February might be the month of love, but this year it's proving to be one of anger and frustration for South Africa's already cash-strapped motorists as petrol and diesel prices spiral.
The first fuel price increase of the year took the price of 93 octane petrol up to R21.38/l inland and 95 octane to R21.68/l. The wholesale price of diesel rose to R21.32/l.
Desperate to make their tanks go as far as possible, many motorists are turning to so-called miracle products that promise to deliver dramatic results. In reality, however, they don't do anything to improve your car's efficiency and can damage your engine.
Here's a look at fuel hacks worth avoiding and those worth trying.
Fuel pills
MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert says two problematic ingredients, naphthalene and ferrocene, were found in fuel pills that not only make them ineffective but potentially damaging to your vehicle.
“If a fuel pill contains either ingredient there is little to no benefit and can cause greater fuel consumption. If you do not know what it contains you are being taken advantage of and, worse, adding potentially harmful substances to your vehicle.
“Numerous tests conducted on fuel-saving devices such as ‘fuel pills’ show they do not save enough fuel to be measurable. In South Africa, companies such as Sasol call them a scam and the Western Cape government warns against their use.”
Unfortunately, attempts to save fuel are not limited to fuel pills.
“It cannot be over-emphasised that the only thing intended to go into your fuel tank is fuel. Another gimmick some have tried is using Coca-Cola instead of fuel. A company associated with a viral video distanced itself because Coca-Cola is definitely not a safe substitute for fuel. It will cost much more than potential improbable savings.”
Fuel-saving hacks that work vs those that don't
Image: Supplied
February might be the month of love, but this year it's proving to be one of anger and frustration for South Africa's already cash-strapped motorists as petrol and diesel prices spiral.
The first fuel price increase of the year took the price of 93 octane petrol up to R21.38/l inland and 95 octane to R21.68/l. The wholesale price of diesel rose to R21.32/l.
Desperate to make their tanks go as far as possible, many motorists are turning to so-called miracle products that promise to deliver dramatic results. In reality, however, they don't do anything to improve your car's efficiency and can damage your engine.
Here's a look at fuel hacks worth avoiding and those worth trying.
Fuel pills
MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert says two problematic ingredients, naphthalene and ferrocene, were found in fuel pills that not only make them ineffective but potentially damaging to your vehicle.
“If a fuel pill contains either ingredient there is little to no benefit and can cause greater fuel consumption. If you do not know what it contains you are being taken advantage of and, worse, adding potentially harmful substances to your vehicle.
“Numerous tests conducted on fuel-saving devices such as ‘fuel pills’ show they do not save enough fuel to be measurable. In South Africa, companies such as Sasol call them a scam and the Western Cape government warns against their use.”
Unfortunately, attempts to save fuel are not limited to fuel pills.
“It cannot be over-emphasised that the only thing intended to go into your fuel tank is fuel. Another gimmick some have tried is using Coca-Cola instead of fuel. A company associated with a viral video distanced itself because Coca-Cola is definitely not a safe substitute for fuel. It will cost much more than potential improbable savings.”
Image: Supplied
Other hard-to-believe “hacks”:
Be cautious of techniques employed to save fuel, especially if it involves putting foreign substances into fuel tanks.
“It is not true that if it doesn’t work ‘no harm, no foul’. It can cause plenty of harm which is not worth the supposed savings. Research proves it can only cause harm to your vehicle. Ultimately, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” says Herbert.
The real hacks
Luckily, there are proven techniques.
“These may not be what you are expecting. Techniques such as defensive driving, not speeding, anticipating traffic conditions, avoiding reckless driving and planning routes are the best way to get results. Introducing these ‘hacks’ can potentially reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%,” says Herbert.
Other “real hacks” include:
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