Tips for driving a car to save fuel in winter

Driving in the winter will make it more difficult and consume more fuel than you normally would. Here are some tips to help you cut down on fuel costs and car maintenance in the winter.

Fuel-efficient driving is a matter of concern for any driver. Besides buying fuel-efficient cars, driving style is also a vital factor. However, not everyone knows how to drive to save gas in winter. Let's follow the article below for the most effective way to save fuel for cars in winter.

Tips for driving a car to save fuel in winter

Monitor tire pressure

Tracking your tires is a must and saves you fuel. According to the experts, sufficiently inflated tires will make braking easier. Conversely, if the tire is inflated, fuel consumption will increase. Specifically, if the tire pressure is reduced by at least 0.1 ATM, fuel consumption can increase by 2-3%.

It is the reason tire tracking is so important. Therefore, you should regularly monitor tire pressure and maintain it at a moderate level, especially in cold weather. If your journey needs to go through many stops, you must look up google maps to calculate the most convenient route.

Warming up the engine also uses more gas than usual. You must calculate so that the car does not have to reheat several times a day. This habit helps you save money on gas, especially on cold winter days.

Speed ​​control on the highway

If you plan on choosing an efficient route, it will save you a lot of money on gas, especially during the winter months. The cold engine will consume more fuel in the first 8km. Therefore, starting and warming up the engine consumes more fuel than usual.

If you intend to go through many locations, choose the most convenient route to avoid having to reheat the engine many times a day.

Using speed control on the highway

The best way to save gas is to keep the car at a steady speed over long distances. On the highway, if you continuously increase and decrease the vehicle speed, it will cause more fuel to be burned. Each time you speed up, you will consume more energy than usual.

Manufacturers recommend driving slowly for the first 30 seconds. The engine will start faster when the vehicle is moving. As a result, the vehicle temperature rises faster, reducing fuel consumption and emissions.

Limit the brake pedal/accelerator pedal

Many drivers have a habit of pressing the accelerator/brake suddenly on the road. However, acceleration or braking should be done slowly to ensure no extra fuel is wasted. When suddenly braking or speeding up, it will make your car use more energy and gas.

Using cruise control mode

It is an automatic speed control system that has appeared on many modern cars. For example, when set at 112km/h on the highway, the system will calculate and adjust the throttle to maintain that speed, helping to save fuel for the car.

It is even more effective with the Adaptive Cruise system. It uses radar to keep the distance between vehicles behind and in front.

Remove unnecessary things from the car.

Some drivers like to pack a lot of stuff in their cars, regardless of whether they need it. However, the experienced drivers share that you should remove the furniture from the car and keep only the things such as spare wheels, tires, and hats. The larger the vehicle's weight, the more it costs you to transport and the more fuel you consume.

Regular car maintenance

To avoid additional costs, please perform vehicle maintenance on time. Otherwise, your engine will soon be in trouble. It is ideal to use genuine lubricants, international standards, correct SAE viscosity, and API grade suitable for vehicles to increase engine life and save fuel. Also, please do not forget to check your car regularly.

According to a study, for every one psi reduction in car tires compared to the standard pressure, the car will use 0.3% more fuel. Because when the tire is under-inflated, the contact area of the tire with the road surface will be more, increasing the drag and causing the car to consume more fuel.

Using D gear instead of N

Between the two gears, the N number will help the car save fuel and not consume too much energy during travel. It is because the N number will help the car run automatically according to inertia.

However, for N gear, it is dangerous. The vehicle will be disconnected between the transmission and the engine, leading to a lack of fuel, and making braking less effective. It easily causes unnecessary accidents.

So, instead of using N, switch to D. It is because for current cars, when just in D without stepping on the gas, the car understands and self-rolls according to inertia to minimize fuel.

Why do cars use more energy in winter?

• The vehicle takes longer to reach the optimum temperature for energy efficiency. It will affect the car more when traveling short distances because most of the distance the vehicle will operate at temperatures below the optimal temperature.
• The vehicle will use more fuel for heated seats, heated windows, and fan heaters.
• Heating the engines when starting the car also consumes fuel. Car idling also costs you gallons of gas while the car is still not moving.
• In cold weather, the air also becomes denser, increasing the aerodynamic drag of the vehicle, especially when traveling on the highway.
• Decreasing tire pressure in cold weather will increase the vehicle's traction.
• Low temperatures cause gasoline to precipitate in layers. So, there is less energy per gallon of gasoline.
• Driving speed on slippery roads can be much lower than normal, making the vehicle's fuel economy even worse, especially when the vehicle is operating at 30-40 mph.
• Operating a car's Powertrain will use more fuel.
• Battery performance decreases in cold weather, making charging more difficult. It also affects the performance of the regenerative braking system on hybrid vehicles.

Conclusion

The above article has provided some ways to save gas in winter. Hopefully, through this article, you have had effective ways to save gasoline and reduce costs optimally.