5 Tips to Make Your Car More Fuel Efficient

Not everyone has the luxury of being able to simply go out a buy a new car. Some of us, who care about the environment still have standard petrol or diesel powered cars which are far from green. But it doesn’t stop there, it is easy to get your existing car a little bit greener while saving you a bit of money on fuel at the same time. Here are five simple steps to a greener car.

1. Keep your tires inflated

Having tires under-pressured is one of the leading reasons for lower fuel efficiency. You should check your tire pressure on a weekly basis to make sure they are at the correct pressure. If your tires aren’t up to the correct pressure, they will increase the amount you pay on fuel.  This is because the car has to work harder. The tires will also wear out a lot faster costing you a lot of money as well as having to dispose of them which is never good for the environment.

2. Keep your windows up

It’s not necessary to have your window down the make sure it’s closed at all times. Driving along with the window down has a relatively large effect on fuel efficiency. This is because the wind resistance caused by the car losing its aero-dynamics will make the engine work harder to move the car along. If It’s a hot day, just open the window when you’re not moving in traffic.

3. Do routine maintenance often

While it’s true that having your cars oil changed will not dramatically affect the engine. It will decrease fuel efficiency. If your oil is dirty of you have not taken your car in for a service, the engine again is working harder to run your car as it should be running. Making sure your engine is always in pristine condition will ensure that your car is as green as possible and you should not have to worry about breaking down nearly as much either.

4. Check the quality of your exhaust pipe

An exhaust pipe on a car is one of the most common maintenance issues. It’s a part that should be replaced routinely every 2 years or so. When your engine is running, see if you can hear any vibration from the exhaust or a blowing noise. If you can then you may have a hole in your exhaust which is a major problem for the environment as the exhaust needs to work properly in order to expel gas as safety as possible.

5. Learn to drive economically

Surprisingly most people do not think ahead while driving. For example if you’re driving down a road and you see that a traffic light is red, why still accelerate on the gas? Just let the cars own momentum get you to the lights. And when those lights turn green, don’t put your foot all the way down. Driving with the throttle fully open dramatically damages your fuel economy as well as the environment, so just give the car as much gas as it needs to get going without accelerating hard.

A few other extra tips include not carrying anything unnecessary in your trunk and don’t wait for your engine to warm up before setting off. Modern engines will run just fine while cold. You could also think about car leasing to save more money and the environment by getting a modern green car.