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Unconventional Ways To Improve Fuel Economy (Part 4)

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There are quite a few unconventional ways to go about improving fuel economy on your vehicle. By taking a closer look at the fluids your vehicle uses there arises an opportunity to service these systems to maintain or improve your vehicles efficiency. One of the most critical and over looked fluids your vehicle requires is transmission fluid.

Automatic transmission fluid (ATF) is the most complex of all automotive lubricant fluids. Not only does it have to reduce friction to prevent wear like all lubricants but it also has to allow a certain level of friction so clutch materials can engage.

Transmissions have seen array of continuous improvements in the past few years including new fuel-efficient transmission designs, such as the Continuous Variable Transmission (CVT) and the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT). Most manufacturers use proprietary frictional materials to create their own blend of fluid that meets the specific demands of their vehicle.

To improve the fuel economy of an already efficient system would be tough. However, with a vehicle that has 30000 miles or 48 000 kilometers or more there is hope. Over time transmission fluids degrade like all lubricants do due to temperature, hours of operation, and load. This degradation of fluid leads to a decrease in efficiency and also fuel economy. The best thing to do is to replace this fluid as per the vehicles recommendations. Also, the fluid for most vehicles is proprietary so there is no need to add any additional additives since the fluid is designed to perform optimally from day one.

In summary, replacing the transmission fluid according to the manufacturers recommendations will ensure this system continues to deliver smooth driving with optimal fuel economy.

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