I've got a Mk1 vRS. I enjoy it - my driving style is shall we say 'enthusiastic'. Every day I do a 20+ mile commute from home to office and back again - mostly motorway. Stop start traffic at the start and end of the journey.

 

I recently switched from 205/50 tyres to 225/45 tyres, and was interested to see the difference in MPG as this is always mentioned as the key issue with increasing the tyre width. I use fuelly at every fill up and have a pretty consistent baseline of around 30-31mpg for the old 205's. After the switch, my first two full tanks yielded... 31mpg. So no obvious difference at all. But this peaked my interest...

 

Anyone who's seen my thread in the past will know I did a semi-scientific study of various fuel types over a prolonged period and found Shell V-Power by far and away gives the best performance and MPG of any other fuel in my car. So on the current tank I have, I'm going to try to 'hypermile it' to an extent to see what the vRS can do over a full tank. Also, I'm interested to see how the different driving style works.

 

I'll be keeping a rough log here until the next fill up

 

Day 2... yesterday I filled up a full tank of V-Power, reset the long term mpg average on the computer and started doing the 'i'm a green driver thing'. Gear changes @ 2.5k rpm, keep the speed down, brake as little as possible etc etc. Yesterday's average was 37.6 mpg, which is certainly an improvement. I've found a nice little sweet spot @ 68mph in 5th that seems to keep the mpg around the 60 mark on the dash - so it's clearly the stop start traffic that's killing the overall average. Today I'm experimenting a little more, taped up the bonnet edges, panel gaps etc on the front of the car and I spent some good time tucked in behind a lorry on the way to work to 'draft' a little. Will see what difference it makes...

I'm going back to commuting daily from next week and will be doing 80 miles a day. Normally average around 35mpg but will try and adjust my driving a bit to get nearer 40. Might try one tank of not overtaking anything and not going above 70 just to see how much difference it makes!

 

I might go back to using Fuelly again as well. I stopped using it 3 years ago when I stopped commuting every day. Also it shows the total I was spending on fuel which added up to quite a lot! It's 15p a litre less now which is good though.

 

I also switched from 205/50 tyres to 225/45. At first I thought fuel economy was worse but now I've had the 225s on over a year I don't think there is much in it. Really hard to drive exactly the same all the time to get an accurate comparison as the traffic varies, especially if there's an accident causing crawling traffic.

How have you adjusted your driving? I used to pulse and lift on the throttle, works quite well. I also found a bit of speed is a good thing, momentum is important especially in Wales going up and down all the time. It amuses me how some on the road think that going slow yields more economy, not necessarily at all because that often means you're in the incorrect gear or have to give too much gas on the next incline. Use the ground wisely I say.

For the record I used to get a steady 36 mpg all the time in rural Wales. A, B roads, dodgy lanes, steep hills and small towns. I was always disappointed with less than 40 on a big journey (near Aberystwyth to West Midlands for example).

And yes you're spot on about v power, I pulled a 1.5-2 mpg increase in the Saab Aero. The guy who had it before me put any old cack in it, the car likes me now.

I find 3000rpm to be the magic number, changing gear there gives plenty of momentum, cruising below to maintain mpg, but like I sai don't be afraid to give it a good squirter and lift off for longer.

End of day 2.

So far I've done 83 miles since the tank was filled. Trip home achieved an indicated 42.7 mpg which I'm fairly happy with - means the tank average is up to 38.7. Trip computer is still showing a 470 mile range

I take the computer with a pinch of salt but if we say it's right that would be over 550 miles to a tank. Assuming a 55 litre tank that works out at 38.9 mpg overall which I'd be happy with if I can get there.

Can't recommend fuelly enough. I'm not really into all this stuff but I like to track it and keep an eye on average costs etc. My last car was a 150bhp Alfa Romeo, got about 30mpg over 15k miles. Current vRS is remapped to about 220bhp (if RR print out from last owner is to be believed) and also gets about 30mpg average so I'm happy with a 45 ish percent increase in power for no extra cost - victory for man maths!

Interesting comments. I'd be well chuffed with 36 average in those conditions yellowcar! Were you mapped? I can't remember. Think my map might have as much impact as anything, was done by some garage I've never heard of up north and it feels quite aggressive which I think costs me when building momentum up.

What I'm doing at the moment is slow and gentle acceleration, 2.5 to 3 k on the up shift with as little throttle as possible. Once up to motorway speed I'll sit at just under 70 in 5th again with a feather touch, and aim to use brakes as little as humanly possible. I have three long but gentle inclines on my route, for those I try to use the downhill bit to build momentum and then ease off on the uphill. Wherever possible I coast. On the non motorway bits I've started route planning - coming back home I have to get the nipper from nursery. I can go one route that involves a 30 mph section with 5 vicious speed bumps - for the sake of my suspension I have to take these around 15 mph max which is too much braking and accelerating. Alternative route is 40mph which I can do at low rpm in 4th and has one set of traffic lights. If I time the lights right I can coast up and hold momentum as I go through, if they go red they are red long enough that I can kill the ignition and restart the engine as they go green.

Interesting point on the squirt and Coast method though. I know from past experience that a quick burn up to speed will drop to 9mpg, but then afterwards you can let up and hit 100mpg (indicated) for a good while. I suppose the question is would that balance out around the same as a steady 40mpg or would the acceleration squirt cost too much? Will have a try tomorrow.

I think it depends on circumstances but when timed right and used well you'll gain more on the lift than you lose on the squirt if you know what I mean. You're right about braking it's bad news, look well ahead and use engine speed and throttle sense is the way forward.

My car was mapped yes, stage 1. Had a terraclean as well which may have helped. It was quite a torquey map but as you rightly say it gives more power for on throttle angle so you can use that to be more economical.

Route planning is important and I'd rather pick a slightly longer route with more favourable opportunities for momentum gathering and light throttle use to maintain speed. 20mph zones and urban driving is a killer, but being super smooth and braking very early and lightly there are gains to be made, or rather you can limit losses.

Apparently the on board computer isn't that far out from fuelly or measuring tank per mileage.

I will also add that driving like this is not only an interesting exercise but it makes you a safer, more proactive driver. Pretty soon the good habits will persist and it will become second nature, and saving consistently means you can afford to have fun too (there is still a driving instructor inside me somewhere). Besides, our roads have speed limits so the fun becomes carrying speed and momentum through twisty sections! What brakes?

Doubt I'll achieve these kind of figures in the Saab being a 5 speed auto at 250bhp with 350nms standard, but now I've got it running right and on the v power I'll try. On my run into Aber along the coast and my usual route back (which is mainly uphill) the fuel gauge hardly moved and the computer is consistently climbing following stat replacement and road tests which killed it. It only measures overall but is heading towards 29 mpg, be into the 30s soon, need a good run to build it up. What I quite like is getting it high on the motorway runs and seeing how long I can keep it up there. I've actually found sports mode to be more driveable from an economy point of view, less gear changes and less throttle needed, I also find using the other box settings very handy.

I'm loving this thread!  I thought I was the only one geeky enough to care about this kind of thing but it seems that there are others out there too.

 

I've been using Fuelly since I got the Vectra and it's a real eye opener in terms of how weather, driving style and other factors affect the amount of fuel I use.  I also reckon the Vectra has made me a safer driver for various reasons, one being the fuel bill.  We recently had a holiday in in France and drove from North Yorkshire to just outside Paris.  We have three children so the car was packed and weighed more than normal but everything went in the boot so no need for a roof box.  I brimmed the tank, set the trip computer to zero as we left and then took this picture as we rolled back onto the drive nine days later.

 

 

The car is the standard 280bhp model with no mods other than some Heko wind deflectors and a K&N panel filter that was in the car when I bought it. It's a very similar engine to that in YellowCar's Saab and is renowned for liking a drink.  However, as you can see it did quite well over the 1050 miles.  This included queues on the French motorways, pottering around whilst out in France and all the usual stop start of the Eurotunnel system.  I've tried varying techniques to get the best out of the tank but using the torque of the V6 added to listening to the engine can provide some amazing results.  In fact, on the way down to Folkestone the car managed 37.2mpg according to Fuelly so I was very pleased with that. 

 

To some people these figures are laughable in terms of MPG in a world of eco cars but I'm quite happy with the numbers below,

 

 

I had the timing chains done a few months back and the economy has improved since so perhaps this time next year the average will be above 29mpg, maybe even 30?  We'll see but for now keep this thread going as it's one of the more interesting on the forum.  At least it makes a change from people arguing about Golf Rs and other such cars.

 

edit - Forgot to add that when I had the Octavia vRS I averaged 32.5mpg over the six and a half years I had it.  I had a little book that I wrote everything down in and was meticulous about keeping every detail.  Very sad but it kept me amused.

It is a good thread. I need to get fuelly running, it's mainly driving techniques that interest me and the most effective ones tend to come about through thinking about efficiency and smooth driving. And this doesn't necessarily mean slow.

I find your results pretty impressive skinnyman. I have driven in France myself and found I fitted in with their 'manners' quite well (they actually let people overtake and don't get arsey about it). I didn't drive Paris mind this was West coast. The main roads over there are glass smooth which I think helps.

You're dead right about listening to, and using the potential of your car and understanding it's power delivery. I have cruise control again in the Saab (used to have it in a Seat V5) but I only use it occasionally for economy reasons, I'd rather manage it myself which tends to be more efficient. Pulse and lift is pretty good on the motorway. Early planning and awareness are also real key skills for hypermiling and it doesn't take much to see the benefits of that on the motorway when you're surrounded by people driving reactively rather than proactively.

Also, remember to turn stuff off when you don't need it lol.

I run a log for the Tdi Octy here:

http://www.spritmonitor.de/en/detail/706177.html

and have a thread for it / my mpg here:

[url="http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/357862-2001-octavia-tdi-90-hatch-the-miserly-missile/?fromsearch=1"[/url]

amazing what changing the nut behind the wheel can do tbh, oddly, some of the techniques available can make you faster a to b.

you been on any of the fora?

Edited 13 August, 201510 yr by WoodieGuthrie

Glad there's some interest here and I'm not just boring everyone senseless! Some very impressive numbers there skinnyman, especially from that type of engine. I would assume that the torque makes a difference. I've always wondered at the difference in a nice efficient high mpg hatch like a Polo running at 80mph under load on a motorway run vs a big low mpg v6 or v8 doing the same with virtually no rpm use. Would imagine they'd come out fairly similar tbh. I know my wife's old 1.2 Punto would do 45-50 mpg whatever you did to it but sit at speed on the motorway for an extended period and that would come down to mid 30s.

Day three update

Horrible rainy day. Forced to put the air con on a couple of times as my windscreen was steaming up. Bursted it for the bare minimum to clear it and then off again but felt dirty doing it.

Also made a distinct error in judgement at lunch, needed to pop to Tesco but it was peeing it down and had no brolly. So I took the car and sat in crawling traffic for 4 miles... Big mistake.

In other news I'm finding a new angle to road rage. Instead of going along in in lane 3 and swearing at the chap sat at 60 who won't pull over, I now find myself merrily cruising along in lane 1 and swearing at the sudden, not needed hard braking in front of me. Usually I can coast to avoid it it but when it's hard and sudden I have to react, and a move to lane 2 without adjusting throttle is only possible with care. Fine if the lane is clear but not when I have a van in the wrong place! Also spending time checking mirrors and thinking "hmm, I could overtake nicely here on this downhill bit, but that Vauxhall Agila with a pensioner on board might force me to accelerate to make the gap". What used to be "there's a gap, go, vroooom" is suddenly s much more complex decision making process with so many more variables.

Those anticipation skills mentioned above are certainly going to get going quickly. I'm adapting already but there's certainly a lot more to think about!

133 miles into the tank, now showing a range of 405 miles. Commute this morning got 39.5 mpg, coming back a lovely 41.0 with squirt and coast, so definitely merit in using that technique. However my lunchtime excursion has cost me, with overall tank average dropping to 38.5mpg.

Still good numbers though dude. The motorway is where planning well in advance really helps. I'm scanning as far as I can see and assessing closing speeds from way off and those closing behind. There are always going to be people who dive into a nice gap you've created with throttle sense and force you to react. Just try and react as smoothly as possible and you won't lose much.

Interesting what you say about the polo. I found my VRS was better on fuel and more economically driveable than the Mrs' 1.4 Megane scenic. Drove the Renault to the west midlands today and it peeked at 35.3mpg. Now this wasn't reset, it's a long term overall, but in the same circumstances in the VRS I'd have got it up to 39 at least without a reset on the overall. Be interesting to see if I can get the Saab to beat the Megane as well. And it is simply because the small engine is inherently economical but in real world driving you have to work it so hard and it's pretty hard work being in the right gear. Quite often you think you've got it right and then it dies meaning you have to change down halfway up a hill and give it some beans - eewww nasty driving.

Forgot to mention earlier as well block gearing is a very useful skill. 1st - 2nd and 2nd - 4th aren't particularly nice but 3rd - 5th is sweet. If you think about when accelerating up through gears in cars with some poke, why do you need 4th gear to get you to 60/70 and then to 5th. Skip it. Also we taught that if you can see you're having to stop up ahead, don't change down, just come to a stop in the gear you're in, block gearing saves a fair bit.

Girardi, even though you're 'down' to 38.5 mpg that's still good going really.  It's more a true reflection of day to day driving in the UK as not every journey will be on the motorway or indeed free of standing traffic at some point.

 

When you say squirt and coast, what level of throttle are you using?  I agree with you on the anticipation and looking ahead technique on the motorway.  I'm always looking behind in the mirror to see how fast people are approaching and if I can move lanes without any more acceleration needed or even worse deceleration.

 

As for comparisons, like you YellowCar, I have another car in the Ignis to compare with.  It's a lightweight at just over 900kg but the 107bhp gives it a reasonable power to weight ratio.  We average about 35mpg from a tank but that's mostly urban driving.  If taken on a long run it'll return nearer 45mpg from a tank and that's not worrying too much about conserving fuel.  It's happier between 70mph and 80mph on a long run so is a total opposite to the Octavia vRS or the Vectra in that respect.

When I pulse and lift on the motorway I'll often use the pulse to overtake/change lanes and lift after changing back. When cruising I assess the relief of the road and will probably pulse up to between 73 and 78, being careful not to go too much over 3000rpm. On a downhill section you can pulse with shorter and sharper bursts and you'll then be lifted for a decent amount of time. It's something you largely teach yourself considering your own car and the conditions you're amongst at the time, but again it becomes something you do without giving it much thought in the end. I think it's generally better for economy than steady state throttle or cruise control.

Quick update.

 

Stats so far are now as follows;

283 miles travelled. Range is showing 205 miles left and we're now over halfway into the tank. Overall tank average now down to 38.3mpg :(

 

I'm consistently averaging 41+mpg on the way back from work, but only managing to hold a consistent 38-39 going to work due to the traffic which is costing the overall average. Also did a trip to the zoo with the family at the weekend and the extra weight combined with a whole pile of country back roads did make a bit of a dent. Overall though I'm still pretty happy!

 

Pulse and coast is serving me well now - and at least means I don't feel quite so much of an OAP while driving. Timed well I can hold 100mpg (indicated) for a good few minutes which can only be a good thing.

 

One thing I will say is that now I no longer remember what boost is (it's a thing of the distant past), outside of the mental computations of anticipation and maintaining fuel efficiency my driving has become more laid back - dare I say dangerous?

 

Previously I would be steaming along, constantly reassessing potential risks and have my brain working constantly on what everyone in sight is doing, how and when and what me and the car are up to.

Now it's more like... "can I overtake that bloke here? Nah probably not there's a hill in a second and that Yaris looks like he might be alongside in a minute. God look at that roadsign, they should probably cut that bush back soon as you can barely see where the junction goes off to. Oh look there's some bloke stood in a boat over there, wonder what he's doing out today, it's proper windy. Maybe he's fishing. Oh well, good luck to him anyway. Hmm, I'm getting closer to that lorry, can I get round him? Yeah, got a gap before than van pulls up to me. Ah and now we're down hill - FREE POWER! There's a costa's at the next services isn't there? I fancy a mocha. Or maybe a latte - go on, why not. Though the mocha is good. Think I might have enough change in here somewhere, there's probably some in the ashtray, let's have a rootle around...."

 

Certainly my observation and so on are much better when 'at speed'. In the current style, when it matters to the MPG I have a lot to think about - the rest of the time my mind just wanders all over the place. Not sure if I like that or not...

interesting update cheers!

don't fear the boost-use it to get you up to your start speed for coasting sooner:)

re the mpg vs observation-its a case of assessing far ahead of time so you can work out your plan well in advance.

try ignoring the mpg readouts for a bit and spend some time trying to concentrate on smooth driving, and inderstanding how best to fit your new routines in.

you will likely find thst your mpg improves

Lol, it's amazing what your brain can fill gaps with.  Being cautious and more defensive certainly doesn't mean more dangerous, but being distracted does.  As said above being smooth is where it's at, with that and planning well ahead and anticipating gives your brain plenty to think about, and this is a more preferable, les stressful state of mind than hairing around with your eyeballs on stalks (with less time to react of course).  It's surprising how swift (and I use that word instead of fast) you can be whilst still being efficient if you're less hung up on the numbers.  I used to teach people to imagine they had a glass of water on the dashboard when driving, when I drive manual I try and change gear in such a way that passengers don't notice the change apart from my arm moving, that kind of thing makes for a relaxing, safe journey and you can still be swift even if you don't appear to be, if you know what I mean.

 

There's no harm in combining opportunities for overtaking with moments of efficiency, as long as it's stil the right time.  Sometimes though you have to take it on the chin, few days running now I've had to overtake up the loooooong hill on my way home, not nice, but that's life.  A driving utopia is pretty far away, learn to enjoy the rough with the smooth. 

 

They're still good numbers by the way, my Saab has wet dreams about that kind of mpg.

Love this thread. I often find myself playing the miles per tank game. The VRS seems to have a very free drive train and can coast for ages with a slight gradient.

Love this thread. I often find myself playing the miles per tank game. The VRS seems to have a very free drive train and can coast for ages with a slight gradient.

I noticed that yes, it's also an advantage of the weight of the Saab and 5th in the auto box, I just have to remember there less engine braking when I need it and need to select settings effectively to make slowing down more economical and make sure I'm in a slightly lower gear if I need to give it some gas.

I've been driving like a priest all week. Gauge is about half way and I've done 240 miles, OBC is showing 43mpg average since filling up and 245 miles to empty. I'll try and start updating my Fuelly again.

The latest Fuelly results have come in,

 

Fuel-up Added 31.0 UK MPG Details

• UK MPG: 31.0
• mi/L: 6.8
• Miles: 284.4
• Litres: 41.71
• Price: £1.22/Litre
• Total: £50.84

This is probably a more real figure as the car has done quite a bit of town work recently.  After the refuel it managed 37.0 exactly on the run home so it seems that urban driving really affects the results.  Not surprising really considering the weight of the car and the width of the tyres, anything other than maintaining momentum is bad for economy.

 

Also, to relieve the boredom I allow myself a 'Treat Tank' every now and then.  Ths is a full tank of fuel where I don't worry about economy and just drive how I want and enjoy the car for what it is.  This isn't good for the Fuelly figure either.

The latest Fuelly results have come in,

 

Fuel-up Added 31.0 UK MPG Details

• UK MPG: 31.0
• mi/L: 6.8
• Miles: 284.4
• Litres: 41.71
• Price: £1.22/Litre
• Total: £50.84

This is probably a more real figure as the car has done quite a bit of town work recently.  After the refuel it managed 37.0 exactly on the run home so it seems that urban driving really affects the results.  Not surprising really considering the weight of the car and the width of the tyres, anything other than maintaining momentum is bad for economy.

 

Also, to relieve the boredom I allow myself a 'Treat Tank' every now and then.  Ths is a full tank of fuel where I don't worry about economy and just drive how I want and enjoy the car for what it is.  This isn't good for the Fuelly figure either.

Treat tank is a good idea, I suppose we mustn't forget that these type of cars (especially those with turbos) need a bit of heat and a good blast through every now and again. V power with it it's cleaning properties makes for a pretty effective treat tank as well. I do tend to make sure that no matter how economically I'm trying to drive I do spool up the turbo to max a few times at least, although being in rural Wales the need to overtake often fulfils these requirements.

It's a funny one actually, yesterday on my way in to Aber (a good 30 min run) there was a Zafira up my chuff and seemingly trying to prove some kind of point. No sure what he thought he could prove to an Aero so when I got chance and momentum and gradient and bends were in my favour I gave it a heavy pulse and lift and carried the momentum all the way through to a sharp incline that leads to a long downhill. It's national speed limit there and top gear with lift and engine braking holds perfectly at 60. The zafira became a spec, but god knows how fast he must have gone (nearly 80 down the hill I dare say) as he was back on my bumper in the 30 zone. There's a slight downhill out of the 30 zone so gave it the full beans up to 60 after which I think he finally got the point.

My point is this, I had one of my quickest runs in because of this bit of 'fun'. But at no point broke the speed limit, made my point, used the ground, carried momentum and actually improved my mpg by 0.2 compared to the day before on exactly the same run, which was driven more cautiously and carefully. Swift efficiency is what it's all about and long lifts off gas whenever you can from carrying speed after a pulse at the right time.

Right then folks.

 

With the rain appears to have come a number of a) idiots and b ) people who can't drive which resulted in a lot of stop start traffic. I also got caught out coming out of town over the weekend where some traffic lights were out and ended up stop-starting a lot for over an hour :( The good news is we got SWMBO a new motor yesterday, so I no longer have to drive around collecting the bits that have fallen off her old Leon

 

After an orange light yesterday and circa 10 miles done showing 0 range, I finally topped up this afternoon and have some final figures to report. Indicated on the computer dropped off to 37.5mpg overall by the end of the tank, mostly as a result of the above and despite my best efforts. Still happy with that but a little annoyed that some foolish journey planning has basically resulted in 1mpg overall loss :(

 

However... Fuelly reports 436 miles traveled for near as makes no odds 55 litres. A therefore verified actual figure of 36.1mpg, so the trip computer is therefore out by about 1.4mpg on the whole.

 

Am I happy with that? Hell yeah I am. Great figures - albeit not as high as I was originally anticipating. 

 

Some number crunching reveals a bit more. Taking the current price of V-Power (£1.129 per litre at time of writing) and running a few numbers reveals that at my previous 'baseline' of 30.8mpg I'd spend £1,740 over 10,000 miles and use 324.6 gallons. If I instead adjusted to driving at 36.1mpg instead I'd spend £1,484 on 277.0 gallons over the same mileage. Net result would be a saving of £255.50 which would help my pocket and 47.7 fewer gallons of petrol used which will help the trees and animals and stuff.

 

Here's the rub though - is £255.50 a year saving enough to justify the perceived lack of driving enjoyment? Short answer is no. £22 a month is not going to change anything materially in my life, and I enjoy driving too much to drive the way I have the last couple of weeks on a regular basis.

 

With that said though it's been a real learning experience and there's a number of takeaways courtesy of contributors to this thread which I'll be taking away and trying to apply to my day to day driving anyway.

 

• Pulse and coast. Satisfying and fuel efficient.
• Drive smooth - if a passenger could feel a gear change or a ping pong ball would fall off your dash in a corner, you're doing it wrong. Works regardless of what progress you want to make - and interestingly is apparently what Stirling Moss used to make himself so quick.
• Observation and anticipation. I used to think I did this pretty well anyway, but going for a fuel run has shown me I still have a lot to learn.
• Use the road gradient, no point flooring it up a hill - use momentum to get up with as little power as possible and use the down gradient to your advantage.

Will see how it goes when I get through the next tank without worrying too much about speed and numbers - I anticipate at least a 2-3mpg improvement in my 'normal' baseline from the above alone which will be nice, but we'll see.

 

Oh, and I went through something of a milestone on this exercise as well....

 

Great summary mate and you did acheive some really good numbers.  As you say I think there are greater rewards than a few quid a week to come out of this and that is an advancement of driving technique and some useful ways to apply what you've learned.  I think you're bang on, in that there has to be a happy medium.  Constant hypermiling is where madness lies, life isn't perfect, nor are other drivers with whom we share our space, and neither are we frankly, but there are many benefits still to be had as we roll around amongst the rough and the smooth.  Plus we drive performance cars, it's nice to enjoy them occasionally, and with some good technique you can even do that more efficiently, or at least claw back some of that fuel you 'unnecesarrily' burned.

Just got 442 miles out of a tank of Shell 95 RON, average mpg for the tank is 41.4mpg and the OBC is showing 1-2mpg more than that. The tank took 48.5 litres and the light had come on. I'd normally fill up at 350-400 miles so it has made quite a big difference.

 

When I last used Fuelly I was getting about 37-39mpg, so I've managed about a 10% improvement. Long term savings for me would be similar to Girardi's so not really enough to make me worry about going 70 vs 65 on the motorway for example.

 

A lot of my commute is single carrigeway A-roads and one thing I have noticed is that it rarely makes any real difference to my commute time if I hang back and go a bit slower than the rest of the traffic. Reason being is that often the traffic ahead will get stuck behind a lorry/tractor/coffin dodger and I'll catch them back up again anyway, while having a more relaxing drive and getting better economy.

Just got 442 miles out of a tank of Shell 95 RON, average mpg for the tank is 41.4mpg and the OBC is showing 1-2mpg more than that. The tank took 48.5 litres and the light had come on. I'd normally fill up at 350-400 miles so it has made quite a big difference.

When I last used Fuelly I was getting about 37-39mpg, so I've managed about a 10% improvement. Long term savings for me would be similar to Girardi's so not really enough to make me worry about going 70 vs 65 on the motorway for example.

A lot of my commute is single carrigeway A-roads and one thing I have noticed is that it rarely makes any real difference to my commute time if I hang back and go a bit slower than the rest of the traffic. Reason being is that often the traffic ahead will get stuck behind a lorry/tractor/coffin dodger and I'll catch them back up again anyway, while having a more relaxing drive and getting better economy.

Yep, an unstressed commute makes for a happier driver and sufficient pennies saved for a good hoon on occasion!

I've got a Mk1 vRS. I enjoy it - my driving style is shall we say 'enthusiastic'. Every day I do a 20+ mile commute from home to office and back again - mostly motorway. Stop start traffic at the start and end of the journey.

I recently switched from 205/50 tyres to 225/45 tyres, and was interested to see the difference in MPG as this is always mentioned as the key issue with increasing the tyre width. I use fuelly at every fill up and have a pretty consistent baseline of around 30-31mpg for the old 205's. After the switch, my first two full tanks yielded... 31mpg. So no obvious difference at all. But this peaked my interest...

Anyone who's seen my thread in the past will know I did a semi-scientific study of various fuel types over a prolonged period and found Shell V-Power by far and away gives the best performance and MPG of any other fuel in my car. So on the current tank I have, I'm going to try to 'hypermile it' to an extent to see what the vRS can do over a full tank. Also, I'm interested to see how the different driving style works.

I'll be keeping a rough log here until the next fill up :)

Day 2... yesterday I filled up a full tank of V-Power, reset the long term mpg average on the computer and started doing the 'i'm a green driver thing'. Gear changes @ 2.5k rpm, keep the speed down, brake as little as possible etc etc. Yesterday's average was 37.6 mpg, which is certainly an improvement. I've found a nice little sweet spot @ 68mph in 5th that seems to keep the mpg around the 60 mark on the dash - so it's clearly the stop start traffic that's killing the overall average. Today I'm experimenting a little more, taped up the bonnet edges, panel gaps etc on the front of the car and I spent some good time tucked in behind a lorry on the way to work to 'draft' a little. Will see what difference it makes...

I know this thread is pretty old now, but I too have been looking to fit 225's to my VRS but until now have been put off by the talk of increased MPG. I've read lots of posts where people state losses of up to 5 MPG so I'm thinking it could also be a combination of tyre manufacture too? I'd be interested to know which tyres you had fitted?

Thanks