Oh the irony

[Wolfracer]

Hi Wolfracer,

I don't use the wipers to clean the bugs off,
can't go fast enough to squish the little bleeders,
they just bounce off the screen.
Still doing 24 mpg


Gman.

Tell me your secrets G'man... If I got 24mpg out of my surf I'd be happy!!! It uses about the same as my old 5.7 V8.... but without the heavenly soundtrack and blistering acceleration!

[tamrat]

i dunno whats wrong with my surf (KZN130) but even without all those goodies it barely does 10mpg.

[dieselboy]

I use my A/C throughout the year. In the winter it helps demist windows and dry out wet people. In the summer we used it to cool two cans of beer. We tried a 2litre bottle of Coke and alternated a bottle of Bacardi but it wasn't very efficient. Used almost 1/4 tank.

[dieselboy]

i dunno whats wrong with my surf (KZN130) but even without all those goodies it barely does 10mpg.

Do you wheels spin freely? Nothing binding is there?

[tamrat]

Do you wheels spin freely? Nothing binding is there?

nope, its an auto transmission. I coast to junctions etc and mostly put my foot off the gas pedal when going downhills.

[dieselboy]

nope, its an auto transmission. I coast to junctions etc and mostly put my foot off the gas pedal when going downhills.

Even with the tranny in neutral!?
Still with an open diff you should be able to turn all four wheels freely, one by one.
10MPG seems rediculously low.

[tamrat]

in neutral it will freewheel (i tried it with the engine off, when i put it to N and release the parking brake the car moves). But i have never tried switching from D to N while driving.

[dieselboy]

in neutral it will freewheel (i tried it with the engine off, when i put it to N and release the parking brake the car moves). But i have never tried switching from D to N while driving.

You shouldn't need to do that when driving. I'm just amazed your truck does 10MPG. I thought that may be something was restricting or causing drag on your wheels, like a bearing or stuck brake.

[tamrat]

no the car runs great. Its power is amazing, great acceleration too. The only thing is its smoke is damn black. I thought it was running a bit rich on gas, the garage man said he has fixed it bt still its the same.

[dieselboy]

Sounds like the problem!

[GRASSMAN]

Tell me your secrets G'man... If I got 24mpg out of my surf I'd be happy!!! It uses about the same as my old 5.7 V8.... but without the heavenly soundtrack and blistering acceleration!

I don't think its a secret,

Drive steady, I don't go over 60. (most of the time)
Fit free wheel hubs. (they do reduce IDD drag)
Brake early, (I'm not one of the late brakers)
Acccelerate gently, (can't do anything else with a 2.4)


Gman.

[tamrat]

Fit free wheel hubs. (they do reduce IDD drag)
Brake early, (I'm not one of the late brakers)

> what will those free wheel hubs do? How do they work?
> early breaking?

[GRASSMAN]

> what will those free wheel hubs do? How do they work?
> early breaking?

Hi Tamrat,

Free wheel hubs, dissconnect the front wheels from
the drive shafts, therefore no longer trying to turn
the front diff and reducing it's associated drag, saving fuel.
You engage them for off road use to enable full 4x4

Early braking, driving to junction, lift off the gas earlier
than you would normally, the engine will drop to just above
tick over, saving fuel.
While your foot is on the gas it's burning fuel.

Gman.

[tamrat]

Free wheel hubs, dissconnect the front wheels from
the drive shafts, therefore no longer trying to turn
the front diff and reducing it's associated drag, saving fuel.
You engage them for off road use to enable full 4x4

thanks Gman, one question though
> in normal mode, the Surf is only RWD, right? So, isn't engine power going only to the rear wheels (until you engage in 4WD)?

[Albannach]

thanks Gman, one question though
> in normal mode, the Surf is only RWD, right? So, isn't engine power going only to the rear wheels (until you engage in 4WD)?

All the available power is being transmitted via the rear wheels in 'Normal' mode. It's the front wheels that are moving the front drivetrain; this effort uses energy that would otherwise not be needed, therefore the truck is using more fuel (but a miniscule ammount; certainly not the kind of losses you are seeing).