does driving close to car in front on mway save fuel?

HappyMJ

tod123 wrote: »

Its just with diesel being so expensive I try anything.

I also do that going down hill in neutral thing , which is supposed to help.

re: the op | as long as the person in front maintains a constant speed on the mway , and does not keep breaking for no reason, I think its certainly worth trying

Load of rubbish but you posted knowing this I'm sure... What are you going to do when the car in front suddenly brakes for a reason? Smash straight into it? Oh no hang on you've seen the brake lights a bit late you might swerve out of the way...oopps there's a big lorry and it will squash you. You do know why people die on motorways don't you? They are the safest high speed roads yet people still die.

If you want to save fuel then stay 2 seconds behind a lorry at 60mph that will save a lot more than cruising at 70+mph.

Shimrod

tod123 wrote: »

Do you get like a drag effect from the other vehicle and save on diesel?

I tried this the other day , but the guy in front kept breaking for no reason which made it difficult to stay close.

You need a BMW with the latest technology to really achieve fuel savings with this method:
http://www.businesscar.co.uk/story.asp?storycode=4357

DaveF327

This thread really takes the biscuit and should be closed for the OP's own safety.

This may be a money-saving forum, but economy should never compromise public safety.

muckybutt

tod123 wrote: »

Its just with diesel being so expensive I try anything.

I also do that going down hill in neutral thing , which is supposed to help.

re: the op | as long as the person in front maintains a constant speed on the mway , and does not keep breaking for no reason, I think its certainly worth trying

Do that behind my tranny van and you'll see my bumper close up, as you'll be wearing it like a visor like Gordie La Forge from Star Trek

Strider590

DaveF327 wrote: »

This thread really takes the biscuit and should be closed for the OP's own safety.

This may be a money-saving forum, but economy should never compromise public safety.

Agree'd, someone's gonna take this seriously..... lol

johnnyroper

tod123 wrote: »

Its just with diesel being so expensive I try anything.

I also do that going down hill in neutral thing , which is supposed to help.

unless you have got an old car then this will not help as the engine needs fuel to idle when in neutral,on newer cars just leaving in gear going down hill will save fuel because the ecu turns injection off as momentum keeps engine going.

as for the tailgating to save fuel how fuking stupid that is especially on motorway,your vision will be impaired so if they need to brake hard you are gonna hit them.If fuel is that much of an issue due to cost then i suggest getting on the bus as fools doing what you do should not be allowed to drive.

Wig

If you want to save fuel change your wheels/tyres to thinner ones so if it is 175 change to a 145 - 155 - the thinner the better! Go down to 100 if you can. You'll probably need new wheels though. Pump the tyre pressure up to about 40 psi. If you can't change your wheels just pump your tyres right up.

You'll need to tell your insurer you changed your wheels / tyres And your insurer might even decide to withdraw cover if you put on ridiculous tyres. And people will tell you that higher pressure tyre will wear the tyre tread unevenly, but you won't know until you try it. There are cars (eco models) with the exact same tyres as other derivatives and they recommend this to achieve fuel economy rating of the eco model, at the sacrifice of ride comfort, they don't say in the manual that it will wear the tyres quicker, so maybe that only happens at 50psi or above......

Wig

johnnyroper wrote: »

unless you have got an old car then this will not help as the engine needs fuel to idle when in neutral,on newer cars just leaving in gear going down hill will save fuel because the ecu turns injection off as momentum keeps engine going.

This is an old argument on here, and I still am not convinced. For two reasons

1. There is no proof that ALL modern cars turn off fuel supply to the engine under those conditions. Infact I haven't seen any proof from anyone that it actually does it on any car. Just saying "it does on my car" is not proof. Some manuals for cars might say it does it on this model or that model, and maybe it does, but it is not proof, it's a good indication that it does happen-on that particular model, but not proof. And certainly most manuals don't say it is a feature on the car.

2. Even if it does turn off fuel, you are in gear and the car will slow down quicker, thus need more fuel, sooner, to get it going again than a car with the clutch in, which is free-wheeling with no engine drag.

This is my last post on the subject, on this thread, I have told you I have a different opinion, and that is all I wanted to say..... just so the thread has a balanced input on the subject.

atrixblue.-MFR-.

if you were slip streaming me, you wouldnt have a car left, i would have quite happily slammed my brakes on to a halt.

mustrum_ridcully

Do it often enough and you might save 100% on your fuel bill - you'll lose your driving license (I think it falls under inconsiderate driving and can carry a penalty of 3-9 points).