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Friday, January 28, 2011

Best tips for car fuel efficiency

The automotive industry is now focusing on fuel efficient cars as the increasing fuel costs is resulting in demand of vehicles with better mileage. Measures adopted to achieve this include refining the powertrain, weight reduction and inclusion of new technologies such as the start stop system which not only helps in fuel efficiency but in reducing emissions.

Mileage indicates the distance that a vehicle can travel with a specific amount of fuel. With the latest innovations in automotive industry the vehicle owner may not need to spend much money on expensive petrol or diesel. The car or bike that can travel a good distance with just a small amount of fuel is stated as a vehicle with good mileage or high fuel efficiency.

These days we are witnessing tough competition among automobile manufacturers to launch eco friendly vehicles. Some very fuel efficient hatchback cars include- Alto k10, Chevrolet Spark, Hyundai i10, Ford fiesta, Honda City, Tata Nano, Honda civic Hybrid, Tata Indica Vista and many more.

Tips to measure the mileage of your car or bike
Odometer helps us to calculate the mileage of our car or bike has making it simple and easy to keep track of fuel consumed during the distance travelled.
Fill the fuel tank of your car or bike till the rim and reset your odometer to the zero point. Then go for a drive that represents your normal activity, while ensuring it’s significantly long enough. After, that fill your tank again till the brim, while noting the number of liters that you have tanked.
You can now calculate your car’s mileage (or fuel economy) by dividing the number of kilometers that you have driven by the number of liters of fuel that filled the second time. The result is the “kilometer per litre” or mileage of your car or bike.

How to determine the fuel efficiency of your vehicle
This is an important analysis of a vehicle’s mileage. This involves technical analysis to understand why some vehicles need more fuel to drive one kilometer of distance (the car or bike’s fuel efficiency).
Some reasons for low mileage is weight of the car, the maintenance of the vehicle, the fuel type and quality, the age of the car, the traffic conditions and the driving style. In general we can say that we can get better mileage with good care and maintenance of the vehicle.

Why we should care about mileage?
Good mileage is important because if your car or bike’s mileage is bad, it means you will be spending a lot on fuel. Moreover, it means that you will be causing more pollution and depleting the world’s fossil fuels.
Therefore, the government and consumer agencies are very keen to ensure that consumers understand the car’s or bike’s mileage, as manufacturers are always keen to overstate it.
So in current law, the ARAI of India will inform you what your car’s or bike’s mileage is from independent tests.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011




The winter season can freeze out your automobile along with you. It is advisable and appropriate to keep your vehicle and its components warm and keep them going. The battery, fuel tank, coolant and oil can all go “cold” in the extreme temperatures that the vehicle is put through.


  1. During extreme temperatures, the strength or the amperage capacity of the battery can be dwindled to half its output

    TO DO
    - On extremely cold nights, you could place a battery charger onto your battery. Use the trickle charge option only in order to make sure you do not overcharge your battery, which isn't good either.

  2. The fuel lines shut down after the engine stops, condensation can begin to form inside the fuel lines. If they reach the throttle before the actual fuel, the vehicle will not be able to turn over.

    TO DO - Using the correct dry gas in your fuel lines will help prevent condensation from forming. Also check with your dealer or your owners manual before dumping any old dry-gas product down the tank.

  3. Because of the extreme differences between a cold engine and a running engine, it doesn't take long for a cold engine to heat up because of the coolant. If the temperature of the antifreeze is not correct, the engine block can quite easily crack.

    TO DO -Install a block heater inside the engine compartment near the engine block. the electricity, from the plugged in electrical plug using the AC, will help keep the engine oil and the coolant inside the block of the engine warm until demand is called upon it for start up.

  4. The tires on many cars begin to harden due to the cold temperatures and lose their ability to grip the road surface properly.

    TO DO
    - Replace your vehicle tires with the winter weather tires that perform better as they contain more natural rubber and advanced silica compounds which reduce the hardening process and improve grip in cold, damp conditions.

  5. If the vehicle is parked outside in inclement weather, the flywheel and starter wheel can become frozen.

    TO DO -Park the automobiles in a closed garage, away from the harsh wind and chilly weather conditions.

  6. Besides the above mentioned, the following precautions are also advisable.

    TO DO
    - Regular the car check ups will go a long way in preventing the problem of “no-starts” in this harsh and brutal winter.

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