Reducing diesel consumption is perfectly possible by changing some habits and following some simple tips. Although these cars use little fuel, drivers tend to neglect the tyre pressure and do not step on the clutch when starting the car. They also tend to leave the car in neutral before stopping completely, instead of leaving it in gear. All this is done unconsciously and it means spending up to 10% more diesel every 100 kilometres. Here we are going to give you a series of tips that will help you reduce consumption to the minimum.
What to do to spend less and thus reduce diesel consumption
Sudden accelerations are over: you may, unconsciously, step on the accelerator to warm up your car faster when you start it in winter. However, this is useless except to waste fuel. The mechanics of your diesel car will take care of it in just a few minutes.
- Turn off the engine for stops of more than one minute: your car may not have a Start & Stop system that turns off the engine each time it stops. However, if you are going to stop for more than 60 seconds, it pays to turn it off yourself.
- Change gear at 1,500 revolutions: revving your car too much will only waste fuel. Do not change gear too soon either or the car will idle.
- The first gear’s only purpose is to get out of neutral: change to second gear as soon as possible. In fact, if you do not get to stop completely at a traffic light or a zebra crossing, there is no need to engage it. In diesel cars, the first gear generates a lot of power but needs to be changed immediately.
- Play with momentum: knowing how to take advantage of the momentum of your vehicle will be very useful to save diesel. This applies both in descents and straight lines, where you know that you will have to stop before a stop sign or a traffic light. There is no point in accelerating and braking abruptly at the end.
- Turn on the heating or air conditioning a few minutes after starting: both systems require the engine to warm up a little to operate at full capacity. Therefore, if you start them as soon as you turn the key to start the engine, the only thing you will get is useless fuel consumption. Wait for the vehicle to reach its value Always roll up the windows on the motorway: keeping them down on the road may be correct, but on roads with speed limits over 50 km/h it does not make sense. This is one of the factors that most negatively affect the aerodynamics and, therefore, the consumption of diesel.
- Carry essentials in the boot: we all tend to use the boot of the car as a small storage room. For example, in summer we do not usually remove beach gear until September. However, this can easily lead to a 5% increase in fuel consumption.
In short, if you follow these bits of advice, you can be sure to reduce the consumption of diesel. As you may well have noticed, most of them are based on common sense and a calm and peaceful driving style. Keep in mind that diesel cars are more specifically designed for it than petrol cars.
