MOTORING
Beating the
PRICE SQUEEZE
on fuel costs ADAM TUDOR-LANE offers some timely tips on fuel saving for your vehicles to try and beat the price squeeze at the petrol pumps.
A
s war darkens the skies on European soil once more, the effects of sanctions work both ways, and they’re first being felt here at the pump. VAT currently adds 26p to every litre and fuel duty another 58p. So we pay 84p a litre in tax alone… With the government unlikely to reduce either of those costs by a significant amount, what can you do to up your MPG (miles per gallon) and save money? Here are a few top tips - aside from buying an electric car. Tyre Pressure One of the biggest impacts on MPG can be tyre pressures; ‘yup’, those black round things that you get replaced every few years and rarely take much notice of. You should be checking them regularly as tyres can naturally lose around 2 PSI a month. A study in the U.S. found that a 10% drop in pressure increases fuel consumption by 2%. These may sound like small numbers, but at £90 a tank, 2% is £1.80; add that up over a month or two of driving, and you could end up saving a decent amount. You’ll be able to find the correct tyre pressures for your car in your manual or somewhere on the door shut. If not, pop your reg in online here - tyresafe.org/car-tyre-pressure/ One of the best 12v tyre inflators for the money that I’ve tested is the Ring RTC1000, that way you don’t have to keep going to the petrol station and spending a quid a time to check your pressures. Find it on Amazon by scanning the QR code
Fuel System Cleaner
De-clutter
Some call it snake oil, but a fuel system cleaner will actually boost your MPG. If you’ve never used one in your car, then it’s worth doing. A fuel system cleaner such as Redex can remove deposits that build up in the engine and along your fuel lines over time. All you do is bung it in your tank and drive. Think of it as an MOT for your fuel system. If you never use higher octane, premium fuels, it’s worth doing at least once a year. Redex is available for petrol and diesel vehicles, so make sure you buy the right one.
If you always drive around with lots of rubbish in your car, ditch it. That goes for roof boxes, racks and rails too. Extra weight and drag will use more fuel, it doesn’t make much of a difference around town, but longer journeys or particularly hilly drives will sap away at your MPG. A roof box may only knock around 0.2 off your MPG, but when coupled with less weight and correct pressures, the small gains for little effort can mean money in your pocket.
Find it on Amazon by scanning the QR code
Air Conditioning No, it’s not a myth. Using your air-con on a city drive can make it dip by a massive 8%. So if you’re ‘pootling’ around achieving 30 MPG, it can drop to around the 28 mark just through having the air conditioning on. You’re much better off opening the windows; even fully open you’d only lose around 0.5 MPG compared to the 2 eaten up by the AC. On motorways using air-con barely makes a difference, so crack on. For the sake of a few minutes checking your tyres, unloading unnecessary stuff and bunging in some fuel cleaner, you could squeeze out a few extra miles from your tank. While you won’t save a tenner overnight, as Tesco says – every little helps. But the most significant factor when it comes to MPG is driving style, it’s a big topic to cover, so I’ll explain all in next month’s issue.
For more car news, reviews and motorsport action visit carwitter.com or follow us @car_witter 56
April 2022 | NN Pulse Magazine | 22,000 Copies delivered every month door to door across Northamptonshire
