WITH the rising cost of living on everyone's mind, many have taken different steps to cut unnecessary spending where possible. For most families, one of the biggest outgoings they face is fuel costs for their vehicles, which are honestly hard to reduce. Some say that shifting your gear to the highest possible setting will improve your fuel efficiency and reduce fuel costs.
Is this true?
Verdict:
MOSTLY TRUE
Well, it actually depends on your style of driving, traffic and the type of gear system. Generally, smoother driving will lead to fuel economy but a drag in bad traffic will not be so friendly to your tank.
International fleet management solutions company Transpoco says drivers get the most power for acceleration from the lowest gear but better fuel economy at the highest gear.
"Fuel consumption will increase when you stay long at lower gears. Driving slow at the highest gear will also increase fuel consumption.
"Use the highest possible gear when it’s safe to do so, and don’t stay at lower gears for long."
And when it comes to shifting gears, howstuffworks.com showcases the maths, especially for a manual gearbox.
"With a manual gearbox, shift into the upper gears quickly. Optimal shift points vary, depending on the engine or gearing combination, but for the best economy, you might need to shift to second by about 24km/h, and reach top gear by the time you're travelling 48 to 56km/h.
"If the engine is revving faster than necessary to sustain an even road speed, move to the next higher gear.
"Downshifting follows a similar standard. If the gas pedal (accelerator) has to stay close to the floor to maintain speed, you probably belong in the next lower gear. 'Lugging' in too high a gear isn't good for the engine or your finances."
At the same time, if you think fuel efficiency for a vehicle with an automatic gearbox is not so great, howstuffworks.com says otherwise.
"While manual transmissions used to be more fuel-efficient than automatics, some of today's automatic transmissions are changing that notion.
"One thing that's helping automatic transmission catch up is the wider use of continuously variable transmissions (CVTs).
"CVTs can continuously vary their gear ratios (hence their name) for maximum fuel efficiency. That helps them achieve better fuel economy when compared to a traditional manual transmission."
References:
1. https://www.transpoco.com/blog/2014/11/04/5-tips-saving-fuel-lead-safe-driving-conduct
2. https://money.howstuffworks.com/personal-finance/budgeting/how-to-drive-economically7.htm
