Fuel Economy Reporting Thread

MSE_Martin

This thread links on the back of the 'Cheapest Petrol & Diesel: Drive down the cost' article

Please read the article first, as this thread refers to it

If you're resolving to save fuel by driving more carefully, I'd love to know how well it works. There's no doubt that following the tips in the article can get you more miles per gallon, but exactly how many more can you expect? Please post any findings below, and I'll include them in the next rewrite.

Suggested Method

Work out how many MPG you are currently doing on your standard driving/commute.

Then for the whole next tank of petrol sort your tires, roof-rack etc out and drive more smoothly and see what difference it makes.

Martin.

Crabman

Air conditioning also uses an incredible amount of fuel so make sure it's turned off unless you really need it.

Don't forget, most A/C systems need to be used for around 15 mins per month minimum - to keep them healthy and happy (and potentially save the extra cost of regassing due to non-use/leakage).

15 mins per month is the guideline for my vehicle... you'd be surprised how few drivers are aware of this. Nice article though :beer:

colin79666

I have always wondered if you would save a significant amount of fuel if you only ever filled up to half a tank?
In theory a lighter car uses less fuel...

plane_boy2000

You also need to remember that a/c systems are more efficient now than they use dto be, and in the summer the effect of opening the window changes the co efficient of the car so you burn more fuel. In a lot of cases opening the window has the same effect as having the air con on.

pianeet

there is an article in this weeks autoexpress magazine that if you floor the excelereator and change gear at 2000 rpm you actually achieve 16% increase in fuel economy,they tried it in several different cars and all showed increased fuel economy

MSMikey

1. "If you can't measure it you can't manage it" so make sure you check your fuel consumption periodically. I have a trip computer that tells me my consumption. To work out your fuel consumption without, always fill to the top of the tank. When you get the receipt make sure it has the number of litres printed on (most do). Reset your mileage / trip recorder each fill up. Calculate your mpg by dividing the mileage on your trip recording (before you reset it - doh!) by the number of litres you just filled up with and multiplying by 4.54 to get your mpg. (If the receipt doesn't show the number of litres either get it from the pump or divide the amount you just spent by the cost per litre).

2. When I'm in "not bothering to think about it mode" I do about 37 mpg on average. When I'm in "driving carefully" mode I do about 41 mpg on average. At 15000 miles a year driving carefully saves me about £170 a year!

3. The best "driving carefully" tip I ever heard was to pretend you have a bucket of water in the boot and make sure you don't spill any. This thinking makes you accelerate and brake gently which has a measurable impact on your consumption.

4. For me, the difference between driving with and without air conditioning is consistently 1.5 mpg.

5. I can save about 5 mpg when I'm towing my caravan by using cruise control which is easy even on busy motorways. This saving never ceases to amaze me, but I've measured it several times and it really works.

ajuniper

I used to drive over 60 motorway miles a day and therefore could get a good repeatable economy reading from my car (which calculates it per journey and per tank).

I found that switching from Asda diesel to normal Shell diesel I got about a 5% increase in economy. This was repeated over many tanks of fuel. About half of this increase was instant and then it crept up for a bit, presumably as the better detergents in the Shell fuel cleaned the muck out of the fuel injectors. That's a 5% increase in economy for a 1% increase in cost.

The car is a Passat diesel, and I know of other people who have found the same thing with other makes of diesel as well.

FWIW, I am unhappy if I don't average more than 50mpg per tank, sometimes this can be nearly 60mpg on a tank. The aircon seems to make 1 or 2 mpg difference. I find that being gentle on the accelerator is much more important when the engine is cold - having to stop at a few junctions early in the journey can make a surprising difference on the overall economy of a journey.

Bendy1975

I have a Golf GT TDI 150BHP hatch. Its brilliant, very quick when you need it but still does 45mpg minimum with normal driving not using motorways. Taking it easy and/or using the motorway this can go up to 55 - 58mpg average per tank. I normally fill up for about £47 and get 500 miles, if I get less then there is a problem such as tyres under inflated.

I dont see how flooring it to 2000rpm then changing gear uses less fuel!!??

housebuyer_3

Hi Martin,

I understand that you can't post commercial links on this site and you do not wish to be contacted directly.

I drive a lot of miles every year as do a lot of people I know.

In an effort to keep costs down we keep an eye on low fuel prices and came across an American product which is a pill that you add to your petrol tank.

We will be advertising this product nationally in the next few weeks. On June 16th 2007, we have invited the US owners/creators to London and will have an official UK launch.

The fuel capsule has been fully tested by the EPA and been featured on news reports in the USA. It is environmentally friendly - increases efficiency, performance and improves mileage. And it also reduces your emissions and overall running costs.

I would like to mention the benefits of this item to your readers/subscribers but can't due to your T&C's.

Please feel free to let me know if you would like me to send some samples for you to try out and some further info.
My recommendation would be to give it a try and when you see the results, decide if it is worth recommending on here.

If you are interested, we can also arrange tickets for you to come to the launch and meet the engineers/creators behind the product.

Regards,
Bobby

anewman

My mileometer tends to get stuck occasionally so I can't work out my mpg accurately

Housebuyer's thing sounds somewhat like the mothball scam to me that's been doing the rounds.

Myron_2

Okay... I know I'm cheating by owning a Toyota Prius but recently, and with the optimal style driving I manage to get well over 20 minutes of over 100mpg. For my commute to the office and back 20 minutes is about 12 miles.

If I mostly use cruise control then I can't achieve over 100mpg for such a long duration because cruise maintains a set speed and in a urban environment this is not always a desired action.

For any vehicle a predictive style of diving needs to be adopted and not a reactive and/or lazy style of driving.