Save £100 a year on fuel...

Miss_Ratty

Why it pays to reverse into a parking space...


http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/07/17/why-it-pays-to-reverse-into-your-parking-space-and-save-yourself-100-a-year-91466-21355347/

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

There are other more important reasons too, such as increased visibility due to lack of misted rear screen leading to reduced chances of accidents.

AdrianHi

I'm surprised there is less effect for diesel cars (see end of article) since diesels take longer to warm up.
In winter I noticed a big improvement (around 10%) on a 35 minute commute by garaging the car overnight, engine starts out a bit warmer this way.

camaj

I can't see why this would be true, unless reversing uses a lot of fuel when cold. The article makes the case that a cold engine uses more fuel but doesn't explain why reversing out of a space would make a difference to that. It does hint at time being a factor but I'd be surprised that you'd use 40p of petrol in a few seconds and if that were the case a cold engine would use that fuel either way.

epninety

camaj wrote: »

I can't see why this would be true, unless reversing uses a lot of fuel when cold.

It is simply trying to minimise the amount of manoeuvring done with a cold engine. I'm certain it will make a difference, though I'm not sure it would add up too £100 in a year unless you are really bad at reversing.

Of course, it's irrelevant anyway because we all obey the highway code and avoid reversing onto a road, don't we?:A

epninety

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

There are other more important reasons too, such as increased visibility due to lack of misted rear screen leading to reduced chances of accidents.

Many years ago, I parked in a farmyard, in daylight. When I left, it was dark, and I managed to reverse off the side of a concrete 'bridge' and end up with the car balanced above a drop over an irrigation channel:eek:

Since then, I always plan my way out, and park accordingly

camaj

epninety wrote: »

It is simply trying to minimise the amount of manoeuvring done with a cold engine.

Sure, but why would manoeuvring use so much more than driving in a straight line? There seems to be no explanation for this argument

Edit: I've just spotted a huge thread on the issue http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=701117

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

It uses more fuel because generally people are useless at reversing, tending to ride the clutch and moving at 1mph or less, taking 3 goes to actually get their car out.

vikingaero

When you reverse in your engine is at operating temperature. When you reverse out your engine is (normally) stone cold and the mixture is running rich so you use more fuel doing the same manoeuvre with a hot engine.

camaj

vikingaero wrote: »

When you reverse out your engine is (normally) stone cold and the mixture is running rich so you use more fuel doing the same manoeuvre with a hot engine.

That's what the article says. My question is the engine is cold whether you reverse out or drive forward so why does reversing make a difference. If it's merely a question of extra time taken, I'd have a hard time believing it makes any difference

moonrakerz

Miss_Ratty wrote: »

Why it pays to reverse into a parking space...


http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/07/17/why-it-pays-to-reverse-into-your-parking-space-and-save-yourself-100-a-year-91466-21355347/

Really ?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1035693/Police-warn-hidden-danger-4x4s-reversing-driver-kills-shopper-see.html