WITH the petrol price having gone up eight times this year, clearly we need to come up with ways to save on fuel.

In addition, car owners need to become good drivers.

WesBank’s Fuel Economy Tour, run in partnership with FNB, which will arm you with definitive car fuel consumption figures among a selection of car brands, as well as recommended travelling times between major centres in the country to help motorist get more value from a tank of fuelaimed at standard production passenger cars and light commercials, takes place from 12-16 November. It’ll cover Joburg, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Port Elizabeth and George in a distance of 2 500km.

WesBank’s head of Motor, Ghana Msibi, said: “The tour aims to obtain realistic fuel consumption figures over a significant distance on roads well-travelled by South African motorists and transport companies, thus it is important for us to partake in this tour which is ultimately to the benefit of the consumer.

“TIt seeks to obtain realistic fuel consumption figures, thus it’s important for us to partake in this tour which is ultimately to the benefit of the consumer”, said WesBank head of Motor, Ghana Msibi.“The tour is dedicated to obtaining realistic fuel consumption figures over a significant distance on roads well-travelled by South African motorists and transport companies, hus, it’s important to partake in the tour aimed at benefitting the consumer.”

• Aggressive driving such as rapid acceleration, speeding and braking can lower your fuel mileage significantly.Accelerate smoothly, brake softer and earlier. Stay in one lane while it’s safe to do so.) Slow down: Keep a constant speed. Driving at 90km/h instead of 100km/h can improve your fuel efficiency by up to 15%.) No idling: Today’s engines don’t need a warm-up. Start the car immediately and gently drive away.

Don’t leave your car idling. Prolonged idling increases emissions and wastes fuel. Turn the engine off whenever it is safe to do so, such as when stationary for more than 30 seconds.) Remove unnecessary cargo:Reducing the amount of cargo in your boot or back seat can also improve your fuel efficiency.) Only use the air conditioner on the highway:Your fuel economy drops by up to 15% when you use the air con at low speeds. So, if it’s not hot, turn it off and roll down your windows instead.

But at 90km/h or higher, using the air con is better than opening windows.

This because your car has a lower wind resistance with the windows closed.

https://www.dailysun.co.za/SunWheels/more-mileage-20191015