Essential Motoring 101

I got my driver’s license since 1997 (wow, 10 years of driving experience already) and must say that I have been a good and a bad driver. Good in the sense that I use all my indicator lights whenever I turn left or right. Even during parking, I will use my hazard lights whilst reversing into a parking lot, especially those closed, underground ones. Well, I am no perfect driver here but sometimes I would cut queue, either intentionally or unintentionally, but on the overall, I am considered a defensive driver.

Let rev this baby, NOT!

When I first got my AD Resort stationwagon, I didnt dare squeezing the engine for fear of blowing it up or because it was an old car, and would consume more if I frequently floor the accelerator. So, in other words, I was a safe and smooth driver.

Not until the past couple of years, after being exposed to experts drivers, racers and high-powered cars, I have been quite a petrolhead. Always rushing to reach a destination for no reason and the tendency to tailgate other cars, I was a hooligan speedster behind the wheel and wasted a lot of petrol.

When the first price hike, from RM1.92 to RM2.70 and now RM2.55 per litre) my attitude towards driving fast had tamed down. Unable to accept the fact that prices of fuel have hiked, automatically, my right foot went softer on the accelerator. For the first week, I was using petrol quite efficiently, using the right gears and speed - the perfect fuel-saving method of driving was demonstrated.

But, it was short-lived. Horns grewed back on my forehead and I was a speed demon once again. The drop in fuel prices (to RM2.55/litre) resulted in my style of driving went back from good to worse. Here I go again, paying more money for fuel simply because prices have gone down. Arent we all wasters? Or was it just me?

So happen that Shell came over to my office and set up a car simulator for anyone to drive in front of an LCD screen. It was an effort by Shell Malaysia to educate Malaysian drivers to save fuel and money by the way we drive.

Note the fuel tank on the left with 50% fuel left to reach the destination

So, there I had, driving frugally and changing gears smoothly and not over revving the engine past the 3000rpm mark and keep the speedo between 80-90km/h, as advised by a personnel from Shell. The simulator felt like a Volkwagen with a 1.5l engine in it. On 100km/h, the rev meter was at 3000rpm.

In the overall, my driving style was quite a fuel-saver! Here is the report, mine versus the optimal:

Average speed : 64km/h (mine) 74km/h (optimal)
Average fuel consumption : 6.7l/100km (mine) 6.2l/100km (optimal)
Total No. of gearshifts : 22 (mine) 14 (optimal)
FuelSave Index : 10.5 (mine) 13.1 (optimal)

The FuelSave Index is based on a formula: average speed x weight of car / average fuel consumtion and I got a 10.5 points, abit lower than the optimal 13.1 points.

Manual or auto trans, its your driving style that matters

The simulator had a leathered bucket seat and an ignition key to start the engine. It came with a manual gearbox complete with a handbrake too. Felt like driving Daytona found in our arcades many years ago. The handbrake lever reminded me of the Initial D arcade game but it wasnt meant for drifting in this simulator.

Here are a few tips I learnt from that simulator, and the guy at Shell about saving fuel and money:

• Always drive smoothly and avoid sudden acceleration or deceleration.
• Pity the brakes. Dont brake suddenly coz if you do, it will eat up the brake pads, wears more tyre thread and might stop your engine.
• Use air-conditioning sparingly and open the windows if you drive past a kampung area. Fresh air is good for the lungs.
• Tyres must be of proper pressure and checked regularly especially before embarking on long journeys
• Dont wait in the car with the engine running. Switch it off and get out for a smoke or do some ‘eye-washing’ activity.
• Clear out the boot trash especially heavy ones. Forget the heavy subwoofer boxes if you dont want to be called an Ah Beng.
• Try not to drive faster than 100km/h. In fact, the best fuel economy is between 80-90km/h, as experienced above.
• Always keep your engine serviced on time and use the right engine oil for your car.
• Dont over-rev the engine if you dont have a mofo large exhaust, but then again, its a fuel guzzler because the louder the exhaust, the more fuel needed to pump the accelerator for the sound.
• Drive in the highest gear possible especially on the highways. Keep your engine speed at below 3000rpm, or if possible, at 2500rpm.
• Dont have to warm up the engine before starting it. It takes more fuel after leaving the engine idle for few minutes.

Gone are the days where engines using alot of fuel to run. Modern engines are more efficient in their combustion and are designed with fuel economy in mind. No matter what new car you drive, it is our driving style that matters. It is the kind of weight you put on the accelerator that determines how much money you waste on fuel.

So, are you starting to be a light-footer? Go easy on the pedal and let the other cars over-take you. In the end, that samseng bloke would probably end up BEHIND your car after all the ego showed, when you stop at the traffic lights…