John and Helen Taylor, known as the world’s most fuel efficient couple, hold 89 world records and travel the world stretching the boundaries of fuel efficiency. Now, they’d like to help others do the same. The Taylors say that by simply following the MAP to Smarter Driving, drivers can become more fuel efficient and do it on a budget. The MAP includes:
Maintenance
Perform smart maintenance before you drive.
- Make sure tires are not over- or underinflated. Proper air pressure cuts down on fuel used while driving. Keeping tires at the correct pressure can improve your gasoline mileage by more than 3 percent.
- Keep your engine well tuned, and repair problems immediately. If your car has failed an emissions test or is noticeably out of tune, repairing the problem could improve your gasoline mileage by 4 percent, on average.
Actions
Practice smart actions and behaviors while behind the wheel.
- Avoid the highs and find the lows. Speeding, rapid acceleration and braking can lower gas mileage by 5 percent at lower speeds and by 33 percent at highway speeds. You should assume that for every 5 mph driven over 60 mph is like paying an additional 20-plue scents per gallon for gas, on average.
- Avoid idling. Idling gets zero miles per gallon.
Products
Purchase smart products at the right price without sacrificing quality.
- Choose a high-quality gasoline. Lower-quality gasolines can leave harmful carbon deposits or “gunk,” which can build up on intake valves and fuel injectors. This negatively impacts engine performance, vehicle responsiveness, and reduction of fuel flow — all potentially leading to reduced fuel economy.
- Use a loyalty or rewards payment card to save. The Taylors suggest stretching your budget. Shell has teamed up with leading grocers in more than 110 markets across the United States where you can earn rewards for using your existing supermarket loyalty card and then redeem the points at participating Shell stations. Another option is to use a Shell payment card that saves you money at more than 14,000 U.S. Shell stations.
Smarter Driving can go a long way to help you stretch your budget while helping protect your vehicle.
