“I avoid turning on the air conditioner and driving on busy roads because frequent stops and starts consume more gasoline.” These are some of the strategies that Javier Flores, the driver of the van in which he rides the school express, applies to save on fuel consumption, like other drivers, even more than gasoline such as Super and Ecoplús 89, the prices of which have been published , continue to rise from month to month.

Last August, these gasolines increased by $0.43 and $0.42, respectively; and for this month (prices valid from September 11 to October 12) the increase was $0.09 in the case of ecoplús 89, which sells for $3.48 per gallon, while super rose $0.13 more and a gallon reached $4.33 as the recommended price.

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Flores assured that he is also looking for savings, despite the fact that he does not consume these gasolines but ecopaís, a fuel that is subsidized and has a frozen price of $2.40, just like diesel ($1.75).

Other drivers’ strategies are to fill their vehicle’s tank when it is half full, to prevent further fuel evaporation due to carburizing; or also don’t use fourth and fifth gear when driving in the city and put it in neutral when driving downhill, to improve fuel efficiency.

Experts also present some tips to increase fuel economy.

For example, Geovanny Salazar, mechanic and owner of Talleres Geobi, in the north of Guayaquil, recommended periodic maintenance of vehicle parts that can affect higher fuel consumption, such as:

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In this regard, Sergio Bravo, another mechanical expert and owner of Mecánica Automotriz Bravo, in Mapasingue Oeste, explained that in the case of the air filter it is necessary to change because it does not allow garbage to enter the body for acceleration. “When the filter gets clogged, the engine tends to run a little harder and not get enough air, there’s not a good fuel-air mixture, and that increases fuel consumption,” he explained.

Meanwhile, spark plug cleaning and calibration are important because they help create the ignition spark that produces combustion between the air and fuel inside the combustion chamber.

Regarding the throttle body, he explained that “it has a butterfly inside, a valve that is responsible for regulating the low speed in the engine so that it remains stable… the more air that goes into the valve, the more fuel consumption will be, because it tells the engine to give more air and that the vehicle needs to take in more fuel.”

Maintaining tire pressure helps because “a vehicle with incorrect air pressure causes more work for the engine,” Salazar said.

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On this matter, Bravo added: “The car is heavier and has to accelerate a bit more to have the same force or the same power.”

Bravo pointed out that maintaining a constant vehicle speed is something that can only be done while traveling. “In the city, that’s something impossible, that’s why cars use less fuel when they’re traveling than when they’re in the city, because they’re constantly accelerating and braking,” he explained.

Meanwhile, Arturo Benítez, an informal taxi driver, revealed that he uses an additive to save fuel and also does not change gears. “I drive up to 40 km per hour in the city, and the speed should be first, second, third.” The fuel he uses is ecopaís and he fills his tank with 14 dollars.

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Returning to the recommendations, Bravo insisted on the importance of changing the fuel filter. “When the injectors are not calibrated, it causes excessive fuel consumption and consumption… the injectors are responsible for spraying fuel into the combustion chamber at a certain time, so when they are dirty or not calibrated, they start to open a little more, the pulverization injects more fuel, which causes higher consumption of gasoline in the vehicle”, he emphasized.

For this, he recommends that the injectors be cleaned every 30,000 kilometers “which is almost every year.”

Regarding brake regulation, he said that when the vehicle brakes, you have to push harder to get it out. “To provide more power, the vehicle has to take in more air, give it more fuel to have a stronger explosion and that’s what causes more consumption.” he claimed.