Before talking about how to save petrol, it is good to remember that petrol, diesel, LPG and CNG are the most taxed products of all. To understand this, suffice it to say that about 60% of the price at the pump is made up of taxes and “taxes on taxes” because with VAT on excise duties, the tax is paid double. Let’s not forget that Italian motorists on petrol and diesel still pay excise duties for the war in Abyssinia in 1935 (“and we also lost it – says Crozza – we had at least won it …”), the crisis of the Suez Canal ( 1956), the Vajont tragedy (1963), the Florence flood (1966) and the earthquakes in Belice (1968), Friuli (1976) and Irpinia (1980) and many others. “There are more bad luck in a liter of petrol than in the entire Nostradamus opera omnia”, again to quote Crozza …
Today the subject of rising prices is causing endless controversy, but there are various ways to save.
Future
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by Vincenzo Borgomeo
Today, thanks to technology, it is possible to cut costs with prudent purchases, that is by choosing the distributors who make the lowest prices. The rule is always the same, more or less. On the motorway and in the city center the prices are higher, in the suburbs or on the state roads they are lower. But the apps, in this, can be of great help because there are exceptions to the “rule” we were talking about before. The offer is rich in this case, but the most famous are fuel flash, petrol prices, nearby petrol which, not surprisingly, in this period have had a boom in downloads. Without forgetting Waze, which now also offers petrol and diesel prices.
Another possible source of savings is to drive using car technology: knowing a few tricks, savings can effortlessly reach up to 30 percent. The car of today, in fact, is very different from that of a few years ago and must be used in a particular way: the “economical” driving must take this into account. Just to give an example, it is useless (as well as dangerous in many cases) to put the gearbox in neutral: just travel the same stretch in release, ie without stepping on the accelerator. Modern engines at this juncture completely “cut” the power supply, to the point that they burn more petrol or diesel to idle than to travel in release. The same “idle” is different from what it used to be: very little fuel is burned and, therefore, at traffic lights it is almost never convenient to turn off the engine to save money. Unless of course the car with the start & stop system does it alone. Technology goes on. But technology must also be used intelligently.
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Designers lose sleep and ruin families to make light cars (every 30 kg of weight more there is a 1.5% increase in consumption) but then often those who buy the car fill it with accessories and trappings they send years of calculations to be blessed. And the same goes for driving: few people know that reducing the speed on the motorway a little (traveling at 110 km / h instead of 130) saves up to 20% of fuel. Or that – apart from ethical and safety considerations – respecting the Highway Code rather than violating speed limits can save over 50%.
Many then go slowly but accelerate badly: all useless. Especially in the city. The gas pedal must always be sunk with extreme gentleness and 3000/3500 rpm should never be exceeded for petrol cars and 2000/2500 for diesel ones. This is enough to reduce consumption by 10%. And to save another 2% the headlights must then be turned off as soon as the obligation to keep them on ceases (now a classic oblivion), while outside the city keeping the windows closed leads to another 10% less consumption: modern cars are very aerodynamic and the impact on CX (the aerodynamic penetration coefficient) of an open window is enormous. Much, however, depends on the speed at which you travel: in the city and under 70/80 hours nothing changes.
Correct tire pressure is also important: for every 0.2 bar difference from the norm, consumption increases by 2%. But also keep the air conditioner on as little as possible (about another 5%, depending on the models) and disassemble when you no longer need various ski racks and luggage racks that weigh on consumption up to 10% more (ruin the aerodynamics). But only if you are traveling out of town. In short, you can save. Just want it.
And the same goes for old cars: 15 years ago, husband and wife John and Helen Taylor managed to go around the world in fifty full petrol cars with a very normal production car, a Volkswagen Golf 1600 FSI. Five continents, over twenty-eight thousand kilometers behind the wheel, seventy days of travel through Europe, Pakistan, Australia and America. A hell of different traffic situations, dealt with nonchalantly: they left London on January 17 to enter the Guinness Book of Records and they succeeded, closing with a quote to Julius Verne. And already because the feat was completed in exactly 78 days. The consumption results are extraordinary, obtained by putting into practice all the tricks to consume little that we were talking about before: the 28,970 km were covered by burning 1303 liters, with an average of 22 km / l. And, extraordinary, also the stamina of the couple: they spent up to 14 hours a day locked up in the Golf. After more than 20 years together, John and Helen evidently still had a lot to say to each other. “Sometimes – said John Taylor – it was like being at an endless party, inside our car. It was as if no one else existed in the world …”
The decalogue to save petrol
1 Floor on the highway
Going 110 km per hour instead of 130 saves up to 20% fuel. Respecting the Highway Code rather than violating speed limits can save over 50%.
2 Never pull the gears
Accelerating very gently and never exceeding 3000/3500 rpm for petrol cars and 2000/2500 for a diesel reduces fuel consumption by 10%
3 Watch out for the headlights
Turning on the headlights consumes more petrol, always remember to turn them off as soon as the obligation ceases. This saves about another 2%
4 Windows closed
The impact on consumption of an open window is large. However, fuel savings depend on the speed at which you travel: in the city it is zero, on the motorway it can exceed 10%.
5 Correct tire pressure
Tires should always be inflated to the correct pressure. It is calculated that for every 0.2 bar difference from the correct pressure, consumption increases by 2%.
6 Tuning
The air filter is very important, it must always be changed at the predetermined intervals. If the car is old (it has a carburettor), tuning becomes essential. Proper maintenance saves – on average – 15%.
8 Ski carrier and luggage rack
The ski rack or roof bars on the roof weigh on consumption up to 10% more (ruin the aerodynamics). But only if you are traveling out of town.
9 Watch out for weight
Weight is a mortal enemy of savings: every 30 kg more leads to an increase in consumption of 1.5%.
10 Do not stop the engine at traffic lights
If the car is not equipped with the electronic Start & Stop system, never turn off the engine at traffic lights or during short stops: to have real savings, you must stop for more than (at least) two minutes.