7 Tips to improve your car mileage! 

“Kitna deti hai?” who can ever forget this iconic campaign that was run by Maruti Suzuki. The real success for this campaign was that Maruti Suzuki focused on the most common problem faced by the average Indian car owner. But what if you own a car and do some simple tricks to improve the mileage? It will be awesome right? Well, there are a few tips which can help you to improve your car’s mileage to a great extent. Most of these tips are related to your driving style. So if that is done right, you will be able to get good mileage from your car. To make your life easy, we have shortlisted 7 tips to improve your car mileage!
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Tips to improve car mileage – Cruise control

Cruise control is a feature that not only enhances your driving experience but if used wisely, it will prove to be a great tool to improve the fuel efficiency. So how to use the cruise control for better fuel efficiency? Well, in most of the mass production cars, you can drive on top gear with a speed of 70kph-80kph with engine revving at around 2000 rpm. So if you are driving on an open highway, shift to the last gear, keep the rpm level below 2300-3000, and then switch on the cruise control. The practice will certainly help to improve the mileage of your car. But what if your car does not have cruise control? Well, you can do the same by maintaining the speed and revvs manually. Drive your car in top gear, check the rpm gauge and maintain the 2300 mark by gentle input on the accelerator pedal! It will not only help to improve the mileage but will also keep the engine stress-free.

Early gear shifts

A practice that may not be an enthusiast-friendly tip! Being an enthusiast, you may love to revv the engine before shifting the gear. Well, it may be a fun activity, but it will severely affect your car’s mileage. Always make sure to shift the gears on lower rpms. But how low? Well, it depends on brand to brand and car to car. All you need to do is – find the sweet spot of the rpm where you can shift a gear without any jerk, but at a lower rpm. This tip will not only result in improved fuel efficiency but will also result in a smoother riding experience.

Tips to improve car mileage – Gentle on throttle

One of the most effective ways of improving the car mileage in city driving is by being gentle on the accelerator pedal. City driving usually consists of traffic, potholes and speed breakers. In such situations, try to be very gentle with acceleration. Just give a gentle push to the accelerator pedal as it will help you to get going without stressing the engine. Generally, 40kph – 60kph is the ideal speed you can do while driving inside the city. In such conditions, tap the accelerator pedal with light foot, and maintain the speed. A simple yet effective way to improve mileage in the city.

Gentle on brakes

Now although it might sound funny, using your brakes less can help you in increasing your car’s mileage. How?  Well, all you need to do is to drive in a planned manner. To reduce the use of brakes, plan your moves in advance and avoid harsh accelerations. Also, let’s say you are approaching a red light, just lift your foot from the accelerator and the car will gradually decelerate and slow down before you reach the signal. This method can also prove useful while getting down a flyover or ghat section. Also, do note that you do not engage the gear in neutral as it will not only consume more fuel but in certain cases you might even lose control from your car. Bonus Benefit : This will prolong the life of your brakes too!

Tips to improve car mileage – Tyre pressure

Why tyre pressure? As you already know, maintaining the correct tyre pressure is essential for tyre life. However, maintaining the tyre pressure will also help to extract more mileage from your car. If the air inside them is below the recommended pressure, your tyres will require more energy and fuel to move your car. Whereas if the air pressure is more than the recommended pressure, your tyres will degrade early and can cause excessive wear and tear. So maintaining the correct tyre pressure will not only help to improve the mileage but will also increase the life of your car’s tyres. What is the ideal air pressure? Most of the car brands mention the recommended air pressure on the driver side door.

Proper Maintenance 

A well maintained car which has been serviced on recommended intervals will always return a good mileage. Getting your car timely serviced will help to maintain the oil levels of the important engine components. This will help to keep your engine healthy and will run without any sort of stress. Always get your car serviced as per the brand’s recommendation which can be found in the owner’s manual.

Tips to improve car mileage – Do not Idle

One of the biggest culprits of poor fuel efficiency is to run the engine while idle. In metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore, we often found ourselves stuck in traffic. In such situations, we leave our cars ‘on’ which drinks more fuel and hampers the overall fuel efficiency. Whereas you will improve the mileage of your car if you simply turn off your engine. In fact nowadays car brands offer a feature called – auto start/stop system, wherein the engine turns off automatically when the car comes on idle and turns on as soon as you press the accelerator. So next time while purchasing a new car, you can choose the variant that is equipped with such a useful feature.

Also Read

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