Fuel saving devices could do more harm than good. Motorists should not make the mistake of trying these hacks in the hope that they will decrease consumption. The only thing that should be going into your fuel tank is fuel, from an accredited supplier.

With fuel prices at an all time high many motorists are looking at ways to save on their monthly fuel costs. This has lead to consumers trying out hacks that seem to be popping up in advertising material more often these days, with the promise of reducing fuel consumption.

Motorists should not make the mistake of trying these hacks in the hope that they will decrease consumption. The only thing that should be going into your fuel tank is fuel, from an accredited supplier.

Some of the gimmicks doing the rounds include adding Coca-Cola to your tank, dishwasher tablets and tomato sauce. These certainly have no benefit and could cause damage to your engine or block sensitive components like fuel filters or fuel injection.

Other advertised fuel saving devices include magnets around fuel pipes, fan type devices that are said to promote the mixing of fuel and air as well as liquid, pills or crystal fuel additives.

The reason why none of these additives will work is that most of their claims are based around combustion improvement, however modern internal combustion engines are very good at extracting more than 99% of the available energy from the fuel during combustion, which leaves very little room for improvement.

Most fuel companies have their own additives that are added before the fuel needs to meet the stringent specifications that allow it to be sold to the public. Adding any substance to this fuel upsets the fine balance in the fuel and could lead to engine component damage and clogging up of components like exhaust catalysts.

Retailers of plug in devices claim that they can fool your computers ECU and make it lighter on fuel. However in many cases the ports that these devices plug into only output data as they are designed for the reading of diagnostic codes and do not accept any incoming signals, making it impossible for them to have any effect on fuel consumption.

The urban legend that buying fuel early in the morning will give you more for the same price due to the fact that the fuel is denser due to colder temperature also carries no weight. Fuel is stored in underground tanks where the temperature variation is minimal, to reduce condensation, and thus the density too is fairly constant.

Overinflating tyres is another strategy that is often thought to have fuel saving benefits as higher pressures are said to reduce rolling resistance. However it has been proven that inflating tyres to the manufacturers recommended pressures is best for fuel consumption and tyre wear.

Be cautious of any techniques employed to save fuel, especially when they involve putting foreign substances into fuel tanks. If it is too good to be true it probably is.

The best way to reduce fuel consumption and cut down on fuel costs is to drive efficiently. This includes reducing your speed, avoiding unnecessary acceleration and idling. Route planning, avoiding peak hour traffic and not driving unnecessarily are the easiest ways to save on fuel costs. Ensuring that your car is regularly serviced and well maintained will also go a long way in ensuring that it uses fuel optimally.

motus.cars, backed by SAs largest retail automotive group offers thousands of fuel efficient cars for sale, including fuel-friendly cars for less than R200 000. Shop for your next car from the convenience of your home, office or mobile phone at motus.cars.

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This post and content is sponsored, written and provided by motus.cars.

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