Eco-friendly driving
Tips to drive the Eco-friendly way
1) Do not warm up the engine after it is started. Drive away once the engine is started as prolonged idling periods only waste fuel and pollute the air. Idle only if the manufacturer has instructed you to do so.
2) The first few minutes after starting are the periods when the engine efficiency is on the lower side. Drive away by accelerating slowly and gradually increasing the speed through the gears. The first mile of operation after the engine is started is when the mileage is least and hence careful driving might get the most out of the fuel.
3) Adjust the seat according to your comfort and make sure you are in a comfortable driving position before you start driving. A comfortable driving position lets you have a lighter leg on the gas pedal there by saving fuel.
4) As far as possible, stick to the same lane. When you shift lanes to overtake, acceleration is necessary which leads to increased fuel consumption. Avoid lane switching as far as possible.
5) Build up speed gradually before you get to a hill and keep the gas pedal steady when climbing. This helps in reducing fuel usage. While coming down a hill, coast with the help of the vehicle’s momentum and the earth’s gravitational force!.
6) Use overdrive. Using overdrive results in upto 10% increase in fuel efficiency. Shift into higher gears whenever possible and do so without lugging or over revving the engine.
7) Avoid over speeding and keep the engine at speeds where its performance is the highest. This will result in better fuel efficiency, smoother engine operation and longer engine life.
3 Responses to “Eco-friendly driving”
I have read the comment about not warming up the engine many times. What you should say is do not warm the engine excessively. Starting a cold engine and immediately putting it in gear will do a lot of damage to the internal components. Due to the alloys newer engines are made of some clearances are extremely tight and some are extremely loose when the engine is cold and loading that engine will cause metal to metal contact. If you just let it idle for 1 minute in the summer and 2 or 3 minutes in the winter you will drastically reduce that damage. You can take that advice from someon who has seen and helped rebuild engines for people who load a cold engine on a regular basis.
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Here, here! Since we got my wife’s Honda Civic Hybrid, I’ve adopted the warm-up, accelerate slowly, drive the speed limit policy. I use the cruise control whenever practical and “lead” the hills, when driving in rolling country.
Simply driving as if it were 1978 (When we had lines at the pumps.) helps. The old ‘egg under your foot’ helps too. I marvel at the number of vehicles that pass us, when I’m doing exactly the limit.
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