Fuel saving tips thread

thescouselander

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers! wrote: »

If you're doing 40 on the motorway while everyone else is doing 70, then unless you have a very good reason you shouldn't be on there.

There was actually a case a few months ago where a woman was doing only 40 mph (maybe a bit less)on a clear road - the M32 in Bristol. She was pulled over by the police and prosecuted and rightly so in my opinion.

Pew_Pew_Pew_Lasers!

alastairq wrote: »

A load of cack, but especially:

What I am railling against is this idea that one should not apparently HINDER other traffic...thus one should gallop along as fast as one can.

To me, such an idea is ludicrous, and I would never feel pressurised to do so.

You should never hinder other people's progress. You shouldn't be on the motorway, full stop.

tomstickland

top.position wrote: »

There was no noticeable improvement in handling. This is on a rear wheel drive car. There may be an improvement on front wheel drive, I couldn't comment.
You pay 800 quid for tyres over 40k miles? I pay 320. I've used cheaper tyres and there was a noticeable change in the handling. Maybe there would be a case for slight over-inflation then but I'd sooner pay more and run the tyres at the correct pressure.

I've got a rear wheel drive car too. It's not the centre of the tyre that wears for me, it's the entire tyre. They're a grippy compound, known to be soft, so they wear quickly. I had a bit of think today and reckon I managed better than I originally said - I seem to change a pair about every 6 months, so I'm actually managing around 20K out of each pair. So it'd cost me £400 per 40K. I visit the Nurburgring twice per year, so expect tyres to handle some heavy use. I tried some slightly harder tyres, found them great in the wet, but really not up to scratch on the 'ring.

There will be an increase in the stiffness of the tyre if it is inflated higher. If you don't find any difference, then don't bother. I orginally just pointed out that driving manuals and tuning books tell you that slight overinflation can be used to improve handling. Personally I've found that it does offer an improvement.

Regarding "changing my driving style", well I could, but I choose to work the tyres a bit and pay for the pleasure of doing so. Mind you, I'm getting 36mpg on twisty roads through momentum conservation so it's an acceptable situation.

tomstickland

Regarding motorway speeds, if their is a fair amount of traffic then you should select your speed based on a consideration for following traffic.
I agree that a fair proportion of people are a bit clueless about planning ahead, so almost run into a slower vehicle before swerving madly into the next lane or braking heavily. Personally I'd rather move along at 70 and not present a mobile chicane to other traffic.

mark55man

OK - Honestly now - now that the price of petrol has gone down so much - who is still driving quite as carefully??

I was shocked when I saw my average of 36mpg has slipped to 33mpg - I thought I was still being careful, but obviously 65 instead of 55, bit more overtaking on the main roads - soon eats in. 10% fuel still = £20 a month

vikingaero

mark88man wrote: »

OK - Honestly now - now that the price of petrol has gone down so much - who is still driving quite as carefully??

I was shocked when I saw my average of 36mpg has slipped to 33mpg - I thought I was still being careful, but obviously 65 instead of 55, bit more overtaking on the main roads - soon eats in. 10% fuel still = £20 a month

Plus the cold weather which makes your car take far longer to reach operating temperature andmore use of lights, heat and electricals.

AdrianHi

This is the 4th winter in a row I've measured a 10% increase in fuel use. It improves when the weather gets warmer. Your running heaters and the cold air is sucking heat out of the engine faster. That energy loss has to come from the fuel.