The One with The Fuelishness

Hairvl’s Pick:

Again – John Legend

Ascension To Virginity – Dave Gursin

A story for Geraldine,

Jen met a girl at palette palate on a Sunday, she introduce herself as Jason. She was a lawyer going off to UK to have fun and explore the world. Their time was short but it was meaningful. They talked of lawyers and music and iPods and friends. They parted ways not knowing whether they’d see each other again….

You will be missed GKL….

My recent encounter with the Dragon lady somehow managed to sprout some interesting topics concerning the world today. She asked me (thinking that since I’m in somewhat similar industry) whether I thought fuel prices would ever drop again. I told her that she and everybody else can dream on. I don’t care which politician says they can reduce prices, it’s all a bunch of bullshit. The age of cheap fuel is ending, what they need to understand is that the rise is a global issue and not just locally. Politicians are being unrealistic in their figures because they want votes.

Dragon lady posed another question: “What is the most economical car that I can suggest to her then?” This was another irrelevant question in my thoughts. I told her honestly there are none. It’s a matter of driving attitude, but if I’d have to choose then I would pick the Toyota Vios. So in keeping with the spirit of giving, I give you RVL’s fuel saving tips:

1. Check your tire pressure and keep it at an optimum level.
2. Go for frequent tire alignment and balancing.
3. Less weight = better mileage, stop lugging around excess weight in the car such as golf bags, clothes, shoes, etc.
4. Less drag = better mileage, aftermarket spoilers, canards, etc adds drag and weight to the car with no additional downforce. (even a Ferrari 360 Modena only starts building downforce at 120kph so forget those toys)
5. Refrain from making hard accelerations, Gunning the engine uses a ton more fuel, so coast up to speed and stay at speed. (even in the corners if you can)
6. Refrain from hard braking, heavy braking means the engine work harder to power the pumps and the engine also takes a longer time to get back up to speed due to lack of momentum. Perform engine braking whenever u can.
7. In dense traffic, keep a considerable distance from the car in front. This actually means you don’t have to brake every time he/she slows down. Coast the car to slow down and go gently on the brakes.
8. In jams, (auto cars only) use your left foot. Switching between paddles takes up more time and more effort to slow and build momentum. Balance throttle with left foot braking and you’ll find that you won’t be leaving gaps for other vehicles to cut-in.
9. On motorways or highways, (advance drivers only) whenever you see a fast-moving large vehicle like vans or mpvs, follow closely to them to a point of almost tailgating. This is what racing drivers call getting into someone’s slipstream, where the vehicle in front reduces the drag and wind resistance on your car thus less throttle input needed to move forward.
10. Smooth is fast and economical, think ahead of how other vehicle would react and ensure you have counter measures. This means less effort for heaving braking or hard acceleration.
11. Plan your journey, unscheduled or unnecessary stops cost fuel. A modern engine uses less fuel idling for 10 mins as compared to starting it up again.
12. Proper maintenance of engine and moving parts ensure optimum performance and economy.
13. Driving with the A/C on = 20% less economy, thus whenever possible drive without it. (drivers can also choose to temporarily turn off the A/C when accelerating hard)
14. Diving with the window down also reduces economy but not as much as using the A/C. At slower speeds, having the window down has no effect on economy.
15. Fill up during cold weather rather than in hot humid conditions and always fill your car to the brim. (Use up the entire tank too) fuel is more dense when its cold thus you’re getting more for your buck. (I recommend Shell)

That’s all I can remember of the top of my head for now and no I am not an economical driver but dammit my tips work. This is my 1^st community service in a long time (I think).

-Sayonara-