GTi Mileage

[Pepsi]

I need to cut out on short journeys to work!

I've done about 70 miles on this fill up without using the 'click' and I've used about 3/8's of the tank according to the gauge.

I have given it a bit of right foot though, nothing too bad though!

My old 1.2 clio used to get 43mpg doing the same journeys, the GTi is doing around 31/32 at the minute!

[matt~black]

just got back from lemans and i got 270 out of the first tank took 27litres 45mpg that was not far into france the second tank was 260 miles and took 29 litres maths has got to complicated for me but at a guess i'd say that's above 40 then on the way back i followed a convoy of tvr's at 120 for about half hour so only saw 250 on 28 litres and now it is empty again on about 260 but i did get stuck in traffic for an hour on the m25 how do you get 400 miles from a tank i need to see this to believe it i drove really steady on the first 2 tanks and still have never topped 45mpg

[bossjohnc]

Well I'm doing a fair bit of driving at the moment, I think I'm on about 310 miles, and I'm just under the halfway mark.

I am using all of the expansion space, this works out to around 10 litres after the click. This doesn't make the exercise irrelevant - I want to get as many miles to a tank as I can! After I'm done, I'll fill back right up to the top, and take the amount I fill up with to measure my MPG.

I'll give a few tips, but please note that this isn't a particularly safe or practical way to drive, especially in town. These are my own findings/opinions and they seem to work for me!

Your optimum speed is around 55mph - perhaps slightly less up hills, and possibly more down. Imagine you're on a push bike, and think about the effort required to go up hills. Top gear is not always the best gear to be in - if you can get up a hill easier in another gear without pushing the accelerator down any more than you would in a higher gear, it's usually a better gear to be in.

Try never using more than about 1 inch of the loud pedal - no heavy acceleration, and never ever ever touch the brake if you can avoid it.

If you find yourself going too fast for the conditions, or faster than 50-55mph, dip the clutch. Coast. No driving instructor or television presenter will ever tell you to do this, as it does remove an element of control from your driving - but it's absolutetly key to economy. This works especially well down long hills. However if you're still going too fast use engine braking - starting with top gear. Doing this will mean that the engine won't even require any 'tick over' juice.

Take note of what's going on in the road way, way ahead of you, if you see a red light in the distance do not accelerate towards it - slow down enough that when you get to it, it's green. It takes a fair amount more juice to get a car going from 0mph than 5mph. If you know the lights well, try to predict when they'll turn green and adjust your speed to give the optimum effect (e.g. make sure you're going as fast as you can when you get to them when they're green).

Leave a large gap between you and the car ahead - this way if they start a manouvre like turning right - you can make a judgement on how long it's going to take them (look at the amount of oncoming traffic) and adjust your speed accordingly - avoiding stopping altogether.

Don't brake for corners! Coast toward them if you need to slow down - make sure you slow down in plenty of time, so that you can avoid the brakes.

Roundabouts - try and avoid stopping. If you can, get a good idea of where you can fit in to the traffic and go for the gap - but be ready to hit the brakes if this doesn't quite work out.

Motorways require far less concentration - 55mph might be optimal but it does tend to upset HGVs, so I usually stick to 60 - 65mph. It's boring, but it'll do the job of saving fuel. Again, leave a big gap - and avoid stop/starting in motorway traffic by travelling at an 'average' speed.

[Tigz™]

This is the most boring thread.

Ever.

Buy a Skoda VRS.

[bossjohnc]

Yeah, I agree it is boring, but it requires a hell of a lot of concentration.

I'll be making up for it next month by taking a nice thirsty V8 mustang GT across America though

[Tigz™]

I'll be making up for it next month by taking a nice thirsty V8 mustang GT across America though

Good lad!

[cardaft]

I am using all of the expansion space, this works out to around 10 litres after the click. This doesn't make the exercise irrelevant - I want to get as many miles to a tank as I can! After I'm done, I'll fill back right up to the top, and take the amount I fill up with to measure my MPG.

Sorry i wasnt meaning that as a negative comment. Ill be interested to see what MPG you achieve!

I'll give a few tips, but please note that this isn't a particularly safe or practical way to drive, especially in town. These are my own findings/opinions and they seem to work for me!

If you find yourself going too fast for the conditions, or faster than 50-55mph, dip the clutch. Coast. No driving instructor or television presenter will ever tell you to do this, as it does remove an element of control from your driving - but it's absolutetly key to economy. This works especially well down long hills. However if you're still going too fast use engine braking - starting with top gear. Doing this will mean that the engine won't even require any 'tick over' juice.

Some really good tips there, very useful.

Although is it not better to keep the clutch engaged and leave it in gear, whilest easing off the accelerator. As with it in gear and no foot on the accelerator pedal it wont use any fuel at all!

When im trying for good economy, if i coast while still in gear up to lights, stationary traffic etc, it really does increase my MPG. Althogh obviously you carnt coast for as long as you can if you were in neutral, as the engine is trying to slow you down.

[bossjohnc]

Some really good tips there, very useful.

Although is it not better to keep the clutch engaged and leave it in gear, whilest easing off the accelerator. As with it in gear and no foot on the accelerator pedal it wont use any fuel at all!

When im trying for good economy, if i coast while still in gear up to lights, stationary traffic etc, it really does increase my MPG. Althogh obviously you carnt coast for as long as you can if you were in neutral, as the engine is trying to slow you down.

Thanks for the comments - coasting up to lights etc needs management. If you're going to be stopping anyway, then there's absolutely no point in coasting (as you say, this will increase your MPG overall). If however, you can see far ahead enough to ease off the accelerator and coast up so that when you get to the lights they're green, you won't have the engine slowing you down. Equally, on a big hill at 60mph for example, if you can coast down and remain at 60mph it's far more efficient than keeping your foot on the gas and the engine at 2.5-3k RPM. Well, that's my experience anyway.

This does also all need to be balanced with clutch wear. If I've been coasting like this down a hill I do give the throttle a quick blip to get back up to speed before letting the clutch back up. Not doing this might increase tank economy very slightly, but it'll end up costing more in clutches!

[Defcon5]

j then on the way back i followed a convoy of tvr's at 120 for about half hour so only saw 250 on 28 litres and now it is empty again on about 260 but i did get stuck in traffic for an hour on the m25

250 miles on 28 litres is 40mpg, so if you got that whilst doing 120mph that is very good

[Silver!]

Of course as said you could buy a diesel and join the "Happy I Own a Diesel Club"

[cardaft]

Of course as said you could buy a diesel and join the "Happy I Own a Diesel Club"

Diesel depression

LMAO

[Tigz™]

@ Silver!

[retronickk]

Does every loop have the secret "BUTTON"

Have a 1.0 an only get like 35mpg, live in the hills see,

Filling up every other day ARGH!!

[Tigz™]

Yes, its a small plastic lug, you cant really miss it.

When you pump it you can hear it.

[Silver!]

Careful if you do this to max your tank out. Don't do it and then leave it parked in the hot weather. Only do it if you're gonna drive it straight away or in cooler times.

The space left is for expansion! Petrol expands like a pregnant bitch when hot.

I exploded an aluminium Sigg fuel bottle when I overfilled it and left it the boot of my car in summer!

Take care out there!

[Philplop]

Jon's Octavia VRS is a 2.0TFSI petrol.

[Silver!]

Jon's Octavia VRS is a 2.0TFSI petrol.

Who cares I just wanted to post that pic as they look so happy!

Jon looks bored maybe 'cause Matt was talking diesel. Matt looks bored 'cause Jon was boasting about his pudding.

Or maybe Jon was thinking of his last oil burner.

Edited June 16, 2008 by Silver!

[matt~black]

250 miles on 28 litres is 40mpg, so if you got that whilst doing 120mph that is very good

yeah not bad i decided when i started chasing their convoy that once it had used the first quater i would slow back down to normal speeds so being as i had just filled up and driven about 3miles to the toll road before i joined them it isn't bad i reckon at that pace i would still average 30mpg fr the whole tank which isn't that bad

[blackcat]

There is an email doing the rounds amoung car users between friends..

The short version is this, a petrol gun at the station has 3 pressure points.. if you pull the trigger as it were, all the way, the fuel flows and the numbers race through.. The trick is, you have to gently squeeze the trigger so that petrol starts flowing at the 1st pressure point and as long as you do this you actually get more fuel going into your tank by the time you finish fuelling because the fumes coming back out get a chance to escape, whearas if you fuel too fast, the fumes escaping are included in the final sale making your fueling more expensive.. AND the only time to fuel is early in the morning as the earth is cooler meaning a heavier concentration of fuel and not a light heated afternoon version going into your tank...

Even though I take ages at the pump I use the 1st pressure point at the local Sainsburys petrol station, I do it to this day.

I'll look for the email that backs this up and post it..

J

[matt~black]

actualy i always thought if you buy fuel on a hot day due to it "expanding like a pregnant bitch" do youy actualy get less or are the tanks cooled to prevent this

[bossjohnc]

The tanks are underground anyway, so the temperature won't vary a great deal, but yes - it's better to fill in the morning after a cold night.

Not entirely sure about the fuel vapour escaping though - if you're filling your tank, surely the air inside it has to go somewhere regardless of how quickly the fuel goes in? I can't think that this would do anything other than annoy the people behind you... did the e-mail by any chance say "forward this to everyone in your address book" or anything like that?

[Silver!]

Sorry I may be stupid, but surely the fuel is measured in the pump not in your tank. Therefore it is the fuel that passes out of the pump that effects the numbers not what ends up into your tank.

"Flow measurement is typically done by a turbine in the fuel flow. In older gas pumps, the turbine is physically coupled to reeled meters (moving wheels with numbers on the side), while newer pumps turn the turbine's movement into electrical pulses using a rotary encoder."

I'm sure Trading Standards/Weights and Measures officers would have a field day if it was possible to cheat the pump either way.

[Defcon5]

Even though I take ages at the pump I use the 1st pressure point at the local Sainsburys petrol station, I do it to this day.

I'll look for the email that backs this up and post it..

J

So how much does it cost you to fill a Lupo tank on average?

[Joe]

Sorry I may be stupid, but surely the fuel is measured in the pump not in your tank. Therefore it is the fuel that passes out of the pump that effects the numbers not what ends up into your tank.

"Flow measurement is typically done by a turbine in the fuel flow. In older gas pumps, the turbine is physically coupled to reeled meters (moving wheels with numbers on the side), while newer pumps turn the turbine's movement into electrical pulses using a rotary encoder."

I'm sure Trading Standards/Weights and Measures officers would have a field day if it was possible to cheat the pump either way.

It is, although *edit*blackcat*edit* speaks some sense. Petrol evaporates very easily, and so the slower you put it into the tank, the less evaporates. So if you had two epople filling up a lupo, one filling up slowly, one filling up fast, both putting in £25, the person filling up slower would, in theory, get more petrol

Edited June 19, 2008 by Joe

[Defcon5]

It is, althoughdefcon speaks some sense. Petrol evaporates very easily, and so the slower you put it into the tank, the less evaporates. So if you had two epople filling up a lupo, one filling up slowly, one filling up fast, both putting in £25, the person filling up slower would, in theory, get more petrol

But the person filling up slower would have their fill cap open for twice as long so surely more would evaporate?