Fuel Economy Reporting Thread

john_of_leeds

I used to be a hackney taxi driver in leeds and there is so many traffic lights like so many other big cities that change in front when there is no pedestrians to cross(talking pelican or toucan lights)I started to turn the engine off and coast to a halt and not restart till red and amber i saved on average of at least 15-20% now i am on ordinary driver i coast on the flat and downhill and still achieve good savings.I know its illeagal i think to coast but that was when we had crash boxes and poor brakes now we can have at least 5 applications of the brake before the servo vacuum depletes.I am thinking of complaining to the council to try to change their attitude to leeds motorists.They claim to be energy efficient but they don't give a damn.There is no efficient traffic flow.For instance a set of pelican lights near the general infirmary go red 24 hours a day when there is no-one about so wasting heat-fuel+braking-kinetic energy thanks for reading john

roodenberg

This subject is right up my street. From once driving far too fast I now try and get my challenge from driving as economically as possible. Occasionally I'll really go for it for a tankful and try and get a big range between fill ups.

As mentioned above short trips with a cold engine can really screw mpg's up. Summer also delivers better mpg's than winter, not sure exactly why.

Now for my boasting, I brimmed my tank with 53 ltr diesel this morning after having driven 721 miles without filling up. My car is a 2yr old Ford Mondeo LX with 115bhp diesel engine and 5 speed gearbox. That's about 60 mpg I think, although the computer is actually showing 66mpg.
Note the above is not entirely scientific as filling up in different petrol stations (or angles) could result in the tank not always being exactly full.

Tips:
Turning the engine of at lights. I do the same commute every day, know the sequence of the various traffic lights and turn the engine off when I know it's going to take a little while.

I use cruise control where ever possible, also stops speeding in 30 or 40mph zones.

Lorries often use cruise control so I will follow one using my own cruise control. I do keep my distance and do not do this for long distances. This makes a small difference in mpgs and it means I keep my speed down to 56mph.

Accelerate as gentle as possible, this makes a big difference in mpgs but be careful not to annoy other road users.

More speed equals less mpg's

Braking equals less mpg's

Slightly overinflating tyres (couple of psi) can make a difference too. Don't overinflate too much as it can be dangerous.

Don't forget using less fuel equals producing less CO2. It means being greener.

annieb_3

I am now saving money as I have reach 60 years, obtained a free bus pass and use it instead of the car where possible. If you are lucky enough to be old enough and live in the London area the pass can also be used on the underground and some overground trains. Lucky Londoners!

ashbolt

I started driving more carefully a few weeks ago when my wife got her new car with a trip computer built in.When I drove this I realised just how fuel inefficent my driving was,so I deside to change.I always got about 31 miles to the gallon from my Almera,but the first time I filled up after driving different I got 39 miles to the gallon and the last tank full 41 miles to the gallon.I am still trying to get 45miles and I am sure I can do it,
I just mainly kept my speed down,from 90 on the motorway early in the morning to 60 and not speeding away from traffic lights,it works a treat and does not add much time to the journey.

ashbolt

I started driving more carefully a few weeks ago when my wife got her new car with a trip computer built in.When I drove this I realised just how fuel inefficent my driving was,so I deside to change.I always got about 31 miles to the gallon from my Almera,but the first time I filled up after driving different I got 39 miles to the gallon and the last tank full 41 miles to the gallon.I am still trying to get 45miles and I am sure I can do it,
I just mainly kept my speed down,from 90 on the motorway early in the morning to 60 and not speeding away from traffic lights,it works a treat and does not add much time to the journey.

MiserlyMonkey

I used to drive a 1.6 Saxo and on my daily commute averaged about 40mpg. During the fuel blockade a few years back I was lucky to have just filled up when it started so I drove extremely carefully for the duration. I would accelerate gently, rarely go above 1,500 RPM, only use the brakes in an emergency and basically be very aware of my momentum and the speed of traffic ahead and by the end of the blockade had reduced my fuel consumption to 66mpg. The surprising thing was that it made almost no difference to my journey time.

smillie-world

There are a couple of good articles on economical driving on the Diesel Car website, http://www.dieselcar.com/. Click on "Articles" at the top left of the page, use the arrows to scroll to "A-Z Features", and then click on "A-Z Features". In the list amongst other articles there are a couple of links to two PDF articles (http://www.dieselcar.com/pdf-files/articles/feat-fuel/148-feat-fueleconomy-pt1.pdf and http://www.dieselcar.com/pdf-files/articles/feat-fuel/149-feat-fueleconomy-pt2.pdf).

I found that driving to the speed limit made a great difference to my fuel economy. I think this may have been due to the gearing of the car, i.e. 30mph was the bottom of 4th and 40mph was the bottom of 5th, and these are generally the speeds I'd encounter on the urban commute.

I've also found that if you do a lot of short journeys (5 to 10 miles), you're better off with a petrol engine. My diesel used to drink fuel just by starting the engine, this was both with a nine year old 306 TD and a new 206 HDI.

anewman

housebuyer wrote: »

Please elaborate on the scam it sounds like!?

Basically mothballs (napthalene) are sold as a miracle fuel saving device with pseudo science showing how amazing the pills are. As I understand it basically these balls will disolve and do little for MPG or the car. See the following link

http://blog.washingtonpost.com/thecheckout/2006/05/fuel_savings_or_fuel_fraud.html

Strange New Products is a blog that looks at the "weirdest, funniest, stupidest, and ingenious new products entering the marketplace." Last December, it posted an item about BioPerformance, a pill that you pop into your gas tank to improve fuel mileage and reduce emissions. As the blog noted, BioPerformance's makers called it a "revolutionary fuel saving product" that can improve fuel mileage 35 percent--or more.

But Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott has called the pill a fraud, saying it's made of naphthalene, basically the chemical found in mothballs. Not only is naphthalene toxic, but it could also decrease engine performance, said Abbott, who in mid-May obtained a temporary restraining order and asset freeze against Dallas-based BioPerformance. "The pill does absolutely nothing to improve gas mileage," Abbott said in a press release.

housebuyer_3

Thanks for the links and info 'anewman' - business plan is similar but the company I'm dealing with but it has never been shut down for such behaviour. This product has also been tested and reported by major news channels with positive feedback.
Just like any other item, you have to try it to believe it if you're a sceptic https://www.HighMPG.co.uk - didn't think it would be this hard to give someone the opportunity to save money by trying something new.
If you would like a sample, please feel free to contact me directly.

More productive than my search for the Snake oil suggestion by 'brent'

Conor_3

pianeet wrote: »

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

Which is right. Accelerating at Wide Open Throttle is the most economical way to accelerate.