If there is one thing that we know about car enthusiasts, it is that they love to debate about car mileage. The better the mileage, the better the car, right? Often people forget that it is thoroughly possible to increase the mileage of a car by driving it efficiently. When we say ‘efficiently’, we mean applying some cool tips and tricks in your daily driving habits to get the best out of a vehicle.

Here, we have 7 driving tips one can utilize to increase the mileage of a car:

1. Maintain optimal tyre pressure.

John Poulet, a 33-year veteran of the auto repair industry and manager of Menlo Park Chevron insists that the tire pressure in the vehicle should always be what is specified by the manufacturer. If it’s less, there would be more contact area between the tire and the road, thereby increasing friction by almost 5%. This leads to increased fuel usage. If the pressure is too high, then the mileage will be better at the cost of loss of tire grip.

 

2. Go gentle on accelerating and braking.

Sudden application of brakes or sudden acceleration increases the pressure on the car’s engine, thus leading to decreased fuel efficiency. Research suggests driving techniques can influence fuel efficiency by as much as 30%. Also, use cruise control wherever necessary. This can help save upto 6% in fuel consumption on a highway.

3. Maintain optimum car aerodynamics by driving with windows rolled up.

Contrary to the popular notion that driving with your windows rolled up and the AC switched on increases fuel consumption, it actually works the other way around. Aerodynamics allow the car to cut through the air with minimum friction, and streamlining wind flow against the car by closing windows helps increase mileage.

4. If the car is not picking up speed, always prefer shifting to a lower gear rather than accelerating.

According to Rob MacGregor, the associate dean of Motive Power programs at the British Columbia Institute of Technology, a car consumes more fuel (up to 45% increase) when accelerating at lower gears. Prevent the engine from knocking by shifting up to higher gears.

5. Keep the car light. Get rid of all unnecessary stuff.

Basic science says that the heavier you are, the more energy you’ll need to move. An extra 45 kg in the vehicle reduces fuel economy by 1 to 2%. That’s a cue to remove everything unnecessary from the car, right from cartons or junk, to unwanted equipment.

6. Avoid waiting in a car with the engine on.

When the car is stationary, yet switched on, it is technically doing zero work. Yet, the running engine keeps consuming fuel. You really don’t want that, right? Ideally, you should switch off the engine if the wait-time exceeds 60 secs.

7. Don’t let oil and air filters get clogged.

Rob MacGregor insists on one thing a lot in terms of car care – Service your car engine from time to time, and clean the filters once at least every 5000 km.

Apart from the above-mentioned tricks, you can also increase mileage by smart measures like making one long trip instead of many short ones, and prevent getting stuck in traffic by planning your route

Have something to add? Let us know in comments below.