More M.P.G :) .... any more out there?

[hypoid90]

Hiya

the more M.P.G. the better i feel, especially with fuel costs as they are.

i recently fitted freewheeling hubs to my 3.0Ltr Surf and i Did notice the difference. (times that by every mile one does, until one sells the vehicle).
might even break even, Lol

before that i swapped it over from auto to manual. big difference. (total pig to do tho).
not only is it a lot lighter, but i can freewheel down hills, idle at the lights, and cruise about town on the torque, which it has quite a bit of.
don't know if i'll ever break even on that one, but who knows.
(i think the top gear is slightly lower on a motorway than the overdrive on auto perhaps?).

manual Surfs should be a bit more sought after these days i would have thought.

i took out the aircon pump ages ago as had never needed one in the south of France before and was happy to do without one.

i carry a spare only on a long trip (notice the defference on handling), and lost some of the surrounding skirts and running boards.
air defflectors too as i kept banging my head on them. they made a noise tho. must come from somewhere.

overal difference is self evident.

( i once had a toyota pick-up in London, a V8 that i used for work and urban grin-factor. i took out the front diff, prop and drive shafts. 8 or 9 stone as i remember, depends how often one really uses 4 wheel drive).

i was wondering if a Surf really needs two batteries?
i ran my V8 hilux with only one and it would fire up on LPG.

are there any air filter exhaust mods that are more free flowing?

within reason i figure it all helps. goes better too


Sim

[stormforce]

Hiya

the more M.P.G. the better i feel, especially with fuel costs as they are.

i recently fitted freewheeling hubs to my 3.0Ltr Surf and i Did notice the difference. (times that by every mile one does, until one sells the vehicle).
might even break even, Lol

before that i swapped it over from auto to manual. big difference. (total pig to do tho).
not only is it a lot lighter, but i can freewheel down hills, idle at the lights, and cruise about town on the torque, which it has quite a bit of.
don't know if i'll ever break even on that one, but who knows.
(i think the top gear is slightly lower on a motorway than the overdrive on auto perhaps?).

manual Surfs should be a bit more sought after these days i would have thought.

i took out the aircon pump ages ago as had never needed one in the south of France before and was happy to do without one.

i carry a spare only on a long trip (notice the defference on handling), and lost some of the surrounding skirts and running boards.
air defflectors too as i kept banging my head on them. they made a noise tho. must come from somewhere.

overal difference is self evident.

( i once had a toyota pick-up in London, a V8 that i used for work and urban grin-factor. i took out the front diff, prop and drive shafts. 8 or 9 stone as i remember, depends how often one really uses 4 wheel drive).

i was wondering if a Surf really needs two batteries?
i ran my V8 hilux with only one and it would fire up on LPG.

are there any air filter exhaust mods that are more free flowing?

within reason i figure it all helps. goes better too


Sim

The twin battery set up on the surfs was fitted to the surfs in the Northern colder parts of Japan that get very very cold so the twin batteries give the extra ooommmph the truck needs to fire up.
These trucks are known better as having the winter pack fitted

[TonyN]

Pre facelift 2.4's and most 3rd Gens only have one battery, but its bigger. One of the pair you have won't be ideal, you need one bigger one.

(Rich, EVERY 3.0 and 2.4 EFI 2nd Gen has two batteries, cold weather spec or not)

[MWS]

Sim. Youve gone to an awful lot of trouble (and EXPENSE) to save yourself, maybe £15 per tank full. A much easier, and economical alternative could have been to supplement your pump diesel with WVO (50 / 50 blend). Much cheaper. Also, freewheeling / coasting downhill is a bad idea, as you do not have full control of your vehicle. Finally, you're Just as likely to get a puncture 1 mile from home, as you are 100 miles away......Your choice....Cheers....Mick.

[hypoid90]

Thanks for info and opinions.

Thanks Tony and Richard for battery info.
one of mine died and whilst running it on one the steering was a lot more responsive (stuck way out in the front i guess), but it was starting to crank slower.
go for one big one next time perhaps.


Thanks for your opinions Mick

15 pound saving per tank sounds quite good to me.
it goes and handles much better as a lighter vehicle.
faster off the line with freewheeling hubs i noticed.
no cost to bin the aircon pump, brackets, pulleys and pipes.
it would run rings around its former self.
i replaced worn rear springs with milners ones which helped a bit.
the spare tyre question is like fully comp or 3rd party.
i've only had slow punctures in the last ten years.
i carry a jack and tools.
long trip i take a sprare. (or if my tyres were worn, going off road, pregnant wife etc etc)
60.000 miles in the surf =60.000 spare wheels not moved one mile.
going on a cycling or hiking holiday you can't take everything you might need.
everything i have done has given me performance also.
now the fuel gauge is a lot slower moving and its a lot more fun.

how much do you save per tank on veg? before and after you have paid the gov.
less percentage possible when cold i understand.
(i'm not near to a costco or similar)
i'm enthusiastic about the veg option but not sure how much i really stand to gain for the hassle.
(its illegal in France as i understand, like red is here).

you sound like your quoting the police handbook about freewheeling.
one doesn't dis engage ones brain as well as the engine. (or turn the ignition off, steering lock, p.a.s. and servo).
any time one changes gear one is freewheeling whilst the clutch is down.
i havn't experienced any loss of cotrol to date.
coming to a halt at the lights the last bit is with the clutch down or it'll stall.
the point i'm trying to make is that in a manual one is freewheeling quite a bit anyway, if not driving in a hurry.
obviousely not for an Alpine descent, and its not legal so no-one should try it anyway.

i'd be interested in those veg savings tho.

Cheers

Sim

[Maverick]

Free wheeling actually uses fuel, using the gears stops the engine using fuel whilst moving, by dipping the clutch the ecu has to inject fuel to stop the engine stalling.

Also you can save alot of weight by removing all the bash plates.
You could also try removing the front transmission, changing the wheel and tyre combination for road bias, removing the seats you are't using for that trip, and only keeping the amount of fuel you need in the tank.

[yoshie]

Go buy a diesel polo, or stop moaning and just enjoy the truck.

[Predictable Bob]

What he said !

It's a 2 ton brick - if you can't fund the fuel consumption get rid of it

[blackpoolsparks]

Go buy a diesel polo, or stop moaning and just enjoy the truck.

It's a 2 ton brick - if you can't fund the fuel consumption get rid of it

Ditto.

I'm assuming you didn't buy it because of it's great fuel economy

[schrodingers-cat]

Puts a whole new dimension on going to the toilet before a long journey

[Vultch]

So is somebody going to mod a 3 litre and we will have the first Surf blue motion then

[BUSHWHACKER]

Try this...
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Hydrogen-gener...item2eb4462741

[Karma Supra]

I genuinely don't think the fuel economy is that bad....

It does crack me up though, people bang on "oooh it must use so much fuel, evrironment, blah blah"

No one ever does about the M3,. which I get less mpg from...

[MWS]

Thanks Tony and Richard for battery info.
one of mine died and whilst running it on one the steering was a lot more responsive (stuck way out in the front i guess), but it was starting to crank slower.
go for one big one next time perhaps.


Thanks for your opinions Mick

15 pound saving per tank sounds quite good to me.
it goes and handles much better as a lighter vehicle.
faster off the line with freewheeling hubs i noticed.
no cost to bin the aircon pump, brackets, pulleys and pipes.
it would run rings around its former self.
i replaced worn rear springs with milners ones which helped a bit.
the spare tyre question is like fully comp or 3rd party.
i've only had slow punctures in the last ten years.
i carry a jack and tools.
long trip i take a sprare. (or if my tyres were worn, going off road, pregnant wife etc etc)
60.000 miles in the surf =60.000 spare wheels not moved one mile.
going on a cycling or hiking holiday you can't take everything you might need.
everything i have done has given me performance also.
now the fuel gauge is a lot slower moving and its a lot more fun.

how much do you save per tank on veg? before and after you have paid the gov.
less percentage possible when cold i understand.
(i'm not near to a costco or similar)
i'm enthusiastic about the veg option but not sure how much i really stand to gain for the hassle.
(its illegal in France as i understand, like red is here).

you sound like your quoting the police handbook about freewheeling.
one doesn't dis engage ones brain as well as the engine. (or turn the ignition off, steering lock, p.a.s. and servo).
any time one changes gear one is freewheeling whilst the clutch is down.
i havn't experienced any loss of cotrol to date.
coming to a halt at the lights the last bit is with the clutch down or it'll stall.
the point i'm trying to make is that in a manual one is freewheeling quite a bit anyway, if not driving in a hurry.
obviousely not for an Alpine descent, and its not legal so no-one should try it anyway.

i'd be interested in those veg savings tho.

Cheers

Sim

Hi Sim. Looks like you've had more luck with punctures (or lack thereof), than I have. Maybe thats why I'm extra cautious about carrying a spare at all times. Regarding the use of WVO. If you can obtain it for free and filter it yourself, it will save you a fortune. You can use up to 2500 litres per year as road fuel before paying any duty. I am lucky to have a good supply. In the summer months my blend ratio has gone up to 75% WVO / 25% pump diesel. That saves me around £ 55 per tankfull. The issue around coasting / freewheeling has been debated for years, and although I have never read a police manual on the subject, I do know that many other training guidelines, manuals, and instruction given by industry professionals will advise that the clutch be engaged as much as possible and that the vehicle is allways in the appropriate gear whilst being driven.....Cheers....Mick

[andycook]

apart from the base model - all UK Landcruiser Colorado's have 2 batteries.

My base FX model didn't - but i have fitted a split-charge relay and 2nd battery.

all this talk of removing stuff to improve mpg...

...I have done complete opposite...

DIY rocksliders - 25kg per side
winch mount and winch - 60kg
2nd battery = 18kg

underbody skid-plate/armour = 30kg
boot storage drawer system (steel frame) and dog guard = no idea of weight! more than 20kg

recovery gear, hand winch, waffleboards....
suspension lift

and mpg as decreased by 1-2mpg now
but more fun offroading as hopefully less risk of trashing it!