The 10 Commandments for Saving Fuel

1. Wash your car. A clean car creates less drag. Have you ever noticed why F1 cars are all so shiny and clean? Aesthetic purposes? The highly polished surfaces causes the air to flow smoothly over the surface of the vehicle. Not enough motivation? Washing the car yourself is a good form of cardio and it saves you around RM10.00.
2. Always fill up your tank and not run it empty. A good practice would be to re-fuel when the tanks 1/2 full. This will not allow the fuel to slosh about in the tank and evaporate.
3. Inflate the tyres to its correct pressure. Over-inflating the tyres will cause bumpy filling loosening rides and under-inflating the tyres will cause an increase in fuel consumption. Ever tried running with wet shoes?
4. Change your engine oil regularly. The purpose of the oil is to lubricate the moving parts of the engine. After awhile, the oil loses its lubricating efficiency or in proper terms viscosity. This will cause the engine to run under further load and lead to accelerated wear and tear. In simple terms, not changing oil regularly will lead to an early overhaul and more $$ spent.
5. Stick to the same brand/ grade of lubricants. Always use a reputable brand. Lubricant companies have their own blend and additives. Mixing and using inferior grades of oil is detrimental to the long life of your car.
6. Change the air filter and spark plugs at correct intervals. Ever went for a jog wearing a surgical mask? The engine needs all the air it can get to function. A clogged air filter will starve the engine of air and give poor fuel economy. The same for spark plugs. Using cheaper plugs doesn't necessary give you savings. Although an engine is rather forgiving, long term effects would include increased carbon build up from improper burning of fuel, plug cables losing its efficiency and the resultant increase in consumption.
7. Drive sensibly. This is a no-brainer. Everyone knows that stepping on it will use up more fuel but you knew that didn't you?
8. Do not modify or add 'fuel saving' gadgets to your vehicle. If your car was meant to have it, the manufacturers would have added it! Fuel saving tablets, spark enhancers, special air filters etc do not work. You may see temporary results but its mostly psychological.
   
9. Do not carry too much junk in the boot. Ever tried running with a backpack full of rocks?
10. Plan your travel routes and anticipate traffic jams, road works and other obstructions. Ever went running without knowing where you're going?

I hope these tips help you save some money as we don't know when yet another increase
in fuel prices will come. Thank you Najib..

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