By Tessa R. Salazar
Philippine Daily Inquirer
THE SMOKE from the New Year’s celebrations had barely dissipated, and some fires in Metro Manila were still raging, when one of the Inquirer editors at the busy newsroom suddenly said from out of the blue, “I’m now beginning to be afraid of the future.”
Asked why, he bluntly blurted, “because oil has breached $100 a barrel.”
Indeed, the implications of this historic breach are still yet to be felt (and the major oil players are now most likely recalculating their prices). But why wait for the inevitable oil price hikes before we start re-thinking the way we choose our cars and the way we drive? Why pay up to P25,000 for special plates ending in number 8s so that we can get lucky on and off the road, when our driving habits and life attitudes make us burn fuel and personal bridges faster than a squatter colony on fire?
So, forgive us if we start sounding like a broken record. But oil is beginning to live up to its reputation as the “black gold.” Why burn it all away for nothing? The following fuel-saving tips might just help you squeeze out some more kilometers from your precious fuel.
1. Check your car for defective wheel alignments and suspension, dragging brakes and a detuned engine. You may have the best fuel miser driving techniques that could force the likes of Tito Pocholo Ramirez make a run for their money, but the “bottom” line (pun intended) is still the efficiency of the movement of your car parts underneath.
Ferman Lao of Speed Lab (on Araneta Avenue, Quezon City) suggests motorists to be especially wary of underchassis defects before expecting their car’s fuel consumption to improve.
Olson Camacho of Project O (Bulacan Street near corner West Avenue, Quezon City) suggests that motorists have their engines tuned and make sure they have them tuned in certified shops to avoid being fitted with the “wrong value/specifications of spark plugs.”
“A de-tuned engine (with) a wrong spark plug becomes a fuel guzzler, underpowered and more pollutant. And with wrong valve clearances, especially with diesel engines, up to 15 percent of power is lost,” Camacho explained.
If you own vehicles with older gas and diesel engines, have your valve clearances checked for possible major tune-ups. Make sure that the fuel filter is replaced every 10,000 km, particularly for diesels.
2. Stick to the regular maintenance schedules. Air filters, for instance, can have major implications on the fuel efficiencies of engines. Clogged air filters not only force the engine to work more than is necessary but also they would ultimately damage the engine.
3. The Internet is a useful information tool. Use it. One website particularly useful for fuel-vigilant motorists and mechanics is www.fueleconomy.gov. It contains a list of diagnostic checks that a mechanic is supposed to typically conduct for engines with poor fuel mileages. Here are some of its checklists:
- Check for dragging brakes.
- Check transmission shift patterns for slipping, use of all gears, lockup operation. Check ignition timing. Check owner’s driving habits including A/C usage, hard acceleration, carrying heavy loads.
- Check emission control system. Check vacuum hoses for leaks, kinks, proper routing. Check tire pressure. Check fuel type, quality and alcohol content.
- Check fuel pressure and fuel system for leaks. Check air cleaner element. Check coolant level.
- Check ignition system for wet plugs, cracks, wear, improper gap, burned electrodes, or heavy deposits, cracking or improperly connected ignition wires.
- Check for proper calibration of speedometer. In extreme cases, there may be engine problems such as poor compression or faulty fuel injectors.
4. It doesn’t necessarily follow that the smaller the engine, the more fuel you save. The key is still the “power to weight ratio,” Lao stresses. Thus, a 1.8-liter engine might be a better fuel-efficient choice for a particular car type than a 1.3-liter engine for the same body type.
5. If your passengers feel nauseated every time you’re behind the wheel, it’s not your body odor. It must be the way you drive. Avoid hard braking and accelerating as if youíre racing on the Formula circuit. Be a smooth driver. Experts say that accelerating, cornering or braking smoothly can also extend the life of the engine, transmission and brakes.
6. Check if your tires are properly inflated. It requires more power to roll with underinflated tires. Install roof racks only if itís really necessary for you to load anything on your roof. Roof racks add to the aerodynamic drag of the car.
7. Avoid using the car if your destination is within walking distance. Not only will you save on gas, you might add months to your life just by walking.
8. Load up at night and tighten up your fuel cap. Gasoline expands and evaporates in hot weather and from your fuel tank if the cap is loose.
9. Plan your trips. Experts note that several short trips on a cold start can use twice as much fuel as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. Fueleconomy.gov says that with a little planning, youíll also reduce wear and tear on your car.
10. In the absence of the expensive fuel pet consumption test equipment, you can do a rough fuel-tank test at least once a week to look for significant changes on your fuel consumption range. Just fill the tank to the brim (others do it on a cool engine) and set the trip meter reading to zero. Run the car, and after a set distance (say 100 or 200 km), return to the same fuel pump spot you originally loaded in. Fill the tank once more to the brim. Then divide your trip reading over the amount of fuel you used (for example, 100 km on the trip meter divided by 10 liters consumed). The resulting value (in this case, the result is 10 km per liter of fuel) is your fuel mileage. Repeat the procedure as often as you need, factoring in, of course, traffic conditions and driving loads.
If you can increase that fuel mileage value, good for you. You’re well on your way to neutralizing what for many other hapless motorists will be the devastating effects of runaway world oil prices.
