Fuel Economy - driving style -Automatic

[macabethiel]

With the cost of Diesel at its present high I started driving somewhat more light footed in particular I lift my foot right off the throttle once the R3mR Auto hits 60 mph to ensure it engages top gear in overdrive.

I have kept my revs at cruising speed to between 2,000 & 2,500 rpm in overdrive top. Over the 1076 miles I have driven this year she has managed an impressive 32.55 mpg hitting a peak of 36.5 mpg on the last tankful the worst return being 23.1 on the first top up during the cold spell.

If it was just on one tank full I would be very sceptical but this is over 33 galls of fuel !

Not bad for an old fashioned stone age technology diesel engine circa 1995 with 78,000 miles /126,500 Km on the clock.

Last year I averaged 21 mpg !!

 

[extreme-4x4]

you def save loads going slow.

if on motorway or duels , i find using the (ice or a/t or sport mode button ) . try the ice mode . keeps it in the gears much longer and better for keeping the revs down. i have had good results

 

[jace]

are you using speado? it amy have mph sticker but be reading kms!

 

[briggie]

isnt 56 mph the speed at which its supposed to be most economical ? :nenau

 

[The Patrolman]

Put it in power mode, stick your foot down, With a bit of luck the back end will let go - the LSD will kick in and a power slide will ensu....more so in the snow and rain!!

Although this driving style in an automatic is not condusive to great fuel economy..it may drop as low as 8MPG in a 4.2D autoTroll.

Think of it this way, that for £6.00 it will put a massive smile on your face and a great sense of satisfaction.

 

[lacroupade]

you def save loads going slow.

if on motorway or duels , i find using the (ice or a/t or sport mode button ) . try the ice mode . keeps it in the gears much longer and better for keeping the revs down. i have had good results

you got that right? Snow mode pulls away in a higher gear, its 'Sport' that holds the gears longer before changing up...

 

[(RIP) PLANK]

isnt 56 mph the speed at which its supposed to be most economical ? :nenau

No, it was just the average speed of a car on the UK roads at the time of doing the first round of fuel economy tests. Bear in mind there were a lot less cars and the motorways were still unlimited so traffic moved faster back then :thumb2

 

[macabethiel]

Km oddometer

are you using speado? it amy have mph sticker but be reading kms!

My oddometer is in Km but I have an XL spreadsheet that automatically converts from Km to Miles and from cost per litre to cost per gallon etc.

Have been using the same spreadsheet for the last three years now so its not down to poor maths ! I always let the tank go from full right up the filler pipe to the low fuel light illuminating.

Same spreadsheet also works out true cost per mile over the year as I include depreciation as well as service costs and fixed costs such as Insurance, VEL, MoT etc.

 

[makeitfit]

Best economy tip....................................BUY BIO :sly
Seems regularly available around 89p a liter, or buy a 1000 at a time and get it for 82p
Thus enabling my right foot to remain leaden :naughty

 

[Deleted account DD]

Combination of being tight and skint like the op ive started driving nice and gently

You can save a fortune in fuel just by decent anticipation, looking ahead wasting less energy by braking and saving energy by keeping it rolling and a light right foot when accelerating :thumb2

On mine those seem to make more much more difference than the end speed :nenau

 

[rustic]

Combination of being tight and skint like the op ive started driving nice and gently

You can save a fortune in fuel just by decent anticipation, looking ahead wasting less energy by braking and saving energy by keeping it rolling and a light right foot when accelerating :thumb2

On mine those seem to make more much more difference than the end speed :nenau

I agree, if you are replacing brake pads all the time, then you are not driving economically, no wonder they are considering using electrical braking to charge battery during braking to store that otherwise wasted energy.

Some railway locomotives have been doing this for over 25 years, so it's not new, but reduces maintenence and replacement parts on the braking systems.

 

[macabethiel]

Fuel economy

are you using speado? it amy have mph sticker but be reading kms!

Oh F*** just re-checked my spreadsheet formula when I did a new workbook page for 2011 and somehow one of the columns had an error so completely disregard my crowing about my new found economy.

I noticed there was a progressive improvement with each tank full of fuel I reckon by the end of the year it would have reached over 200 mpg.

In reality its made an improvement of about 1.5 mpg ........aaaaagh

 

[macabethiel]

Bio

Best economy tip....................................BUY BIO :sly
Seems regularly available around 89p a liter, or buy a 1000 at a time and get it for 82p
Thus enabling my right foot to remain leaden :naughty

Never had the courage to buy Bio as I have heard so many stories of wrecked engines. Is it really safe ? I do not want to spend my weekends changing filters and replacing fuel pumps etc.

Not sure who sells it locally either.

 

[lacroupade]

Never had the courage to buy Bio as I have heard so many stories of wrecked engines. Is it really safe ? I do not want to spend my weekends changing filters and replacing fuel pumps etc.

Not sure who sells it locally either.

I'm not sure its wrecked engines but it dos produce a load of crud from the fuel system the first time its used, and it all ens up in the filter. But once thats happened the system has been cleaned out.

And only use a reliable source - home brew uses some nasty chemicals that don't all disappear....

 

[extreme-4x4]

you got that right? Snow mode pulls away in a higher gear, its 'Sport' that holds the gears longer before changing up...

and that is why . i said if on motorway

because you are not pulling away at all , let alone in higher gear....

but unlike sport when you give it a litte to overtake some shite in the way of your nice trundle along with minimum gas input . in ice/ snow mode it dont jump about with the gears and overdrive .

its the same for inclines / hills when you get an auto that cant decide whats best gear . so its up down up down sucking the gas in .... in snow / ice mode its so lazy and chilled and keeps it in gear longer once up to speed

we did sussex to home and only went over 2500 rpm a few times while on motorway . all the rest we kept mostly under 2000rpm .

 

[lacroupade]

and that is why . i said if on motorway

because you are not pulling away at all , let alone in higher gear....

but unlike sport when you give it a litte to overtake some shite in the way of your nice trundle along with minimum gas input . in ice/ snow mode it dont jump about with the gears and overdrive .

its the same for inclines / hills when you get an auto that cant decide whats best gear . so its up down up down sucking the gas in .... in snow / ice mode its so lazy and chilled and keeps it in gear longer once up to speed

we did sussex to home and only went over 2500 rpm a few times while on motorway . all the rest we kept mostly under 2000rpm .

thats 60mph FFS.....

it might just be that snow mode disables kickdown, cos the handbook says all it does is as I've stated, pulls away in lower gear to prevent wheelspin

 

[extreme-4x4]

thats 60mph FFS.....

it might just be that snow mode disables kickdown, cos the handbook says all it does is as I've stated, pulls away in lower gear to prevent wheelspin

were saving fuel aint we

 

[lacroupade]

were saving fuel aint we

you wann drive up the motorway at 56mph, knock yerself out :lol

 

[Hilltop]

thats 60mph FFS.....

it might just be that snow mode disables kickdown, cos the handbook says all it does is as I've stated, pulls away in lower gear to prevent wheelspin

That should be HIGHER gear to prevent wheelspin, or have I got it wrong ??.



.

 

[jace]

flat out every where sod the fuel my moto!