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How to save money on fuel in the summer

As the days get warmer, you tend to see less and less cars on the road and more people on the paths, however your car will still be necessary this summer and you could do with knowing how to save some money on fuel whilst driving in the heat.

Drivers in the summer tend to do two things when they first step into a car, either wind down the windows or put the air conditioning on. Both effective methods of providing a cool breeze into the car but which one is most fuel efficient? Some think that the air conditioning is better as it doesn't create extra drag on the car, whereas other believe that opening the windows is better as air condition uses extra fuel to run.

Both of these are correct however they both become more fuel efficient at different times of driving. At high speeds the air conditioning is a better option to save fuel in the summer as it hardly uses any extra fuel. However when moving slowly the air conditioning uses 15% more fuel. Opening the windows is more fuel efficient at lower speeds as the drag created isn't great enough to cause a massive difference to fuel consumption. However at high speeds the air conditioning doesn't use as much fuel and the drag on the car becomes a lot greater with the windows open, which results in the car using more fuel.

Another way to save money on fuel this summer is to not carry around any unnecessary weight in your car. More weight in your car means you have more to pull along and therefore it uses more fuel! Take out anything unnecessary that may be in your car and you should get more from your fuel this summer. When on your driving lessons Leeds you will notice that nothing unnecessary is in the car weighing it down.

Check your car tyre pressure, as the temperature changes so could that. Your car tyres can slightly deflate when the weather changes and wheels that aren't inflated find it harder to roll and use more fuel. To save money on fuel this summer make sure you're regularly checking your tyre pressure. Many have tried over inflating their tyres to save even more fuel, however this doesn't work as you would think, reduces traction to the road and creates excessive wear to the middle of the tyre.

On your driving lessons in Leeds you learn how to plan and scan far in front to be able to anticipate when to accelerate and brake. Although you may not realise it, this is a skill taught so that you're using less fuel by harshly braking and wasting the kinetic energy that you produce by burning your fuel.

Stick to the above tips and you will save money on your fuel this summer as well as make driving more comfortable!

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