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Stretching Your Gallon; Making the Most of Your Diesel Fuel
As the financial crisis puts an ever-tightening grip on everyones funds, getting the maximum mileage from the fuel we buy is more than just desirable.
Peak Efficiency
Modern diesel engines are very efficient. As these hints and tips show, achieving the best fuel consumption is not difficult, just apply these sensible, logical rules when using your minibus. Get into the habit and you will reap significant rewards.
Prep School
Preparing your minibus to achieve the best fuel consumption is easy and much of the preparation involves one-off tasks
Tyres can be a drag. The minibus manufacturers tyre pressures are the right ones but often, you can tweak them to a slightly higher figure. Conversely, under-inflated tyres worsen economy.
Consider having economy tyres fitted next time around. Most tyre manufacturers offer tyres that give better mpg.
Got freeloading passengers? You may feel that you need your de-icer year-round, that the coats, Wellington boots and seventeen paperbacks in the back are essential. Yet everything aboard is dead weight. Take items like a fire extinguisher and a small tool kit but leave the rest at home, do not give it a free ride.
Must you carry a full load of fuel all the time? Certainly not. Unless you know you will be driving for many miles or to places where the garages close early, fill up with only as much fuel as you need, plus a percentage for emergencies. Hoarding heavy fuel aboard for no good reason is uneconomical.
Are you using the best fuel? The high-performance diesel fuels on offer can be the more efficient in modern minibuses. Try calculating the difference from your mileometer. As the engines electronics adapt to the new fuel, the result may surprise you.
Beware of brewing your own fuel, from cooking oil, for example. A modern engines fuel pump is a precision instrument; the wrong fuel could destroy it.
The Pilots Briefing
The minibuss maker can only offer its user so much. How you drive can make a vast difference to economy.
Any internal combustion engine is least efficient when it is cold. Always start driving from cold, warming a vehicle at rest is very costly.
Drive efficiently. Diesel engines are low revving but have a broad power band. Use this to get into the highest possible gear quickly.
Moderate your speed. A higher average speed may save you time but the greater road drag and wind resistance are expensive on fuel.
Plan your route carefully. A consistent cruising speed on an open road is far more economical than continual acceleration, gear changing and braking. Try to use motorways or dual carriageways wherever possible.
Pay attention to when you time your journey. Jams occur at commuting times, even on motorways. Steer clear at these times, or make your stops while the office workers are travelling.
Get a satnav with TMC (Traffic Message Channel) technology, then you can avoid traffic jams using its live updates.
About the Author Louise Slee is a Web Marketer and driving enthusiast for over 25 years, with no penalty points to date! See her articles at Minibus Club where she imparts some useful driving and travel tips when you are out and about in your minibus
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