http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/green-motoring/8863101/Damon-Hill-on-going-green.html

He says he can't see why anyone needs to go faster than 60mph and suggests a 55mph speed limit.

Maybe if I was a multimillionair with loads of time on my hands I would feel the same.

But back to reality and i will be on the motorway at 4.45am.

He's just another posh kid who has never had to deal with the life the majority of the uk have to live.

Chers

Lee

Edited 9 July, 201213 yr by logiclee

interesting,

bear in mind a lot of our current toys and tech originated in F1 and rallying (ABS, engine management, 4 wheel drive (audi quatro), aero dynamics, )

and shortly if passed by the teams new generation engines that will use a third less fuel for the same power output due to enter racing within 2 years

the comparison between economy driving and racing is an also an interesting point, i must admit since having my greenline i have altered my driving style and overall speed , i am anticipating lights and junctions more rather than racing up and constantly driving at the speed limits

logiclee, i assume you work a long way from home , i used to work 195 miles from home i know what you mean about the times, driving at 60, rather than my "normal" speed wouild have added about an hours extra to my journey in each direction (live in kent and used to spend 3 days a week in west midlands). i now work only 25 miles from home, driving at a steady 56mph adds 5 minutes on my journey

Damon obviously does not enjoy driving any more.

I do enjoy driving at speed outside urban speed limits.

I do not fully believe in global warming, but I do think global drowning is a possibility given latest weather conditions.

If Damon wants a speed kick he just has to ask at any circuit or fly over to Germany.

Latest rant over.

Tony

thing is any of us can get a speed fix by going to a track day

but i am noticing more people driving at 60mph or less, so are they the ones paying there own fuel? and are those complaining more likely to those on company fuel cards so not seeing the costs in their own pockets?

<hides rapidly>

When it comes to slowing down people have been forced to because fuel is so high. I saw my bank statement this morning and even though it's been a heavy month of bills, tyres, Goodwood, etc one of my biggest outgoings is fuel. I've been cycling to work more this week and noticed something interesting. My drive to work is 7 miles into Swansea centre, all stop start and I barely hit 30mph. This takes me 35mins regardless how I drive. My cycle to work is 10 miles because I make use of a very good cycle track. this morning for the first time I did it (now I'm getting fitter) in 38 mins. So that 3 mins slower than by car but 3 miles further!

As for Damon I can understand it. He's spent years doing 200mph with highly experienced drivers with no oncoming traffic. The quality of driver skill in this country isn't good enough. A fabia diesel isn't the way to go though but at least it's not a bloody hybrid

Just hope he doesn't become one of the (self-righteous) 'mimsers' who drive at grotesquely slow speeds saving the planet and being a total restriction to anyone else who wants to make reasonable progress.

As for Damon I can understand it. He's spent years doing 200mph with highly experienced drivers with no oncoming traffic. The quality of driver skill in this country isn't good enough. A fabia diesel isn't the way to go though but at least it's not a bloody hybrid

listening at work it seems to be 3 main things that decide the vehicle for people

1:- badge (depends on the enviroment, is it a company car then company image takes precedent or personal purchase then function and economy tend to be bigger factors)

2:- annual mileage (normally decides the petrol or diesel question)

3:- fuel economy (this seems to depend on if the driver is paying the fuel bill or their company)

from my point of view, if the target is low cost rather than 0-60 times, reliable motoring in a well equipped motor then a fabia greenline II fits the bill,

if you want something with a sportier look and still reasonable economical then possibly a monte carlo,

if you want outright speed / performance then one of the VRS models

each to their own for their own circumstances and requirements

one question, why say a fabia diesel is not the way to go?

Not the fabia diesel but diesel in general. Petrol is cleaner, no dpf to worry about. Ford have the right idea with their 1.0 ecoboost

my understanding is that a diesel with dpf is as clean or even cleaner than a petrol

also i remember when cats came in, people were as against them as they are DPF's now, but they became accepted once people saw you did not have to replace them so long as you followed some basic rules and as fuel manufacturers amended the recipe to remove the components of the fuel (lead compounds used to help motor industry use cheaper materials in valves and valve seats)

presently DPF's are the best option to clean diesel exhaust, but with the ultra low sulphur diesel fuels even without they are a lot cleaner than 10 years ago, simple way to prove it, how often do you see a lorry belching clouds of black exhaust? (even the older lorries on the road) compared to 10 years ago

i also remember when the ultra low sulphur fuel was brought in with concerns about the life of fuel pumps as it had lower lubricating properties for the pump and injectors

diesel will always be more economical then petrol for the simple reason it has a higher energy density than lighter fuels like petrol

we are now waiting for the engine manufacturers to get the next generation petrol engines using direct injection and sparkless ignition the same as diesel, these are about 5-10 years away,

or some form of diesel electric hybrid where by a small engine charges a somewhat smaller battery pack and just keeps it topped up in combination with regenerative braking without the need to keep recharging when you rach your destination and the length of time that takes, this would mean the engine would run less and at maximum effiency reducing fuel consumption

there are also a few of us on here that can remember the fuel crisis in the 1970's which led to speed limits being reduced to 50mph on A roads, 60mph on dual carriageways and 70mph on motorways, along with fuel rationing

thing is any of us can get a speed fix by going to a track day

but i am noticing more people driving at 60mph or less, so are they the ones paying there own fuel? and are those complaining more likely to those on company fuel cards so not seeing the costs in their own pockets?

<hides rapidly>

I pay for my own cars and own fuel. I dont need a speed fix but think crawling along with the lorries at 55mph like Mr Hill suggests is mad.

Fuel economy is not just about figures and speed its about the type of car and what its designed todo. My Fabia htp and Passat have very similar combined official figures. On my run to work if I limit my speed to 60mph then both cars will average mid 50's mpg. If I lmit my speed to 75mph on the way to work and keep up with outside lane traffic on the way home the Fabia will drop to 40mpg while the Passat will still be above 50mpg.

There isnt that big a fuel saving between 60 and 75 in the Passat, certainly not as much as the tall, blocky, short geared Fabia.

I set cruise at 75 in a morning and i get overtaken by more vehicles than I overtake. 75 in the Passat is quiet and relaxing. The only thing dropping to 55 would achieve is me spending more hours sat in a car and apart from my family. Might save me a few quid a month but that's peanuts compared to the depreciation on a £25k car.

The cost to the economy would be high as well as employees would spend even more time in their company cars. Thats why the government were considering increasing the speed limit to 80mph.

Cheers

Lee

Edited 11 July, 201213 yr by logiclee

He has a point about the speed limit if you consider that the extra time saved is fairly minimal.

If you were able to drive at 60mph all the way to work with no stopping or slowing, and it was a say 20 mile trip, it would take you 20 minutes. At 70mph it would take you 17 minutes.

By the time you have factored in the stopping and starting at lights and junctions and traffic alone means you'll not be saving that much.

So he wants us to all drive at 55mph... my car does worse on fuel at 55 than if I drive at 70 because I can't even use 6th gear at that speed!

I wish we could follow suite of Germany but our country is too small, over crowded and full of inept drivers for that!

Phil

current new shape cars, dictated by new encap safety tests, in particular pedestrian safety tests which seem to required flatter fronts on cars seems to have a negative impact on aero efficiency of cars, unless you go down the peugeot route of the angle of the bonnet and windscreen being nearly identical, foord seems to be going the same direction as well

but i do notice on my greenline once you get over 60mph the drop in economy is pretty steepup to 80-85 them levels off, similar to my old roomster which was pretty much same shape

also the speeds on a particular motorway vary, the M2/M20 down here are pretty much 65-70 in the outside lanes with not many cars exceeding 75 (could be the cameras and cops)

the M3 basingstoke way is a different matter, much higher speeds in the middle and outer lanes, as is the M40

the time difference Vs fuel saving also depends on the length of journey, a long journey can add an hour or so so you are less likely to do it, my commute of 25miles each way it addes less than 5 minutes

the biggest saving would be people working closer to home, but due to the way the economy is and the trend for larger factories etc for ecomonies of scale i can't see that happening any time soon

thing is any of us can get a speed fix by going to a track day

Not true, not all can afford to take their cars on track days at £450 a throw including a set of tyres.

Tony