to turn off the air and open the windows. If, on the other hand, it moves faster, it is better to raise the windows, since the resistance with them lowered is greater and increases consumption.
Therefore, if the vehicle is moving fast , it is better to turn on the air conditioning, yes, adjusting the temperature between 20 and 24 degrees. In this sense, it is important to keep the filters clean.
park in the shade
Whenever possible, avoid leaving the car exposed to the sun for too long. Apart from the unpleasant sensation when picking it up again, parking in the shade has a double advantage for consumption .
One, as such, is that it will require less effort from the air conditioner to reach an optimum temperature, as well as reduce the evaporation of the fuel in the tank, achieving more stable levels than if we did it in full sun.
