In today's techno-advanced era, a buyer's utmost priority is being economically wiser than anyone. When it comes to a vehicle, fuel efficiency is a key consideration when fuel prices are high.
For those looking for a quick answer, driving slower does not save fuel To save fuel, you must have the precise knowledge of gear transmission and speed range of your specific car. An ideal speed, according to experts, is 55Mph to 65Mph.
Despite built-in advanced fuel-saving features, it always intrigues us if driving slower saves fuel? Can a person's driving habit affect fuel economy?
There are 2 commonly-known driving mindsets that could maximize the consumption of fuels.
- Some drivers believe in speeding up quickly to highest gear; or
- Some drivers think driving slower with minimal application of brakes helps, etc.
Our primary focus will be on deriving a conclusion that does driving slower save fuel? If so or not, what are those factors that assist or counter this to happen?
You should be aware of the fuel-saving technicalities especially when most cars today used auto gear transmission. If you drive too slowly, that automatically shifts it to lower gear. It will burn excess fuel.
Does Driving Faster Causes More Fuel Consumption?
There's an assumption that highway millage is better than city millage comparatively. The faster we drive, the more fuel-efficient it would be.
But it is wrong by a mile, most of the cars generate maximum forward momentum speeding at 50 to 60 Mph burning the minimum amount of fuel. It is because the government has predefined these Mpg ratings for highways.
Automakers, while manufacturing a vehicle, consider these Mpg ratings. No doubt, if the Mpg rating would be 30 Mph, the automaker would have manufactured cars fulfilling the mentioned Criteria.
According to Pokrzywa, a ground vehicle manager, at SAE international, when you speed up a car over 60 Mph, it results in decreasing the car's millage so much that a driver can't even imagine. It is because of exponentially increasing aerodynamic drag that produces maximum resistance. As a result, engines have to work harder, which ultimately boosts fuel consumption. Accelerating faster causes more fuel consumption.
If you still think driving fast save fuel, a typical NASCAR car is fast and use 5 mpg of gas.
How Does Driving Slower saves fuel?
According to the Department of Transport, a car speeding at 80 miles per hour burns 20 % less fuel than a car cruising at 60 miles per hour. Also a four-cylinder car at 60 Mph gives 30 Mpg, and if it is driven at 80 Mph it will decrease the millage up to 20 Mph.
In 2011, Spain introduced a speed limiting policy to decrease the average consumption of fuel by 5%. You know what, it worked.
Likewise, in England, about 15,000 drivers took part in a survey of 2008. About 59% of them agreed on reducing the speed, and check does driving slower saves fuel? In the price spike of 2008, the average speed was decreased to 60 to 70 mph as that happen to be economically effective. Applying a speed limit of 60 to 70 Mph made this happen. After that, decreased fuel prices and time-saving have given rise to speed acceleration.
The reason behind this is when our vehicle speeds exceed than 80 to 85-Mph engine starts glugging the gas. At higher speed engine revives at faster rates that cause more consumption of fuel. Therefore driving in the range of 60 to 70 Mph is an ideal figure for being fuel-efficient.
How about driving too slowly?
No, if you're thinking of saving fuel driving your car too slow, believe you will end up being a fool. As driving slower than the optimal speed is also being inefficient.
If you're driving at less than ideal speed, the engine might work so much but accomplish less. In both speeding or driving slow cases, fuel is burning in all cylinders. That's why if you're thinking of going 15 Mph on an expressway, it's not possible.
Speeding Up too quickly:
Yes, it also burns a lot of fuel. This is why cruise control increases the car speed gradually when you press the accel button.
A car's computer has built-in AI, knowing that speeding up gradually makes a car fuel-efficient. In contrast, we prefer to have immediate results (people chasing for top speed in minimum time). What do we do to reach top speed, we floor the gas.
That floods the cylinder and burns a lot more fuel than required. It's not a good idea. That's why experts always recommend cruise control. It is more rational than human driving.
Conclusion
Similarly, in case of higher speed, you will burn an excessive amount of fuel unknowingly with inadequate knowledge of speed limitations and gear shifting. That's why if you're driving it will burn the fuel off-course. But driving at a moderate speed will help you burn a minimum amount of fuel. Now, this ideal speed also varies from place to place. So an ideal speed, according to experts, is 55Mph to 65Mph. Remember, it will not save all your fuel, but if you drive over than this, it will cost you extra fuel consumption, as I already have mentioned above. Driving faster and too slower both will cost you extra fuel. Be proficient at a moderate speed so your car can be fuel-efficient.
The term fuel-efficiency refers to the average consumption of fuel by a vehicle while covering a certain distance. The less fuel car burns, the more fuel-efficient it is.
Nowadays, everyone is familiar with the boring basics, like making sure the proper inflation of tires. Changing the oil and gas filter at the right moment and removing the heavy items from vehicles. But it is not sufficient. What most of the drivers don't know is the proper mechanics of millage. Understanding this helps a driver coping the fuel efficiency problems. It also assists in differentiating between what is reality and what is a myth.