Driving style — good driving and fuel economy habits
Give consideration to the lists that follow and you may be able to change
a number of variables and improve your fuel economy.
Habits
•
Smooth, moderate operation can yield up to 10% savings in fuel.
•
Steady speeds without stopping will usually give the best fuel
economy.
•
Idling for long periods of time (greater than one minute) may waste
fuel.
•
Anticipate stopping; slowing down may eliminate the need to stop.
•
Sudden or hard accelerations may reduce fuel economy.
•
Slow down gradually.
•
Driving at reasonable speeds (traveling at 55 mph [88 km/h] uses 15%
less fuel than traveling at 65 mph [105 km/h]).
•
Revving the engine before turning it off may reduce fuel economy.
•
Using the air conditioner or defroster may reduce fuel economy.
•
You may want to turn off the speed control in hilly terrain if
unnecessary shifting between the top gears occurs. Unnecessary
shifting of this type could result in reduced fuel economy.
•
Warming up a vehicle on cold mornings is not required and may
reduce fuel economy.
•
Resting your foot on the brake pedal while driving may reduce fuel
economy.
•
Combine errands and minimize stop-and-go driving.
Maintenance
•
Keep tires properly inflated and use only recommended size.
•
Operating a vehicle with the wheels out of alignment will reduce fuel
economy.
•
Use recommended engine oil. Refer to
Maintenance product
specifications and capacities
in this chapter.
•
Perform all regularly scheduled maintenance items. Follow the
recommended maintenance schedule and owner maintenance checks
found in
scheduled maintenance information.
Conditions
•
Heavily loading a vehicle or towing a trailer may reduce fuel economy
at any speed.
2008 Taurus
(500)
Owners Guide (post-2002-fmt)
USA
(fus)
Maintenance and Specifications
303
