what is everyone getting mpg wise now the weather has got colder?
in the summer my punto could do around 50 mpg at 70mph and around 60mpg at 55/60 mph.
the weather is now colder and i cant get it over 41mpg and it just seems to drink fuel. i put in £20 worth, 131.9 a litre and got 140 miles before the needle was back in the middle of the red part of the gauge. the car has not been used a great deal, as done 4 miles to and from work, i let the car heat up for 10 min in the morning but when leaving to go home i dont let it warm up.

there is mayo build up in the filler cap which i have never had before, this could just be from cold short drives? if i start it and rev it from cold it will miss fire aropund 3k but not when driving? coolant level stays around the same and ius changed every year. its done 60k with the same head gasket, drives fine?

is this normal since its got colder?

pondy said:

what is everyone getting mpg wise now the weather has got colder?
in the summer my punto could do around 50 mpg at 70mph and around 60mpg at 55/60 mph.
the weather is now colder and i cant get it over 41mpg and it just seems to drink fuel. i put in £20 worth, 131.9 a litre and got 140 miles before the needle was back in the middle of the red part of the gauge. the car has not been used a great deal, as done 4 miles to and from work, i let the car heat up for 10 min in the morning but when leaving to go home i dont let it warm up.

there is mayo build up in the filler cap which i have never had before, this could just be from cold short drives? if i start it and rev it from cold it will miss fire aropund 3k but not when driving? coolant level stays around the same and ius changed every year. its done 60k with the same head gasket, drives fine?

is this normal since its got colder?

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worst thing you can do as it is the quickest way to wear the engine out
i do it too though but im never a long enough custodian of a car to worry about bore wear
mines a 1.4 16 valve and its averaging 31 mpg whereas i would normally expect 40 in warmer weather
obviously keeping everything in tip top tune, tyres fully pumped,no sticking brakes and no cadavers in the trunk helps too

s and b said:

worst thing you can do as it is the quickest way to wear the engine out
i do it too though but im never a long enough custodian of a car to worry about bore wear
mines a 1.4 16 valve and its averaging 31 mpg whereas i would normally expect 40 in warmer weather
obviously keeping everything in tip top tune, tyres fully pumped,no sticking brakes and no cadavers in the trunk helps too

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So THAT'S what I'm doing wrong...bugger...

Try blanking off some (not all!) of the radiator. Keep youe eye on the temp guage.

a small film on the filler cap is normal

The Oil chamber has HOT Oil and Hot AIR

Leave it outside in the cold - Hot goes to cold = Water
Water + Oil = mayo

So yes a film is expected, but nothing too big....

As for Low MPG
the Cold air is more dense then warm air
So dense air has more Oxygen in it - Means the car has to fuel more to get the correct fuel to air mixture ratio = more fuel used But more power

so expect lower mpg
And letting the car warm up a mistake
I stick the engine on when i quickly scrape it, get in and drive off
5mins later its warming up and i'm defrosted nicely

Another Tip is - wait till the engine warms up BEFORE wacking the heaters on
the engine stuggles to warm up if you are nicking what heat its making via the blowers
And when its cold it uses EVEN more fuel
So wait till it starts to climb up and then put the fans on slow and speed it up as the engine warms up

ziggy

Oh and expect the needle to drop when sat at the lights or traffic when the heaters are on hot and your not moving

Ziggy

They say that you should drive straight away when it's cold yet you can't in the winter as you have to defrost/demist the screen etc.

Also check your tyre pressures as they will be a little lower when it's colder. Hence they always say check them when they are cold.

Heated rear screen/mirrors and the increase use of lights also have a impact.

My HGT normally does around 34mpg but when it's freezing I get around 31 if I'm lucky

id once seen 60.7 mpg but normally mine is around 31-34 mpg

and drinks petrol, 25 euro lasts 3-4 days and and average speed would be about 80- 95 kmp/h

fingers99 said:

Try blanking off some (not all!) of the radiator. Keep youe eye on the temp guage.

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i wouldnt do this with a punto
remember they can be hand grenades with the pin already removed if system isnt up to scratch and this is ideal weather for a stat to stick and everyone ive ever had to do in all types of punto always sticks shut
best leave the card down the radiator to dads viva

Plus cold oil flows slower than hot oil, it is essentially thicker. Thus increased drag on the engine. Also, head lights, heated rear screen and heater blower fan gobble power of the battery, causing more drag on the altenator as it works to replace the charge.
Happy days. Roll on Summer!