MSE's 2011 Petrol/Diesel Cost Diet Challenge: Put your money where your pedal is! 24 December 2010 at 11:01PM edited 11 January 2011 at 8:29PM in Motoring 168 replies 75.4K views

reeac

adi_clarke85 wrote: »

When we filled up on Saturday ours had 735 in the tank, by the time we got home from our day out it was at 800 :rotfl:

I've noticed this effect and think that it's due to the fuel warming up and expanding when it's transferred from the underground storage tank to the car tank.

mbugle

sbsjb13 wrote: »

I don't use the car one day a week, and walk and cycle as much as possble, taken off 4,000miles in the last year.

Manufacturers need to go back to building cars with sunroofs to avoid excessive use of air conditioning.:A

I thought that, until it started leaking water, costing me £130! Now I will avoid them at all costs no matter what the MPG saving is!

KeithG3TTC

I normally use Sainsbury's unleaded in my car as the supermarket is the closest and the price is always the cheapest I ever see on my travels. I log every drop I put in, and the mileometer reading and calculate the MPG every few months. My 2-year old basic 1.4 Golf usually gives about 46mpg with my light-footed driving and reasonably-long journeys.
Recently, I tried 10 tankfulls of Tesco petrol (usually costing a penny a litre more) and achieved 48mpg, though I can't guarantee that my use of the air conditioner has been the same.
I'm now trying BP fuel..... Then I could try Shell......
Someone must have done similar tests in the past. Can they please tell us all their conclusions?

JDPower

KeithG3TTC wrote: »

I normally use Sainsbury's unleaded in my car as the supermarket is the closest and the price is always the cheapest I ever see on my travels. I log every drop I put in, and the mileometer reading and calculate the MPG every few months. My 2-year old basic 1.4 Golf usually gives about 46mpg with my light-footed driving and reasonably-long journeys.
Recently, I tried 10 tankfulls of Tesco petrol (usually costing a penny a litre more) and achieved 48mpg, though I can't guarantee that my use of the air conditioner has been the same.

There's more than you air con to take into consideration, different journeys, different weather condition (temperature, wind), so trying to test fuel consumption differences like that, especially to such small margins, is a waste of time.

KeithG3TTC wrote: »

Someone must have done similar tests in the past.

Yup, unless you drive a performance car there's sod all difference.

AJ99

I have been trying to reduce my fuel consumption for ages. Where possible I have stopped using the car but due to work, school etc I still have to make small journeys in the car. Most of my journeys are around town. A couple of months ago I got this hydrogo, hydrogen on demand cell fitted. It is amazing. It has improved my MPG from about 33 to around 75. (I drive a KA). It also reduced emissions to next to nothing - something that shows up on your MOT or something. There was an outlay but its nearly paid for itself. Found them on facebook, worth checking them out - HydroGo Ltd

123pete123

funkystarfish wrote: »

i think what martin maybe had in mind when he started this thread was for people to share tips on saving money on fuel. - not to start an arguement about taxation and how rubbish our road system may or may not be etc etc

i have been driving for just 7 years & have seen the price rise fast.this is what i have done to my car to help
i fitted a ECO TEC P26 this is a small valve you can fit your self in about 10 min & and cost about £25 it gives you a cleaner run down and brakes up the gas in the inlet manofold.
i have a AIR INTAKE KIT ( a open after market air filter ) this is sold as a performance part but if you drive it softly you will save money and you can buy one for as little as £7
one more tip is fill up when its cold ie in the morning ( top gear ) & put 2 psi more than is on the tire.
i allso have fitted MAGNETS to the fule lines not sure if it makes a big differance or not but its big in germany to save on fule.
i done a trip from portsmouth to birngham and i got a average MPG of 82MPG i was driveing at a avarage of 60MPH & i was siting behind any large lorry i could find i drive a 2LTR ford focus . my normal MPG is 48MPG as i do alot of city driveing.
thanks pete

colino

An Ecotec/Ecotek/Fuel Master valve does one thing and one thing only, that is collapse excessive vacuum in the inlet manifold. In older, normally carbureretted or very basic single point injection cars, when you take your foot off the accelerator, this closes the throttle and a high vacuum is created. This has the add on effect of pulling petrol through the carb/injector when it wasn't needed, i.e., when you wanted to drop power or slow down. This simple manifold vacuum device, when fitted and properly calibrated, prevented that from happening by opening up and reducing the inlet manifold vacuum, hence not drawing in unwanted fuel. With modern emission-friendly systems, this either doesn't happen at all, or is carefully managed (to give a smoother drive) and the valve would have either no effect at all or be a nuisance to be compensated for by the rest of the engine management system. End of potted history.
To find out that these valves are now still being sold for modern cars, and sometimes, laughably, as a performance enhancer, shows the triumph of marketing over truth. They simply are no longer relevant or have any beneficial affect whatsoever.
Best economy measures in a modern car is to have it in properly serviced condition, good tyres at highest advised pressure, throw away the rubbish that you don't need weighing down the car, drive with a feather foot and anticipate well.

JDPower

123pete123 wrote: »

i allso have fitted MAGNETS to the fule lines

Also complete nonsense I'm afraid.

Windows

My circumstances now mean I have to drive more in one car but I am saving £260 p/m in doing so...

I used to have a van and a car; as I am self employed and needed a van for certain jobs; but running the van for only these certain jobs was too expensive; so I sold that side of the business and sold the van. - Profit straight away from selling the business.

With this profit I converted the car to LPG (approx £1,000). Now I run my business from the back of the car (tight fit with all the equipment) and now have found new customers to cover the ones I sold.

Now I take my wife to work in the morning; use the car all day for work and then pick my wife back up after work. Yes this means the car does more miles but as I'll now explain it is a lot cheaper.

So I worked out:

Running the van cost £2,500p/a. - So thats a huge saving not having that anymore.

Converting the car to LPG £1000 - one off payment.

12,000 miles a year on LPG @ 10.5p a mile = £1,260 (including business use now)
8,000 miles a year (previously) on petrol @ 19p a mile = £1,520 (before LPG conversion and business use)
Difference just on LPG vs petrol = £260 SAVED (even with 4,000 miles more).

No change to cost of insurance = £0
Road tax = £10 less

So £260 + £10 + £2500 = £2,770 saved in a year by converting to LPG and altering my business a little. (before claiming tax back on vehicle usage / fuel for business use etc).

rocket1

Is coverting to LPG the way forward, I am serioulsy thinking about this I am self employed and spend about 300 pound a month on unleaded, would appreciate every ones view particuralary thise who have already converted to lpg