Fuel Saving Tips

Drive at real speed limit not optimistic speedo indication

Speedo optimism is usually around 10%. Because of this you may be travelling at 27mph in a 30 in 3rd or 36mph in a 40 in 4th. If you speed up to account for the 10% speedo exaggeration you could in fact be easily in 4th and 5th gear respectively and use 15-20% less fuel. Use your average speed readout, which you reset at cruise control at 30mph (indicated). The average speed gives the real speed. For my car, cruise at 30 is actually a real speed of 27.2mph. For cruise at 40, the actual speed is 37mph. By speeding up and shifting up to compensate for this, about 20% better fuel economy can be achieved.