Tips for getting good mileage

The quintessential question that most of us here in India ask when enquiring about cars is “How much is the mileage?” While a various cars give varying mileage, there are a few things you can do help improve how much mileage your car gives. First and foremost is to cut down on idle time. Every second that the engine is off, whether you’re waiting outside a shop, or at a traffic light, you’re saving fuel. Modern start-stop systems do the same automatically, so there is no reason that you shouldn’t put in that little extra effort every time your car stops moving. The benefit is only yours to be had...

Straight torque

One important thing to do to get better mileage from your car is to use the engine’s torque properly. Being in the right gear is critical for this. Don’t be in a hurry to up-shift as you get moving. At the same time, staying in a lower gear at higher speed is equally detrimental for getting good mileage. One needs to develop a feel for where the engine’s torque starts kicking in, and once this is done, it is very easy to keep the car moving with very little effort from the engine.

A revvy business

Getting to good grips with precise throttle control goes hand in hand with staying in the correct gear. Think of the throttle like a fan regulator as opposed to an on-off switch. The more precisely you can modulate your throttle inputs while driving, the better the engine will stay in its optimal torque zone, and the more you keep the engine rpm in its optimal torque zone, the better the car will maintain momentum, giving improved mileage overall.

Don't take a brake

While the point here is not to stop using the brakes completely, conservative use of the brakes does yield better mileage. Say you have to slow down or stop at a certain point. Rather than being on the throttle till the last moment and then slamming on the brakes, it is more beneficial to get off the throttle early and coast to a halt. Modern engines consume little to no fuel when they’re coasting. Massive braking means the engine has to work all the harder to build up speed again.

Can't clutch this

Most of us know the pain of driving a car over crowded city roads. While it is understood that there will be a bit of extra clutch use in stop-and-go traffic, try not to rely too much of half-clutching to get the car moving. Here, both the above points of staying in the right gear and giving precise throttle inputs makes a big difference to how much you can avoid unnecessary clutching while driving. It all works together in close cohorts for delivering better mileage.