7 hours ago, roottoot said:

The reason many use a filling station 20 pence tyre inflator even at 20 pence for the front and 20 for the rear is because they check and adjust pressures regularly car loaded, car unloaded, car towing etc, season change etc.

Easy and quick and accurate and if you have one foot or bad knees a foot pump is not ideal or a hand pump or any such.

Sorry George I thought you meant accuracy of pressure gauge.

 

For inflating those wheezy electric inflators that come with the cars will inflate the tyres then check with accurate gauge and deflate to required pressure.  You must admit that you're in the category of the few rather than the many - in many ways. 😉

I do mean the Pressure Gauges are accurate at filling stations where you are paying a company for a service and you are trusting your nearest and dearest and the general public to them having their equipment checked.

Millions of drivers must trust them.   Plenty ladies use them. and some dispense windscreen wash for a fee now and not just H20.

 

I have a tyre pressure gauge with me all the time in a man bag.

I never drive other peoples cars, demonstrators or collect cars without checking tyre pressures.

Cars from dealers / demonstrators are particularly bad for having over inflated tyres, and with hybrids or EV's it is ridiculous what they have those ECO tyres pumped up to.

Edited 22 June, 20223 yr by roottoot

I'll have to take your word for it being much changed from previously, I can't remember ever using one you have to pay for or the last time I used those that were free to use only that it must have been very many years ago.

 

 

MPGwatcher, as a young person of 29 and inexperienced driver you might be believing what the car's computer tells you as regards fuel consumption which may vary from the reality, what you see on a computer screen isn't always correct and with a car it not only depends on the programming but also the accuracy the measuring at various points and the parameters and rounding up and down of the programing. 

 

Try, fill your tank until the first click of the petrol pump, zero your trip meter then when you next refill note how many litres it takes to fill to the first click on the pump, note the mileage, divide the litres into the mileage for litres per mile - or first divide the litres by 4.54 to get number of gallons into the mileage to give mile per gallon.  Then see how this compares with what the computer tells you, hopefully it won't be too far different.

 

 

4 hours ago, MPGwatcher said:

leaving the car in gear clutch down

Not a good idea, surely they don't teach that now?

 

What is forgotten about start/stop is that it's also about reducing emissions, lot less emissions when the engine is not running.

 

15 hours ago, MPGwatcher said:

I have done (unless I'm late). Results weren't as good as I hoped - tried it on the 150mi journey to my parents, I was averaging 65mpg all the way north on the M42/M1, but once I got onto the M18/M180, it tanked to 50mpg no matter what I did. Running 55-60mph the whole journey.

 

On the return journey, the same - 50mpg or less until I hooked South, and suddenly it went back up.

 

Journey average both was, 50-52mpg - barely better than keeping a steady 70.

 

Not part of my car's spec I'm afraid! Sits there idling 😭 I heard years ago that leaving the car in gear clutch down uses little to no fuel, and a (tiny) amount of fuel in neutral.

 

My limited recent experience on UK motorways is that they can carry an awful lot of traffic and often in very close proximity to each other, and means there is a lot of drafting going on, even if it is largely unintentional. 

I'll expect the the M42/M1 was carrying a lot more traffic than the M18/M180 so going onto the less busy roads left you out in the wind on your own so to speak and using more fuel.

We got ridiculously good consumption in our hire Kia Ceed diesel with calculated refills of 70 mpg with extensive touring using UK motorways and having to drive a lot closer to the car in front at speed than I am used to in Australia. If I left my usual comfort distance then it was continual invitation for someone to slip in the gap, usually a BMW and usually without indicating   and the M1 was restricted to 60 mph on the overhead gantries most of the time when we used it

 

Incidentally your Fabia revs at 70 mph are similar to my Echo and reflects that of many other similar small and lower power NA manual cars.

If you want to know how much fuel your car uses while idling then if you go into your display options and change it (temporarily) to metric L/100km then the display will probably show stationary idling consumption in L/hour. Australia is metric and on our 1.4tsi Octavia it is 0.5L/hour with no ancillaries (aircon, heated rear windows, heated mirrors etc) running but increases with greater loads

I've  thought of buying an after market fuel consumption display for my Echo which I put it off since I intended to get rid of the car when something major failed. However the thing just keeps on going, even the aircon has not been recharged in 19 years and still works well.

I just wanted to suggest that the gearbox from a Greenline might be a possibility! They had different ratios then a standard gearbox, to help increase gas miles, along with longer under engine/ car under trays to lessen  wind resistance. They also had different tyres and the MK2 facelift (1.2, not 1.4) had a boot spoiler that again, helped reduce drag. I must admit I don't know if the facelift had a different ratio gearbox like the non-facelift and I have absolutely no idea if the gearbox will swap but I doubt they changed too much aside from internals!

Years ago I went to a driver training and they recommended to inflate tyres to 20% above manufacturer's recommendation. I have been doing this on all our cars and never had what some people predicted, a worn central tread. Just check your tread if you think this might happen. Comfort may suffer a little. Often I inflate my Superb II to fully loaded even for one passenger.

 

Any engine runs best when it is at a constant speed or revs. Deceleration and acceleration is inefficient and increase consumption.

 

Look ahead and try rolling towards the end of a queue of traffic with the car out of gear and foot off the clutch. You can even do this on an automatic or DSG. This comes close to the coasting function on modern gearboxes.

 

 

@26DIPP I was given the same advice on my business sponsored safe driving course.

Higher tyre pressures were to stop the front tyre deforming under emergency braking conditions. Better fuel economy was just a bonus.

On 23/06/2022 at 01:01, nta16 said:

Not a good idea, surely they don't teach that now?

[clutch down, in gear]

 

 

Basically, I was always taught that neutral was an "if you really want to". It wasn't taught "to be in gear, clutch down", but that neutral wasn't pushed.

Literally, just to make it easier for the learner, so they don't have to worry about getting in gear as they work handbrake and revs for setting off. It just sticks.

 

Obviously, if I'm stationary, handbrake is on to counteract. Surely, in a practical sense, in gear and clutch down is the same as neutral, isn't it? Wheels unlocked from engine and vehicle free to move?

15 hours ago, 26DIPP said:

Any engine runs best when it is at a constant speed or revs. Deceleration and acceleration is inefficient and increase consumption.

 

Look ahead and try rolling towards the end of a queue of traffic with the car out of gear and foot off the clutch. You can even do this on an automatic or DSG. This comes close to the coasting function on modern gearboxes.

Because revs are effectively the wheel speed, fuel consumption and revs aren't inherently tied, especially when considering road grade. To maintain constant revs and speed, you're working the accelerator to varying degrees

While on a level road feathering the accelerator for max fuel consumption with min change in speed is easy, working out the "best" way to hypermile uphill is not something I've worked out yet. I just rely on the downhill stretches to balance out the uphill acceleration to maintain a (near)-constant road speed.

@MPGwatcherHave you changed anything since Wednesday, even if just tyre pressures and are you noticing any difference? 

 

Do you know yet if you have a 60 or 69 bhp car.  (You insured it & have the V5)

?

What is the tyre size fitted and the brand, and how many miles has your car done?

 

http://www.hypermiler.co.uk/hypermiling/hypermiling-techniques

 

I take it you use E10 95 Unleaded from the cheapest place you can get it.

E5 97 or 99 ron is unlikely to make any difference what so ever with your cars economy, but if it is only £2.25 extra for the Super Unleaded then maybe try a tank full.

So Sainsbury Super Unleaded 97 ron (minimum) or Tesco Momentum 99  (99 ron minimum)

 

?

Is the car well serviced so has it had spark plugs replaced as far as you know and a fresh / clean air filter in it?

?

When was the last oil change done?

 

 

Edited 24 June, 20223 yr by roottoot

6 hours ago, MPGwatcher said:

Surely, in a practical sense, in gear and clutch down is the same as neutral, isn't it? Wheels unlocked from engine and vehicle free to move?

No it's not and would be a bad practice in some vehicles older than you but as you want to learn about this you can find the info and decide for yourself rather than me direct you to explanations I like.

 

 

7 hours ago, MPGwatcher said:

Because revs are effectively the wheel speed, fuel consumption and revs aren't inherently tied, especially when considering road grade. To maintain constant revs and speed, you're working the accelerator to varying degrees

While on a level road feathering the accelerator for max fuel consumption with min change in speed is easy, working out the "best" way to hypermile uphill is not something I've worked out yet. I just rely on the downhill stretches to balance out the uphill acceleration to maintain a (near)-constant road speed.

I think you're missing out gearing, for uphills if you can carry as much momentum into them, say from a downhill, that will help.  Most modern cars and hindered by their weight (over for German cars perhaps) and the fashion for overwide wheels and tyres doesn't help, improving on what is already loaded against the car is not to add to it and if possible reduce it.  Loads of info about for you to decide which of it you like the look of.

 

 

22 hours ago, 26DIPP said:

Look ahead and try rolling towards the end of a queue of traffic with the car out of gear and foot off the clutch.

The part with the car being out of gear (and foot off clutch) I don't agree with as a good driving technique or that it will save petrol but again you can research and make up your own mind.

 

@nta16 You might not agree with a car being out of gear, but you do not need to win a race. You are not out of control because you are still paying attention and can put the car into gear in seconds if necessary.

 

You are right if you are arguing that in a modern engine there is no fuel injection when the accelerator pedal is not pressed and the the momentum of the car is turning the engine over, but the engine is also braking the car and reducing its speed considerably.

There is a minimum fuel injection to keep the engine ticking over - 0.5l - 1l / hour - when out of gear, but the car can role almost unimpeded for a far longer distance without loosing speed or the driver needing to use fuel to maintain the speed.

@26DIPPI still disagree, I don't think it'd be a good idea for a young inexperienced driver as out of gear gives less control over the vehicle and incidents can happen in seconds or less and inexperience may increase the reaction time.

 

8 hours ago, 26DIPP said:

You are right if you are arguing that in a modern engine there is no fuel injection when the accelerator pedal is not pressed and the the momentum of the car is turning the engine over, but the engine is also braking the car and reducing its speed considerably.

That wasn't me but the engine and transmission are sapping some power whilst also controlling the vehicle and yes it is part of slowing the vehicle to slow or stop the vehicle.

 

8 hours ago, 26DIPP said:

There is a minimum fuel injection to keep the engine ticking over - 0.5l - 1l / hour

That's a wide ranging figure where did you get it from, if the car's display I'm not sure the instruments are that accurate and if such figures are within the parameters of the range of accuracy for the instruments or computer programing - but you or others may know where I don't.  Some VW figures seem to lie more than 'The Donald' at a round of golf or Presidency. 🙂

 

From another (much overrated) German marque.  - 

"When your car is coasting it still requires a small amount of fuel in order to power the engine.  This is called ‘idling’ and is the same at any point your engine is running but that you are stationary.  However, when you remain in gear and travel without your foot on the accelerator, electric sensors will detect that the accelerator isn’t engaged and will automatically cut fuel to the injector.  Because the wheels are still connected to the engine (as is not the case in neutral or with the clutch depressed), they keep the engine running without the need for fuel." - https://www.mercedes-benzsouthwest.co.uk/blog/are-you-coasting-towards-more-repairs

 

I realise you weren't referring to coasting downhill but @MPGwatcher may remember Rule 122 of the Highway Code (and no I didn't know it was Rule 122, not sure they had Rules the last time I read a copy of the Highway Code). - https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/general-rules-techniques-and-advice-for-all-drivers-and-riders-103-to-158

 

In my car, from 1973, for fuel economy it would pay me to coast to a stop as long as I wasn't using the clutch more than the gear changing I would have done and wearing out the release bearing more (especially with a non-synchro 1st gear).

 

Edited 28 June, 20223 yr by nta16

This thread appears to be derailing somewhat, I think the OP has his answer anyway: Do it with tyres, not imaginary extra gears.

Well said, Sep.

 

That said, I too, disagree with the slowing down with car in neutral, foot off clutch.  To say "you are still paying attention and can put the car into gear in seconds if necessary".  Is absolute stupidity as the normal minimal safe stopping distance is TWO seconds and in my experience, most road users really leave half of that.

That few seconds of getting the car back in to gear, could be the difference between colliding or not colliding with another vehicle. A nasty smash will outweigh ANY savings made on fuel, probably over a lifetime of coasting, etc to save a few ml of fuel, here and there.

 

I bet whoever wrote that, moans their ar5e off about lorry drivers, who tailgate other drivers to save a bit of fuel!

Another derailment (! ?).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

🤣

 

"Three wheels on my wagon . . ."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1pFTSQfmhU