Month: March 2006

After the petrol price hike, I read from the newspaper that prices of restaurant food also increased, starting 1st of March. So how much does a noodle cost us now? RM4? RM3.80? It’s damn expensive, RM6 to have lunch. Everything has increased now, except our salary, still the same.

I read some of the readers comments that our petrol price is still considered low compared with US or others countries. But I think most of them missed out some points. First of all, their vehicle prices are lower than our country. Their living standards are higher than us. Prime Minister stressed that the petrol price hike only happen ONE time this year. Then what about next year? Will it be one-shot 50cents? For me, 30cents is really a lot, because of the hike, a lot of daily-use stuff will become more expensive. Don’t you consider all of this?

Besides that, there is a protest this evening, 2pm, at KLCC. For me, the protest is useless, the government doesnt bother about the protest. They might treat it as a bunch a people walking pass the street, and Malaysian policemen have something to do, a little bit busy than normal day, time to show how many FRU we have in KL.

How to save more money? It’s hard for me now.

1) Pump up your tires.
Keeping your tires inflated is one of the easiest and most important things Saving petrol means saving money one can do to improve fuel economy. If a range is recommended by the manufacturer, the higher pressure should be used to maximize fuel efficiency. Deflated tires run hot and jeopardize safety. It will also cause the tires to wear out prematurely, affect the vehicles adversely, and hurt the fuel economy by increasing the rolling resistance.

Tires lose about 1 psi pressure per month due to air loss caused by the tire hitting holes, bumps and curbs. Therefore, the tires should be checked at least once a month. Just 1 tire deflated by 2 psi will result in a 1% increase in fuel consumption.

2) Drive at moderate speed.
Avoiding high speeds on open roads results in safer driving and better fuel economy. In highway driving, over 50% of the power produced by the engine is used to overcome aerodynamic drag. Drag and thus fuel consumption increases rapidly at speeds above 90km/h. On the average, a car uses about 15% more fuel at 100km/h, and 25% more fuel at 110km/h compared to when it is
doing only 90km/h. However, this should not lead one to conclude that the lower the speed, the better the fuel economy – because it is not. The fuel consumption of an average car increases sharply at speeds below 50km/h.

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