The Dutch, Scottish, & Indian people megathread (Driving economically)

[yoeddynz]

My FD hasn't let me down yet, it's got an un-opened 134000km on it, 7000 of those in the ~7months I've owned it.

I am fellow rotary lover so it's even more fun throwing a line out and seeing what my little digs might catch. Have a go yourself.. I recommend ausrotary as a great fishing spot.

[igor]

I've noticed there is a trend that says otherwise nowadays but my butt-dyno definitely feels better at the 120-130kph range than the "more economical" 80-90kph range. I guess there's many factors as Roman says RE: wind resistence/drag co-efficient and gearing.

Anyway.

I'm still stuck in my old man "my car sits better at 120" mode.

 

Best figures I ever got out of a coon was sitting on 110-120 most of the way on a long road trip.

[CaMpylobacter]

engine at 110-120kph probably more efficient/uses less gas than at 80-90 by gearing and the extra wind drag at that speed probably doesn't add enough extra effort for the engine to overcome which would result in more fuel burn/suck up the difference. 

I know for sure that'd be the case at least for my ute in regard to gearing. You use probably very little extra throttle input and the engine seems much happier at 110-120 vs 90-110. also when on cruise control and you hit hills it loses less speed.gets less acceleration effort inputs from cruise control at the higher speed

 

that makes little sense but yeah. 

[Raizer]

25+L/100k round town, way worse open road, do I win?

[tortron]

http://imgur.com/gallery/kUR6bIN

 

related

[glen]

[Roman]

http://imgur.com/gallery/kUR6bIN

 

related

Hahahaha that's awesome.

 

[yoeddynz]

Switched AE off and drove to Blenheim. 33 mpg. Sweet. Discovered that the AE had been set wrong and was activating to easily/early/whatever. Downloaded megalog viewer and will learn out t read all those lines then learn how to set the tip in points for AE. Cant say I miss it at all but I have spent most of the time driving the V6 with it off so had just learned to be smooth.

 

Dave- turn your AE off and see how you go. If anything it teaches you to be a very very smooth driver which = cheaper running

 

Report back with your findings.

[Roman]

Once my car is back up and running I'll do some tests with different target AFRs on the same stretch of road back to back, and see whats up.

 

Without AE, you're running very lean for a few events which doesnt really do any good.
Just spend a few hours reading the manual and dialling it in, you'll be sweet!

 

Cant say that I've tinkered with mine at all so far though. (or even looked at logs of what its doing)

[h4nd]

Yesterday I bought $20 fuel (usual week, ~160ks). 

And $50 2T (usual month - 6wks). It may be running a little oil rich. Will report in next 2T purchase.

[Roman]

In the Carina running a 14.7 target AFR, with a cold start and normal sort of driving in stop start traffic.
Got 8.0l per 100km on the way to work this morning. Should be a comparatively clear run on the way home, will be interesting to see how it compares.

 

My last tank averaged 11.something L/100 based on fuel up and odo readings.

 

Not sure how accurate this is, because I've calibrated my speedo but not sure if that means my odometer is accurate.

Maybe need to confirm that with GPS.

[yoeddynz]

...and for the older people on this forum, Dave's recent findings equate as follows;

 

8l/100 = 35 UK mpg.   Good result for what is and always will be a car that is hardly any less brick shaped than my Viva.

 

11/100 = 26 Mpg.  Still not bad however lets just ignore that figure, putting it down to week of bad driving and concentrate on besting your 35.

 

I local hippy friend owns an 80's Daihatsu Mira. 3 cylinder thing.  I drove it the other day and it was actually quite fun. Quite peppy and sounded neat. He said he puts in 20 litres and gets over 400km. So 5l/100 = not bad at all for an old car he paid very little for.

 

I wouldn't want to crash in it though.

[Roman]

I ran a trip back the other way with a little less stop and start, didnt make too much of a difference though at 7.9l per 100km (36MPG instead of 35)

Travelling between 80-100kph most of the way.

 

Might try same both ways again tomorrow or Friday but with a leaner goal AFR.

[Roman]

11/100 = 26 Mpg.  Still not bad however lets just ignore that figure, putting it down to week of bad driving and concentrate on besting your 35.

There were a few episodes of 8000rpm in there haha

[Roman]

With an AFR target of 15.5:1 and travelling at 100kph all the way I got 7.8l per 100km.

Not a particularly scientific comparison though, as it wasnt the same stretch of road etc.
 

I reckon the speed you're going, and how you're driving makes more of a difference than leaning out the AFR does.

Yet leaning out the AFR makes a horrid amount of extra poisonous chemicals coming out of your exhaust. (and a little into the cabin)

I think I'd rather just take the penalty of 0.1 L per 100km and the reduced chance of dissolving my brain any quicker than necessary.

[yoeddynz]

I reckon the speed you're going, and how you're driving makes more of a difference than leaning out the AFR does

 

 

Oh yeah for sure this is the case. But every little helps. I too suffer from poor boot sealing and dont want noxious gases inside the car. Its worse in summer when the window is down (also creating more resistance/drag plus ruffling my perfect hair)

 

On the way back from Blenheim to Nelson we just cruised with the traffic and only passed a couple of cars. I noted that most people seem to sit on 90 kph. I think a lot of this may well be due to the fact that most cars have speedos that over read.

 

Anyway, as we cruised along happily on a sunny afternoon I did some simple maths...

 

I worked out that say over a trip of 100km,  the difference between cruising at 90 kph with the rest of the traffic and trying to sit on 100kph and have to try and pass many cars will see you at your destination only 6 mins later. Its not really worth the bother is it? Especially witnessing, as usual, several total tits trying to pass other cars in stupid places.

[Roman]

Yeah you stop to take a piss and you've just "lost" all of the advantage of driving like a fucken moron overtaking on blind corners etc.

 

Drives me insane seeing some of the crazy driving around Coromandel etc.

 

The ignition timing strategy at cruise on my engine from factory is to advance the bejesus out of the timing until it knocks, then dial it back a tad.

 

So I reckon maxxing out timing as much as possible around cruise region is probably pretty good for economy too.

[RUNAMUCK]

I have a tip.
When I get a supermarket fuel voucher for ten cents or better, I'll gas up the family 'goon, and also fill extra cans for my dailys fuel for the week too.
And if your paying for gas with cash, put in four cents more than your intended spend. It rounds back down to the nearest ten.
#jewlyfe.

[V8Pete]

Who owns the dribble of fuel that comes out of the nozzle when you poke it in the car before squeezing the trigger? Sometimes it seems like a lot. Where does it come from? Or is it water and aids and should I purge it onto the floor before inserting the nozzle?

[RUNAMUCK]

I've often thought about that. Thousands of litres of gas wasted every year. It's enough to.make a wasteland warrior weep......