An experiment in fuel consumption

[MattF]

56 aint it?!


(hoping im right to finally score a point against the legendary Matt!!)

56mph actually.

Talk about competitive.

Your bulbs flickering on and off again pal!

That's what I get for buying cheapo bulbs.

[plumb bob]

TomTom is lying!

Wouldn't suprise me, it lies about where we are, where we're going, and where I should turn off, come to think of it, it's a pathalogical bl00dy liar!

[tavvi]

I didn't think it was meant to indicate the most fuel efficient speed. I thought it was just a benchmark for comparison - which happens to be the equivalent of 90 kilometres per hour, which I suspect is a common euro speed limit. I'd have thought the most fuel efficient speed would be the slowest cruising speed, i.e. as slow as you can go in top gear without the engine labouring. But that's all a guess and might be complete b@llocks.

[plumb bob]

I didn't think it was meant to indicate the most fuel efficient speed. I thought it was just a benchmark for comparison - which happens to be the equivalent of 90 kilometres per hour, which I suspect is a common euro speed limit. I'd have thought the most fuel efficient speed would be the slowest cruising speed, i.e. as slow as you can go in top gear without the engine labouring. But that's all a guess and might be complete b@llocks.

I guess every vehicle will have it's own optimium speed, depending upon gear ratios/engine revs, and other factors that I haven't............factored in

The surf will probably rev higher at lower speeds, as it's a 4x4, whereas a car designed for motorways will have a higher optimum speed.

Anyhoo, it was just a non scientific stab in the dark at checking my fuel consumption at various speed, I'm sure if you all tried the same, you'd all have different results.

[tavvi]

I got very slightly under 31 mpg motorway driving on a 90 miles journey last weekend - doing 60 mph - easily the best fuel consumption I've had so far but jeez it was dull. Tank was full when I left and I based my calculation on how much I had to put in the tank to fill it back up - fuel indicator seems really unreliable. Was pleased to find that mileage reading was spot on according to the Tom Tom, so calculation should be accurate.

[Maverick]

mines all dependant on revs.

21.3mpg below 3000rpm.

watch the needle drop above 3000rpm.

Unless I'm driving the mountains (sorry big hills) of Scotland, when she returned 26.3mpg.

[corsetts]

I only got 23mpg on a Wales trip at 60mph last year, at 55mph on the same journey a month later I managed 25.9mpg.

Mines running muds too, maybe I need to look more closely at my fuel consumption. 30mpg would be very nice



Cheers

Chris

[yoshie]

Thought I'd check out my fuel consumption at different speeds, and I'm kinda two thirds the way through, with some results, and some speculation.

I drive 50 miles to work, about 5 miles of which is through town, and 45 miles on the motorway, and then I do the same journey in reverse on the way home.

I did this for a week at 60 mph on the motorway and did about 25 MPG average.

I just did a week at 50 MPH and achieved 35 MPG.
I will now do the same driving at 70 mph and I expect to get about 20 MPG but we'll see.

All this is done with a leaking fuel pump, (which I estimate to be losing me about 5 MPG, based on MPG before it was leaking) and Mud tyres at 32 psi.

So the results with a non leaking and tuned fuel pump and maybe some new injectors may be encouraging, although my experience was that at 50 MPH, although the most fuel efficient, the drive was so incredibly boring, I nearly fell asleep at the wheel at least twice every evening on the journey home, so I consider this may not be economical in the long run when I have to buy a new car after crashing into the central reservation taking a few others with me.

So I guess if you can stay awake long enough to drive at 50 MPH, you might get up to 40MPG (estimated) from a surf!

That's a 39% increase in fuel efficency. Well worth the effort equivelent to a 48p drop per ltr price on the current £1.20. I will give this a serious attempt I hope your figures stack up mate. However my truck doesn't lock into OD till 55mph {60 indicated got to love a surf speedo} so I will stick to that for a week.

[plumb bob]

That's a 39% increase in fuel efficency. Well worth the effort equivelent to a 48p drop per ltr price on the current £1.20. I will give this a serious attempt I hope your figures stack up mate. However my truck doesn't lock into OD till 55mph {60 indicated got to love a surf speedo} so I will stick to that for a week.

This experiment also required the use of a very light right foot when accelarating, so be sure to wear your slippers when driving.

[captain_chaos]

mine will average 25mpg on a run cruising at 55mph. The mondeo is no better at 35mpg, but then that's cruising at a faster speed.

[Diezel Weazel]

6 weeks ago I picked me new Truck up from the Wirra, before returning home I brimmed it (£65) n we didn't spare the horses on the way home (70 - 80 all the way).
I clocked it a dead 200 miles n topped it up with £30 sqid to the brim ...... at my reconning 31 miles per gallon !!!!

There's always a Payback .... Ya just never see it Comin !!!!

[Predictable Bob]

Logically the best fuel efficiency should be minimum speed in top gear - I get lock-up around 54mph BUT if I let the speed bleed off after lock-up it stay's locked up until I get down to around 50mph so potentially I'd get the best return at around 51mph - however at that speed a slight incline will drop her out of lock-up

Doing Andover-Reading via Newbury every day and attempting to minimise fuel consumption I know EXACTLY where people are coming from on the sleepy stakes - when my eyelids start dropping I nail the gas cos that way I HAVE to wake up !

PS
Regretably I have to use the Focus as the daily driver cos herself won't let me have the Surf ....

[plumb bob]

Ok, I'm gonna do a Gordon Brown now, I'm not back tracking, but my original calculations may have been....................um.... ............flawed, no ........erm.......ambitios?

Ok, so at 50 MPH I got 30MPG

At 60 MPH I got 25 MPG

and at flat out I got............... ( still awaiting results)

(all figures are approximate and I do still have a leaking fuel pump)

Oh, and mines a manual gearbox.

I hope this clarifies any misunderstanding, and note that I cannot be held resposible for my own failures.

[Bunkle]

cheers guys !, i'm getting nowhere near your figures,

[John h]

Just Done
Barnsley>Pontefract>Harrogate> York>Market Weighton>Doncaster and back to Barnsley 180 miles and got 30mpg ! Surf got lighter as unloaded training materials at each site but must admit am really surprised didn't go too fast on the M62 though