Fuel Consumption Tips and Tricks 101: A guide to Save Fuel

(I used fuel because your car can be powered by petrol or diesel)

Just before I go into this, I would just like us all, especially Nigerians to reminisce that blissful period before the fuel price hike when petrol was once as low as 40 naira per litre.

Oh how we lived like kings and queens as our tanks never went below half, we would drive cross-country just because we forgot our biro in school. That’s how cheap it was.

Remember 2012, the announcement of the fuel subsidy removal.

For once, Nigeria embraced togetherness and unity fighting for a cause: Cheaper Petrol Price. We fought, went on strike, and most importantly enjoyed being away from the office or school, and it eventually fell to 97 naira from 140 naira.

Now fast forward to 2016, in the era of CHANGE. Where the price of fuel has gone all the way up to N145 and simply having an "island-mainland" affair is now termed a long distance relationship, some fuel tanks have not seen 'F' for months, relationships broken, number of bicycles have risen etc.

This is why I’m writing this piece today, because we don't for-see the fuel price dropping in the near future but I can surely show you how to get the best out of your hard-earned 145naira per litre.

"HOW?"

Would be one of the first words that come to mind.

When you look up the specifications of any car, you would usually come across "gibberish" like 30mpg city/ 40mpg highway/35mpg combined.

Thankfully, I speak the language of automobiles and I shall translate…

All that seemingly foreign language simply tells you how many miles you can cover with a gallon of petrol (or kilometres you can cover with a litre of petrol)

Actually, a lot of other factors come into play in determining fuel consumption. Factors such as the number of cylinders, the capacity of each cylinder, the type of vehicle and, not forgetting, how the vehicle is actually driven on a daily basis.

Luckily, Ayorinde AKA "Vader" is here for YOU

NOW TO THE TIPS

Drive at the right tyre pressure: Most of us don't drive with our tyres at the right pressure and this increases rolling resistance, leading to more power being needed to counter the resistance, at the cost of more fuel being used.

Avoid rapid acceleration and braking unnecessarily: Stamping hard on the accelerator results in excess fuel being pumped into the cylinders. Passengers do not need to get sucked into their seats every time you accelerate… Simply accelerate smoothly, “let her roll and gradually pick up pace”. The energy gathered from accelerating wastes when we brake unnecessarily.

Avoid unnecessary weight: Get all that JUNK, outta ya or your TRUNK! Things like Shoes, Bags and irrelevant things left in the car and trunk weigh us down. The lighter the car, the less load on the engine, resulting in less fuel being used. A lot of our boots are an extension of our house. I have seen spoons, plates, HECK, even a microwave in someone's boot and the person said it had been there for almost a month,WHAT'S IT DOING THERE?

Maintain a good engine: Are the “oils”, “spark plugs”, “air filter”, “fuel filter” etc in good state? I always say “a healthy car engine spares you headache".

Petrol is made of volatile organic compounds: Meaning it can evaporate while in the tank… Ensure that your fuel filler cap is tightly screwed or bolted and avoid parking under direct sunlight as much as you can.

Utilize your cruise control as often as you can (when the time is right): Here, a system takes over the throttling of air, pumping in the exact amount of fuel required to maintain a set speed (without support from your foot on the accelerator pedal).

Weird Fact: Driving with a quarter full fuel tank saves more fuel than driving with a full tank.

And THOSE folks, are ways I just helped you save some naira.