How To Save Fuel And Make Your Vehicle Last Longer - Toyota 2003 Matrix Owner's Manual

Slow down and downshift before
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descending steep or long downhill
grades. Do not make sudden down-
shifts.
Avoid holding the brake pedal down
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too long or too frequently. This
could cause the brakes to overheat
and result in reduced braking effi-
ciency.
194
'03 MATRIX_U (L/O 0201)
How to save fuel and make
your vehicle last longer
Improving fuel economy is easy—just take
it easy. It will help make your vehicle last
longer, too. Here are some specific tips
on how to save money on both fuel and
repairs:
Keep your tires inflated at the cor-
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rect pressure. Underinflation causes
tire wear and wastes fuel. See page
247 in Section 7−2 for instructions.
Do not carry unneeded weight in
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your vehicle. Excess weight puts a
heavier load on the engine, causing
greater fuel consumption.
Avoid lengthy warm−up idling. Once
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the engine is running smoothly, begin
driving—but gently. Remember, howev-
er, that on cold winter days this may
take a little longer.
Keep the automatic transmission
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overdrive turned on when engine
braking is not required. Driving with
the overdrive off will reduce the fuel
economy. (For details, see "Automatic
transmission" on page 95 in Section
1−6.)
Accelerate slowly and smoothly.
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Avoid jackrabbit starts. Get into high
gear as quickly as possible.
2003 MY COROLLA MATRIX_U (OM12767U)
Avoid long engine idling. If you have
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a long wait and you are not in traffic,
it is better to turn off the engine and
start again later.
Avoid engine lugging or over−rev-
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ving. Use a gear position suitable for
the road on which you are travelling.
Avoid continuous speeding up and
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slowing down. Stop−and−go
wastes fuel.
Avoid unnecessary stopping
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braking. Maintain a steady pace. Try
to time the traffic signals so you only
need to stop as little as possible or
take advantage of through streets to
avoid traffic lights. Keep a proper dis-
tance from other vehicles to avoid sud-
den braking. This will also reduce wear
on your brakes.
Avoid heavy traffic or traffic jams
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whenever possible.
Do not rest your foot on the clutch
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or brake pedal. This causes premature
wear, overheating and poor fuel econo-
my.
Maintain a moderate speed on high-
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ways. The faster you drive, the greater
the fuel consumption. By reducing your
speed, you will cut down on fuel con-
sumption.
driving
and