Economy Drive?

[Drago]

Convinced Mrs D that the range was increasing because a chemical process was forming new fuel in the tank.

 

[Pale Rider]

"I do something better than my wife does. I assume it's because she (doesn't have a penis/has a vagina). Hands up all the men who agree"

<sigh>

No, men appear to use less fuel because women are always getting lost on the way.

 

[Piemaster]

Having been out in the Spider today I've realised I've never bothered with mpg with it. Partly as it has carbs so I don't really want to know, partly as its odometer is in km and I can't be bothered.
But mostly because with the top down and the sun shining it really doesn't seem to matter.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

[QUOTE 4848153, member: 259"]My wife often does gruelling track day events without telling me. I drive the car so seldom she could probably do an intercontinental trip without telling me as it's a diesel.[/QUOTE]
She drives with her hand, practically consistently on the gear-lever, the writing was worn off it before 25,000 miles
She also used to drive to Newport (near Cardiff) on business, twice a week, & would eat whilst driving, there was a crust on the sides of the seats that had developed due to her wiping hands on the fabric
Also seemingly quite happy to sit at 70MPH in 4th on m-way, but will slog it in 5th on a 1-in 15 hill, at 35MPH

 

[Drago]

My Dad taught me to drive. In his day he was a RoSPA assessor, very old school. If I made a mistake he'd smash me across the back of the knuckles with a steel rule. By the end if a typical lesson my hands were bloody tatters, but as a consequence I'm very disciplined. Both hands on the wheel at all times, handbrake applied and into neutral the moment were stationary, actually looking before indicating. I don't claim to be a good driver, but because of these lessons I'm painfully by-the-book.

 

[XC26]

I recently bought a 0.9L 3 cyl. turbo petrol Dacia Sandero. Cheap as chips but a wolf in sheep's clothing. It can really shift, when you want it to. However, I tend to drive it like I ride my bike - using the brakes as little as necessary. It has a 50L fuel tank and I reckon a range of 800 miles.

 

[byegad]

Yes my wife drives the car and returns 41 mpg. I drive it, it has to be said somewhat faster and get 50 mpg.
Why, because Lady Byegad is on the brakes or accelerator for 100% of her journey whereas I'm often coasting up to junctions and down hills.

As to the range reading, that works of the most recent mpg, so if you do a short journey, returning better than average mpg, the range can go up. Equally a short journey returning lower than average mpg will greatly reduce the range reading.

 

[lutonloony]

Not sure about better economy, but Mrs LL has an amazing knack of letting me "borrow" her car when it has one bar showing on fuel gauge.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

Not sure about better economy, but Mrs LL has an amazing knack of letting me "borrow" her car when it has one bar showing on fuel gauge.

I know about that


I had another check of it over the past 3 days


I 'brimmed' all three cars on Saturday
Twenty minutes, & £110, at same local garage, no wonder chap was looking oddly at me!
(wifes C-HR hybrid, daughters Adam, my Octavia)

Upon filling the display on my Octavia showed a 'notional range' of 510miles (its default figure)

After l'd put the C-HR & Adam away, Jo told me she was nipping out in the Octavia
When she got back; 9 miles later,
It had dropped to a 480 mile range!!!!

I went out yesterday; taking Amelia to Ackworth, then going straight to South Leeds, via the M62, & back home
Plus picking up Amelia later in evening

....... I get home, & the 'notional range' showing was 560miles

Once more, l drive so economically that l, essentially, put fuel back in the tank

80 extra miles 'for free'!


To top that, I drove to work in it today, as it was going for a service when I finished
I travelled up 'Wrenthorpe Bypass', then Bradford Road, to Tingley
Leeds Road to Shaw Cross, with a side-trip along Owl Lane

Back to Shaw Cross, down Hanging Heaton, to our (trusted) garage

Home, via Leeds Road to Tingley, & the M62 home (steady 55MPH, to jct 31)

On arrival home, this was the displayed notional mileage!!!!

 

[NorthernDave]

I know about that


I had another check of it over the past 3 days


I 'brimmed' all three cars on Saturday
Twenty minutes, & £110, at same local garage, no wonder chap was looking oddly at me!
(wifes C-HR hybrid, daughters Adam, my Octavia)

Upon filling the display on my Octavia showed a 'notional range' of 510miles (its default figure)

After l'd put the C-HR & Adam away, Jo told me she was nipping out in the Octavia
When she got back; 9 miles later,
It had dropped to a 480 mile range!!!!

I went out yesterday; taking Amelia to Ackworth, then going straight to South Leeds, via the M62, & back home
Plus picking up Amelia later in evening

....... I get home, & the 'notional range' showing was 560miles

Once more, l drive so economically that l, essentially, put fuel back in the tank

80 extra miles 'for free'!


To top that, I drove to work in it today, as it was going for a service when I finished
I travelled up 'Wrenthorpe Bypass', then Bradford Road, to Tingley
Leeds Road to Shaw Cross, with a side-trip along Owl Lane

Back to Shaw Cross, down Hanging Heaton, to our (trusted) garage

Home, via Leeds Road to Tingley, & the M62 home (steady 55MPH, to jct 31)

On arrival home, this was the displayed notional mileage!!!!

View attachment 428391

That 'notional' range can vary massively after you've just tanked up.

In the C3, it defaults to 509 miles after filling up, but can drop (or climb) rapidly.

Assume you have a 10-gallon tank (to make my maths a bit easier) - on filling up the car assumes an average of 51 mpg so shows 510 miles.
Hit heavy traffic or drive with a lead foot and achieve 40 mpg and that's going to quickly bring the figure down to 'just' 400 miles.
But hit a near empty motorway at a steady 50-60mph (mile after mile of roadworks like the A1(M) or M62 recently) and the average mpg will rocket to 60 mpg plus - on one occasion I did 20+ miles up the M1 at 50mph while they were testing the newly installed variable speed limit signs and the average mpg displayed was 78mpg, which from a 10 gallon tank would give you a range of 780 miles.

Traffic is often much worse for me on the journey home but a lot lighter going to work, meaning I can get to work with significantly more miles "left in the tank" than I had when I set off.

It's also good driving down the motorway with the display reading 999 mpg

 

[midlife]

Obviously using a Broquet fuel catalyst lol

I thought they stopped selling these years ago but you can still get them.. .

 

[gbb]

I always wondered why people say...'i can get 400/500/600 miles to a tankfull of fuel
Surely it only has any meaning if you know how big the tank is ?

My son used to say it.
I can get 600 miles to a tankfull.
How bigs your tank ? I'd ask.
Dunno.
If you have a 15 gallon tank, that's around 40mpg. If you have an 11 gallon tank, that's around 55 mpg....biiig difference.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

That 'notional' range can vary massively after you've just tanked up.

In the C3, it defaults to 509 miles after filling up, but can drop (or climb) rapidly.

Agreed, the quoted '510' is the figure on starting up again

I always wondered why people say...'i can get 400/500/600 miles to a tankfull of fuel
Surely it only has any meaning if you know how big the tank is ?

True!!

12 gallons/55 litres, I think?

 

[Drago]

Do you ever double check the displayed figures with real maths? According to Honest John, VW Group cars can have fuel computers as much as 11% optimistic, the average being 5 or 6% optimistic.

 

[mustang1]

Lately I've been driving the car even slower than normal. I actually took it up to 60 in a 70 zone. I have no idea about the mpg.