Maximise your car's fuel efficiency with Haynes’ expert tips Hypermiling: the art of maximising MPG | | | The price and availability of petrol and diesel at the pumps has been on a rollercoaster ride over the past couple of years. The Covid-19 pandemic led to much of world's movements being restricted and demand for oil plummeted, with an inevitable drop in prices at petrol stations.
Then, last year, with a shortage of truck drivers before UK Covid restrictions were relaxed, pumps started to run dry and we were forced to eek out as many miles as we could from each tank. Now, in 2022, the price of oil has soared as the world starts moving again and supplies have been threatened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. You'll now pay an average of £1.76 for a litre of diesel, while petrol is £1.65 on average.
So (and not for the first time) hypermiling is the order of the day, where you try to boost your vehicle's economy. A lot of it is just down to common sense but some of the tips below, from Haynes Car Hacks, are likely to be new to you – and will help you get the most out of every drop of fuel. | | | Regular maintenance will ensure your car is running at maximum efficiency – the Haynes Manual and AutoFix for your car make and model will walk you through the steps you can take to regularly tune up your vehicle. | | Keep a record of your fuel consumption | | Logging fuel consumption helps you to get a feel for your car's economy, allowing you to adjust your driving style to improve it. Either use a mileage tracking app or a pad and pen to record your fuel and mileage, and don't rely on the car's trip computer. | | Increase your braking distance | Efficiency while driving is about ensuring that none of the car's momentum is wasted during a journey, and fundamental to this is leaving the right amount of space between your car and the car in front. If you're too close, you'll be forced to slow down and speed up as they do, and even use the brakes frequently and unnecessarily. Leave a very large gap and there'll be ample room to coast to a stop and gently accelerate through all manner of manoeuvres.
It may be that the car behind isn't interested in adhering to your hypermiling philosophy, but if it overtakes you try not to rise to the bait, and instead simply coast to a good-sized stopping distance behind the overtaker. | | | The less you open the throttle, the less fuel you use. Practise gently squeezing the accelerator until the required speed is achieved, rather than stamping on the pedal. If your car has variable speed cruise control, it can be used to slowly increase speed in small increments. | | Be aware of distant hazards | Traffic lights, junctions and motorway congestion are the type of hazards that are unavoidable but arrest momentum. The way to ensure maximum efficiency is to be alert to what's coming ahead.
If you see a red light in the distance, take your foot off the accelerator immediately so you can coast up to it. Even if you can't see the hazard ahead, paying attention to when cars are braking up ahead can give you a clue to what's around the next corner. And in long tailbacks, try to find a slow, constant speed to minimise the accelerating, decelerating and time stopped that the ebb and flow of congestion causes. | | Check tyre inflation before every journey | | Tyres that are inflated to the maximum possible pressure for your car are operating as efficiently as they can, and part of that efficiency is reducing the contact patch on the road, which reduces resistance on the car. | | Avoid puddles and potholes | | Puddles, bumps, cat's eyes and potholes will decrease momentum, increase drag and upset the car's efficiency, so they are to be avoided. If you are keeping a good distance from the car in front and being aware of upcoming hazards, they'll be easier to spot, too. If you are on a regular commute, make a mental note of where pot-holes are and where puddles regularly collect, and avoiding them will become natural. | | | Open windows and sunroof cause turbulence that affects a car's aerodynamic efficiency, in turn reducing fuel economy. The air conditioning unit draws power from the engine and reduces efficiency that way. In an ideal world, you would close all windows and switch off the air-con, relying only on the air vents and a bottle of cold water. If the temperature really is unbearable, a study by SAE suggests that open windows are more efficient than air conditioning up to speeds of around 55mph, when the opposite becomes the case. | | A great way to ensure that you're getting the best miles-per-gallon out of your car is to gamify your journeys. Creating a game out of anything from language-learning to exercise and dieting has become increasingly common, aided by various websites and apps, and there's no reason why you can't do the same with hypermiling.
Using the data from your car's trip computer, or the recordings that you're are logging manually, you can compete against yourself to get the best possible MPG on a journey you repeat often – the commute is perfect. It can be strangely satisfying, even celebratory, to beat your fuel economy record by 0.1 of a mile per gallon! You can even compete with workmates to find out who can improve their economy most over a set period of time. | | | These tips first appeared in Car Hacks by Craig Stewart. | | | | | | | |  |
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