If you live in a part of the country that is quite hilly, it is important to be aware of the effect of such terrain on your car and your fuel consumption.

It is important to have driving strategies when negotiating hills. Most people do not drive differently when faced with different terrains. However being able to tackle different terrains with the appropriate strategies can save you hundreds of dollars annually.

Most people make the mistake of braking on the downhill and accelerating on the uphill. Of course that means they are not using momentum, the engine is doing the whole job of taking the car forward which is expensive, considering the increased amount of power required to go uphill.

So what should you do? Accelerate downhill.

There are always common sense precautions applicable. Like don’t accelerate down a narrow road that has sharp turns, but the steady long stretches of tar are the ones you should take at a canter so the ride uphill is easier on the engine. This way you will be using the momentum created while you were going downhill and saving up to 70% fuel on those uphill efforts.

And no, I am not suggesting you do any over speeding. I would personally choose to pay for my fuel if the toss up was between that and potentially dangerous driving.

In fact, when traveling downhill, you can gain momentum just by coasting…take your foot off the gas and let the hill work for you instead of you working on the hill…

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