REDUCING CONSUMPTION
1. Slow down. I know what a lot of our readers will be thinking. Apart from being bleedingly obvious, caravanners are often criticised for driving too slowly in the first place. Won ' t this just lead to more frustration towards caravanners?
Well, my theory is this. It doesn’ t matter how fast you drive; everyone on the road will want to get past you regardless. In fact, I would argue that other drivers take more risks getting past you when you’ re doing the speed limit. So, you may as well back off, drive a little slower and enjoy the savings.
The price of diesel has remained high throughout this fuel crisis.
Ensure your tyres are inflated to the correct pressure for the load they carry.
Have your caravan weighed by a professional to determine the weight on each wheel. That way, you can accurately inflate them to their correct pressure.
The theory is that the faster you drive, the more power is required to overcome additional drag, wind resistance and friction, which in turn consumes more fuel. I know for a fact that my 200 Series Land Cruiser towing our 3.5t caravan can use 4-5L / 100km less fuel while maintaining a speed of 80km / h compared to a speed of 100km / h.
Now, I’ m not suggesting you do 80km / h everywhere as you will be a source of frustration, but if you’ re on a long stretch of road with plenty of overtaking opportunities and you’ re not in any hurry to get to where you’ re going, why not back off the loud pedal a bit and save a bit of fuel?
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