Dr iv in g
- 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 t ires depends mostly on your dr iving
style. W it h an anticipatory and economic dr iving
style , f uel consumption can be reduced by ap-
proximate ly 10 -15% . The following tips wi ll help
you conserve the environment and your money at
the same time .
Anticipator y driving
A vehicle uses the most fuel when accelerating.
When you dr ive with ant icipat ion, you do not
need to brake as often and so you accelerate less.
When possib le, 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-
sumpt ion to zero (fuel shut -off during decelera-
tion) .
Shift efficientl y
Upshifting earlier is an effective way to save fuel.
Staying in a gear too long uses fue l unnecessari-
ly. Press down on the accelerator pedal slowly
and avoid "k ick-down" .
Avoid full acceleration
You should rarely trave l at the maximum vehicle
speed. High speeds cause a disproportionately
high increase in fuel consumption, emissions and
traffic noise. Slower driving saves fuel.
Reduce idlin g time
The Start/Stop system* helps to reduce the idling
time automatically. In vehicles without the Start/
Stop system*, it is efficient to switch the engine
off when stopped at rail road crossings and long
red lights . Stopp ing the engine for 30 -40 sec-
onds already saves more fuel than the amount of
ext ra fuel needed to resta rt the engine.
74
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 shou ld begin driving im-
med iate ly after starting the engine. Avoid high
RPMs while doing this .
Have maintenance perfo rmed regularly
By having maintenance performed reg ularly on
your vehicle, you can help to reduce fuel con-
sumption before you even start to drive. The
maintenance condition of your vehicle not on ly
affects traffic safety and long-term value but al-
so impacts fuel consumpt ion. A poorly main-
ta ined engine can lead to fuel consumpt ion that
is 10% hig her t han normal.
Avoid short trip s
The engine and exhaust cleaning system must
reach their optimal operat ing temperature to ef-
fect ively reduce consumpt ion and emissions .
A cold engine uses a disproportionately high
amount of fuel. The engine reaches operat ing
temperature and consumption normalizes only
after approximately 2 .5 miles (4 km) .
Check the tire pressure
To save fue l, make sure the t ires are always in-
flated to the correct pressure
¢ page 291. The
fuel consumpt ion can increase by 5% if the pres-
sure is only 0.5 bar too low . Due to the increased
roll ing resistance, low tire pressures w ill also
lead to greater tire wear and will affe ct driv ing
behavior.
Drive w ith summer tires when possible because
t his can increase fue l economy by up to 10% .
Eliminate unnecessary weight
Since every pound of extra weight increases fuel
consumption, it pays to remove any unnecessary
weight.
A roof rack increases the w ind resistance on the
vehicle and shou ld be removed when it is not
needed. You will save approximately 12% of your
fuel when at speeds from 62-75 mph
(100-120 km/ h). .,.
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