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ECONOMICAL OPERATION
Your vehicle's fuel economy depends
mainly on your style of driving, where
you drive and when you drive.
Each of these factors affects how
many kilometers (miles) you can get
from a liter (gallon) of fuel. To operate
your vehicle as economically as possi‐
ble, use the following driving sugges‐
tions to help save money in both fuel
and repairs:
• Drive smoothly. Accelerate at a mod‐
erate rate. Don't make "jackrabbit"
starts or full-throttle shifts and
maintain a steady cruising speed.
Don't race between stoplights. Try to
adjust your speed to the traffic so
you don't have to change speeds un‐
necessarily. Avoid heavy traffic
whenever possible.
Always maintain a safe distance from
other vehicles so you can avoid un‐
necessary braking. This also reduces
brake wear.
• Drive at a moderate speed. The fast‐
er you drive, the more fuel your vehi‐
cle uses. Driving at a moderate
speed, especially on the highway, is
one of the most effective ways to re‐
duce fuel consumption.
• Don't "ride" the brake pedal. This can
increase fuel consumption and also
increase wear on these components.
In addition, driving with your foot
resting on the brake pedal may cause
the brakes to overheat, which re‐
duces their effectiveness and may
lead to more serious consequences.
• Take care of your tires. Keep them
inflated to the recommended pres‐
sure. Incorrect inflation, either too
much or too little, results in unneces‐
sary tire wear. Check the tire pres‐
sures at least once a month.
• Be sure that the wheels are aligned
correctly. Improper alignment can re‐
sult from hitting curbs or driving too
fast over irregular surfaces. Poor
alignment causes faster tire wear
and may also result in other prob‐
lems as well as greater fuel con‐
sumption.
• Keep your car in good condition. For
better fuel economy and reduced
maintenance costs, maintain your car
in accordance with the maintenance
schedule in Maintenance on page
8-07. If you drive your car in severe
conditions, more frequent mainte‐
nance is required (see Maintenance
on page 8-07 for details).
• Keep your car clean. For maximum
service, your vehicle should be kept
clean and free of corrosive materials.
It is especially important that mud,
dirt, ice, etc. not be allowed to accu‐
mulate on the underside of the car.
This extra weight can result in in‐
creased fuel consumption and also
contribute to corrosion.
• Travel lightly. Don't carry unnecessa‐
ry weight in your car. Weight reduces
fuel economy.
• Don't let the engine idle longer than
necessary. If you are waiting (and not
in traffic), turn off your engine and
restart only when you're ready to go.
• Remember, your vehicle does not re‐
quire extended warm-up. After the
engine has started, allow the engine
to run for 10 to 20 seconds prior to
placing the vehicle in gear. In very cold
weather, however, give your engine a
slightly longer warm-up period.
• Don't "lug" or "over-rev" the engine.
Lugging is driving too slowly in too
high a gear resulting in the engine
bucking. If this happens, shift to a
lower gear. Over-revving is racing the
engine beyond its safe limit. This can
be avoided by shifting at the recom‐
mended speeds.
Driving your vehicle
6-76
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