Hi,

Thought it would be quite interesting to see what kind of driving styles people have in regards to type of engine, age of car and any mods etc.

The layout of your response could include different things such as:

- What car you are driving (engine, diesel or petrol, turbo or non turbo etc.)

- At what rev's you normally change gear at (economical or not :p)

- How many times a week/month you like to thrash your car to the red line and give it a good 'Italian drive'

- How many miles a week you driving on average and how long each journey is each day (eg. to work and back)

- How often you have to fill up, or if you don't fill up each time, how much you do put in your tank and when.

- At what speed you like to hold at on the motorway, or any road for that matter.

- What damage/repairs you have had to have done due to your driving style, if any.

So to start off, mine would be something like this:

I am driving a Skoda Fabia 1.9Tdi 2005 model. I tend to change gear at 2000-3000 revs (closer to 2000). I barely thrash my car as I don't see any need for it. On average, I drive about 100-150 miles per week, each journey lasts about 5-10 miles going to work and back. I tend to put £15-20 in my car every week as my bank balance doesn't like me filling up! On normal roads I like to hold my speed around 50-60 and on motorways I like to cruise at around 70-80.

This thread should hopefully give people an insight into different driving styles. What is good for your engine, what can help preserve the engine and save money . And if the mods that people have on their cars improves not only the speed but the economical side of driving so please try and keep the slating/flaming to a minimum

Thanks for reading.

Fab vRS, change gear when my brain tells my hand to (no idea really - but severely doubt its economical). I get through about 100 miles a week mostly doing short 3-8 mile journeys. Run the car from full to beep each time, I usually manage 300-350 miles in that time. Usually sit at 70-80 on the motorway where possible, and thrash the car when accelerating 85% of the time I'm in it.

I'm not kind on the clutch and I'm not mechanically sympathetic in general. But wherever possible I strive to be a good driver, though can't say I always achieve it. I do expect my car to fall apart at some point but so far the only things repaired/replaced that I would relate to my driving style would be a that a set of tyres died due to wheel alignment issues. All body scuffs were done by other cars when mine was parked and empty. Also my rear numberplate fell off one time as the dealer's tape wasn't very sticky.

Depends what I'm doing.

Just going to work and back, nothing much above 3k, unless engine braking, and never really bother booting it that much unless I'm late.

Probably do about 100 miles a week just going to work and back. Can get about 48mpg usually.

If I'm thrashing it.... 5000+rpm

It screams its nuts off, but haven't broke it yet.

This is why I love my vRS. No matter what I do, it's still kind to the wallet.

Did a track day last week. Did a total of 262 miles on that day. 95 miles each way.

43.6 MPG overall, that was calculated with fuelly

- What car you are driving (engine, diesel or petrol, turbo or non turbo etc.)

Vrs

- At what rev's you normally change gear at (economical or not :p)

2.5-3k when accelerating, before i hit correct gear for cruising I change at ~2k, idle ~1.75k

- How many times a week/month you like to thrash your car to the red line and give it a good 'Italian drive'

Not redline, perhaps to 4k when pushing it (overtakes on A roads), always above 2.5k, tend to do it more in 3rd and 4th, rarely happens on 1st and 2nd. I like to do the heel-toe often, though I read somewhere that it knackers the sync if done too often? I dunno, but it feels more mechanically sympathetic when I do.

- How often you have to fill up, or if you don't fill up each time, how much you do put in your tank and when.

lately been more like £40-50, before when I was using regularly its £20-30.

- At what speed you like to hold at on the motorway, or any road for that matter.

Safe and legal speeds..

Speedo says ~53mpg, realistically its more ~48mpg, mainly 70% a-roads and motorway. I never really boot it in town, cant really, gears aren't really suited for being a hooligan around town, not that I ever driven like a hooligan around town..

Driving a Fabia MkI vRS with no mods (boo!) Most of the time with normal pottering about I change at 2k, try and sit between 1500 and 2000 for cruising (that puts me in to 5th at 35 mph). If I need to make a bit of progress, pull out of junction sharpish, go up a big hill, 3.5k. I try to drive courteously but I've noticed myself getting less patient recently, not sure why. I seem to be more tempted to reach for the horn than I use to be (didn't even use it once in annoyance for 3 years). Going nuts, I go about 4.2k and occasionally redline it to clear the crud out and make sure my VGT is getting flexed No repairs needed so far thank God, had the car over 8,000 miles now.

- How many times a week/month you like to thrash your car to the red line and give it a good 'Italian drive'

Once a week if weather is good, otherwise once a fortnight. Grab the bull by the horns and all that, the Peak District is my oyster!

Weekday commute is about 11 miles a day and I put about 80 miles on it at the weekend. Fuel wise I always run it down to the warning light and then brim it, usually fill up once every 3 weeks or so and it goes about 400 miles. Almost always pop Millers Diesel Ecomax in it. Average mpg is not that great, trip computer reports about 46. Colder weather makes a HUGE difference in my experience.

- At what speed you like to hold at on the motorway, or any road for that matter.

Motorway I try my damnest to hold 75 for the sake of fuel economy but if I'm not careful it'll creep up to 90. Derbyshire has implemented a ton of 50 limits now so they're meaningless and I sit at whatever speed is appropriate in a 50 or NSL, be that 90 or 30 mph (I await the flaming that will get me!)

Edited 17 May, 201214 yr by ckyliu

What car you are driving (engine, diesel or petrol, turbo or non turbo etc.)

Currently a petrol Polo GTi

- At what rev's you normally change gear at (economical or not :p)

If driving carefully, 2-3ish. If driving hard, between 6-7 *unless I meet the limiter first.

- How many times a week/month you like to thrash your car to the red line and give it a good 'Italian drive'

Assuming it's warm, a couple of times a journey usually.

- How many miles a week you driving on average and how long each journey is each day (eg. to work and back)

I car share, so about 120 miles a week commuting, maybe 10-20 personal? 40minutes to uni.

- How often you have to fill up, or if you don't fill up each time, how much you do put in your tank and when.

Once or twice a month? Full tank each time (was 5 times a month in my RX-8 )

- At what speed you like to hold at on the motorway, or any road for that matter.

Usually lorry speed on a motorway, keeps the noise down! On a normal road, whatever the traffic is doing!

- What damage/repairs you have had to have done due to your driving style, if any.

None! But the car is on it's second gearbox.

Good, fun car, happy to pull from low revs (30 in top gear) but equally happy screaming it's heart out. A mix of steady cruising and some back-road blasting gives 36mpg, with a dodgy lambda sensor. 40+ is doable over a tank. Quite short gears, and lots of tyre roar tend to make it slow a cruiser, but great fun for driving.

What car you are driving (engine, diesel or petrol, turbo or non turbo etc.)

On the TDi 150 Golf I just sold:

- At what rev's you normally change gear at (economical or not :p)

If driving carefully, before 2ish. Never drove it hard, no point!

- How many times a week/month you like to thrash your car to the red line and give it a good 'Italian drive'

Not very often, but when I was in a bad mood with it I'd give it some stick, but only rarely.

- How many miles a week you driving on average and how long each journey is each day (eg. to work and back)

I car share, so about 120 miles a week commuting, maybe 10-20 personal? 40minutes to uni.

- How often you have to fill up, or if you don't fill up each time, how much you do put in your tank and when.

Once or twice a month? Full tank each time (was 5 times a month in my RX-8 )

- At what speed you like to hold at on the motorway, or any road for that matter.

About 70-75 (indicated)ish. On a normal road, whatever the traffic is doing!

- What damage/repairs you have had to have done due to your driving style, if any.

None from my driving style.

Hateful car. Not happy at lower revs, and sounds like it's crying for its life past 3k rpm. Gets quite good mpg, but never driven for fun (why bother?!). Did used to get thrashed a bit when my mood with it was bad, often from cold as a sign of my contempt to its existence! Happier to cruise at higher speeds, 70-75ish on the speedo as the noise is lower.

Edited 17 May, 201214 yr by TriggerFish

Just sold the Rover 100 1.1 that i just thrashed 99% of the time as it had no power at all.

I then brought the vRS and for some reason i drive alot calmer than i did in the Rover, think its because the redline is only 4.5k but theres no point going past 4, isnt as fun revving to the max like a petrol is.

What car you are driving (engine, diesel or petrol, turbo or non turbo etc.)

Fabia vRS 1. No tuning or upgrades.

- At what rev's you normally change gear at (economical or not :p)

2.5k ish tops normally.

- How many times a week/month you like to thrash your car to the red line and give it a good 'Italian drive'

Noticed this a few days ago, i've only got up to 4k twice in two weeks. Since getting the car i havnt felt the need to really as half acceleration means.you pull away from most things when not racing.

- How many miles a week you driving on average and how long each journey is each day (eg. to work and back)

About 200 at the min. Work and back is about 30 mins.

- How often you have to fill up, or if you don't fill up each time, how much you do put in your tank and when.

Never really a set time to fill up. Depends on what im doing. Average 44.4 mpg at the moment, only time it went a few mpg lower is when it was in the garage. I guess that was just them testing.

In car readout usully says 60g ish sit a fair amout out.

- At what speed you like to hold at on the motorway, or any road for that matter.

70 with CC on motorway and spot on the speed limit everywhere. Cant stand people who do 5ph under the speed limit.

- What damage/repairs you have had to have done due to your driving style, if any.

None yet. Touch wood there wont.be any damage at all.

Edited 17 May, 201214 yr by dany2010

ive got a fabia vrs SE, it gets thrashed daily, doesnt touch the redline because the power dies off at 4000rpm on the dyno curve ive got.

its never broke in the 22k ive done in it and ive been through 4 sets of tyres on the front (one set on a handling course in a day) normally doing about 70-100mph on the motorways. i struggle to sit at the speed limits because they seem so slow and im usually late but i dont do rediculous speeds on small roads. keep it within reason.

i do like to drive the car hard and my plans are to get a bigger turbo to be able to drive it harder

What car you are driving (engine, diesel or petrol, turbo or non turbo etc.)

Fabia 1.9TDi

At what rev's you normally change gear at (economical or not :p)

In town no higher than 2k rpm, on a drive 3-3.5k rpm

How many times a week/month you like to thrash your car to the red line and give it a good 'Italian drive'

Depends on the mood

How many miles a week you driving on average and how long each journey is each day (eg. to work and back)

Catch the train to work most days, but work is 5miles away.

Average this year so far is ~300miles per week

How often you have to fill up, or if you don't fill up each time, how much you do put in your tank and when.

About once a week (going of Fuelly)

At what speed you like to hold at on the motorway, or any road for that matter.

Prefer to keep to the speed limits, on the motorway between 70-80

What damage/repairs you have had to have done due to your driving style, if any.

Turbo, but that's more than likely due to mileage (Refurb at 148k back in Oct '11, now on 159k)

Edited 17 May, 201214 yr by chrisw880