“Optimal Speed for Fuel Savings in City and Highway Driving – Tips from Experts”

May 27, 2023, 09:05:09 AM

Driving slowly does not mean conserving fuel. In various operating modes, the engine changes the consumption of gasoline or diesel fuel, which is why the “turtle” pace can turn into high costs. The experts of the magazine “Behind the wheel” told which driving mode to choose so as not to waste fuel in vain.

Savings in the city

It is necessary to distinguish between the urban pace of driving and the country pace on highways. For example, urban driving pace involves constant acceleration and deceleration. In this mode, fuel consumption can increase many times. To save fuel in city mode experts recommend after the start, when reaching a speed of 50–60 km/h, switch to the highest stage of the checkpoint and drive like this in the speed range from 45 to 80 km/h.

If the car is equipped with “mechanics”, then you will need to turn on the highest gear, as soon as the tachometer needle reaches 1.5 thousand revolutions. At these speeds, a modern injection engine develops up to 80% of traction and is able to maintain an acceptable driving pace. If you follow this algorithm, then gasoline consumption can be brought closer to passport values.

On the road

When traveling on country roads, energy is mainly spent on overcoming the force of air resistance. The higher the speed, the more energy is required, because air resistance increases in proportion to the “square” of speed. Therefore, you can’t drive too fast, because an increase in speed even by 30 km / h will cause an increase in fuel consumption by a third.

For economical driving, you need to maintain the pace of driving on the highway in the region of 80–85 km/h. In this case, the engine should spin up to about 1200–1500 rpm. You can save even more due to rolling motionallowing the machine to roll down slopes without shifting out of top gear.

In addition, movement within 80-90 km / h allows you to take turns without noticeable braking and acceleration, which also has a positive effect on economy. By maintaining this speed, you can drive for hours in top gear without resorting to emergency braking and frequent acceleration, which means that fuel consumption will remain at an extremely low level.