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- Keep in mind that oncoming vehicles may
create waves that raise the water level and
make it too deep for your vehicle to drive
through safely.
- Avoid driving through salt water, because
this can cause corrosion.
Economical and environmentally-friendly
driving
The amount of fuel consumption, the environ-
mental impact and the wear to the engine,
brakes and tires depends mostly on your driving
style. With an anticipatory and economic driving
style, fuel consumption can be reduced by ap-
proximately 10-15%. The following tips will help
you conserve the environment and your money at
the same time.
Anticipatory driving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when accelerating.
When you drive with anticipation, you do not
need to brake as often and so you accelerate less.
When possible, let your vehicle coast with a
gear
engaged, for example, when you notice that the
next traffic light is red. This produces an engine
braking effect, which helps to protect the brakes
and tires and reduces the emissions and fuel con-
sumption to zero (fuel shut-off during decelera-
tion) .
Shift efficiently
Upshifting earlier is an effective way to save fuel.
Staying in a gear too long uses fuel unnecessari-
ly.
Press down on the accelerator pedal slowly and
avoid "kick-down".
Avoid full acceleration
You should rarely travel at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disproportionately
high increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic noise. Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idling time
The Start/Stop system* helps to reduce the idling
time automatically. In vehicles without the Start/
8 Stop system*, it is efficient to switch the engine
0
\.J
'<t
Driving
off when stopped at railroad crossings and long
red lights. Stopping the engine for 30-40 sec-
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
extra fuel needed to restart the engine.
It takes a very long time in idle to warm the en-
gine up to operating temperature. Wear and
emissions are especially high in the warm-up
phase. Therefore, you should begin driving im-
mediately after starting the engine. Avoid high
RPMs while doing this .
Have maintenance performed regularly
By having maintenance performed regularly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con-
sumption before you even start to drive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not only
affects traffic safety and long -term value but al-
so impacts
fuel consumption . A poorly main-
tained engine can lead to fuel consumption that
is 10% higher than normal.
Avoid short trips
The engine and emissions control system must
reach their optimal operating temperature to ef-
fectively reduce consumption and emissions .
A cold engine uses a disproportionately high
amount of fuel. The engine reaches operating
temperature and consumption normalizes only
after approximately
2.5 miles (4 km) .
Check the tire pressure
To save fuel, make sure the tires are always in-
flated to the correct pressure
Q page 211. The
fuel consumption can increase by S% if the pres-
sure is only 0.5 bar too low . Due to the increased
rolling resistance, low tire pressures will also
lead to greater tire
wear and will affect driving
behavior.
Do not drive on
winter tires year-round, as this
will consume up to 10% more fuel.
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since every pound of extra weight increases fuel
consumption, a quick inspection of the luggage
compartment may be worth it to avoid unneces-
sary weight. .,.
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