With fuel prices rising at an unprecedented rate and current concerns for the environment it is more important then ever that we get the best economy from our vehicles.

The Now Your Motoring  Economy Driving Course can help you save money and reduce your carbon footprint whether you drive a gas guzzler or a microcar.

This course will help you to maximise every litre of fuel you pump into your vehicle without sacrificing performance. It is difficult to predict exactly how much fuel you can save as it will depend on your current driving style and the type of environment that you drive in, but improvements in fuel economy of  around 5% are easily gained and sometimes improvements of 20% or more are achievable.

The course can be conducted in your own vehicle or in my vehicle which is fitted with a trip computer, following a vehicle check you will be directed over a set route driving in you own style, at the end of the initial drive the average speed and mpg will be recorded. Then the coaching session will begin, at the end of the coaching session you will drive the car over the set route that we covered earlier, at the end of the session the average speed and mpg will be recorded once more and you will see an immediate improvement in mpg with no significant reduction in average speed.

But there is more to economy than fuel consumption, the cost of running your car also includes servicing, tyres, brakes, insurance, road tax and many other factors that I can offer advice which will help you to optimise the efficiency of your vehicle. This course will save you money and help you to do your bit for the environment

Contact info@nowyourmotoring.co.uk or call me on 07778 862753 to find how I can help you cut your fuel costs

Now Your Motoring

Ecodynamics

Running a vehicle is an expensive business and the cost of fuel and repairs probably account for the largest slice of the budget. The following advice should save you at least 5% on your fuel costs or maybe more depending on your vehicle and your style of driving but a 10% reduction in fuel costs is a reasonable average.

So first of all what are Ecodynamics and how do they work ?

Ecodynamics refers to the two main areas where significant savings can be made being fuel consumption and wear and tear on tyres and brakes etc.

The first thing that we need to do is make sure that the vehicle is able to deliver optimum economy. Those of you that are old enough to remember the days when men in pubs would boast of achieving 30 mpg in their Ford Escort will be familiar with the many checks that had to be made and the money spent on “Tune ups” to ensure maximum efficiency. Fortunately in this day and age with fuel injection and engine management systems we no longer have to worry about such things, all we need to do is make sure that the tyres are inflated to the correct pressure, remove any luggage racks that are not needed and remove any heavy items from the vehicle that are not needed.

Ok so far so good, you are on your way to saving money but now we get on to the bit where we can make savings, first we need to work out a way to measure the savings that can be made, this is easy, if you have a vehicle fitted with a trip computer proceed as follows, work out a route that takes in various road conditions and is between 5 and 10 miles long, go for a short drive to warm your vehicle up and then return to the start point of your chosen route. Zero the average miles per gallon and average speed on your trip computer and then drive the route in your usual way when you return switch off the engine immediately and record the average mpg and average speed.
Now put the kettle on make yourself a cup of tea and read the next bit.

Economy driving is all very well but what’s the point if I have to drive everywhere at 20mph ? I hear you ask. Well the truth is your average speed should not suffer and in fact it will often increase, average being the operative word.
Modern engines produce lots of torque, which is the ability to produce power at low engine speeds particularly if you drive a diesel, so to benefit from this you need to change gear at the right time typically this will involve changing up at between 1500 and 2000 rpm in vehicle fitted with a diesel engine and between 2000 and 2500 rpm in a vehicle fitted with a petrol engine but this will vary depending on your vehicle particularly if you drive a vehicle with a very small engine, so changing up a little earlier will start to save you fuel, but the real savings are made when you slow down, to get the most from this try to drive in a style where if possible you keep the vehicle moving, think about timing as you drive towards a red light or a queue of traffic at a roundabout, remember that there is absolutely no point accelerating to join the end of a queue so come off the gas pedal earlier, slow down over a longer distance leave the car in gear and while the vehicle is slowing down the fuel consumption is virtually zero if you are driving a modern car fitted with fuel injection.
Avoid hard acceleration and braking and drive smoothly.
So now we have to see what we can save. Return to your car, if you have left it for any length of time warm up the engine and return to the start point of your test route. Zero the average speed and mpg and drive the route again remembering to change up through the gears a little earlier (but don’t let the engine labour) slow down a little earlier just by taking your foot of the gas (don’t brake to early) avoid hard acceleration and hard braking and drive smoothly. When you reach the end of your test route switch off the engine and check the average mpg and average speed at this point you should discover that you have improved your fuel consumption by at least 5% and your average speed should be about the same as it was on the first run.

For motorway driving your fuel consumption will to a large extent be governed by your speed. optimum fuel consumption will probably be achieved at around 60 mph, the faster you go over the optimum speed the less economical your car will be.

If your car is not fitted with a trip computer fill your tank refill after you have clocked up about 100 miles and make a note of how many litres have been used then apply the ecodynamic way of driving for about 100 miles refill your tank record how many litres you have consumed.

So to recap. Remove your roof rack (if fitted), remove any unnecessary items from your vehicle and ensure that your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure. Drive smoothly, try to keep rolling, slow down early by taking your foot of the gas, brake smoothly (but not to early), change up through the gears a little earlier and avoid hard acceleration and braking.

As well as the foregoing here are a few more tips to help you save even more fuel and reduce your emissions:-

1/ Use your air conditioning sparingly, once you have the interior of your vehicle at a comfortable temperature turn off the aircon until the temperature in your car begins to rise.

2/ Avoid driving with the windows open at speeds above 40 mph, at higher speeds the aero dynamics of your car begin to affect the way your vehicle cuts through the air, an open window will create unnecessary drag.

3/ Have your car serviced at the intervals specified by the manufacturer. Blocked air filters can play havoc with economy and emissions. Regular servicing will also reduce depreciation of your vehicle ensuring a higher resale value as well as making sure your car is safe and reliable.

If you would like to make even bigger savings contact me via my website www.nowyourmotoring.com and book an Ecodynamics course.

Enjoy the money you are saving and the fresh air that results from the lower Co2 emissions from your vehicle and remember that the only economy device that really works is your right foot.

Happy Motoring

Richard Ford

To find out about vehicle emissions and excise duty  clickHere