Technical fuel consumption

[ChrisF]

I live in urban driving hell, 4th and 5th gears are a novelty on my trip to work, a million sets of traffic lights 5 sets of school run traffic. Returning an average speed of 16mph with an average consumption of between 26 and 29 mpg. Not too bad, im usually changing gear around 3-3.5k rpm and the engine has just broken 2000miles. Usually when im on holiday and on a nice open road (say up around loch lomond, ive seen the instant consumption cruise around 40-50 mpg and downhill around 70-80mpg. I have felt the engine starting to loosen up a bit, seems to be getting a little more perky on take off and gear changes are getting less jumpy.

A tank lasts me about 2 weeks so im not really fussed

 

[gaddass]

with the driving I do in the day if I kept itabove 3k Id sound like one of those grannies that drive around in 2nd all day.Anyway Ive driven down the A road today and given it some welly(avg 62mph over 18 mile)and got 25.7mpg so Id say youve got a problem.

 

[Johny]

as Chris i also live in a sort of urban driving hell I do about 21 mpg with my Abarth which is confusing cause if i calculate with a pen and paper i should be doing about 24mpg perhaps more. anyway ive just started noticing that the trip computer might be a bit too much of a petrol head so I'll keep track of it on this fuel tank and see whats what.

 

[apierdomi]

I get normally 23-24.8 mpg: 100% urban driving with the revs niddle often in the red. Love to push 1st and 2nd to the limit.
I do not complain at all.
It is fun. Any other 1.8 doing the same on an urban cycle?

 

[apierdomi]

Forgot to say I keep aircon on at all times, winter and summer, and the aircon increases the petrol flow so this is probably why the pen and paper calculation will not match in your cases: it could be the aircon.

 

[ChrisF]

I checked my trip computer this morning, avg speed 19mph (woohoo i was really belting it this week) and an avg consumption of 29.3mpg. Not bad at all considering i have been driving her pretty hard recently.

Just makes you think instead of congestion charging, make pedstrian crossings into underpasses, and save sending us back to 1st gear all the time. They should do their best to keep us in 5th gear! and fix the potholes!!

 

[Koa]

Well i done a 15 mile stop start town journey today, no A roads just crappy traffic all the way and I got an average of 27.5mpg on my Selespeed

BUT it was as boring as hell

 

[twincamms]

My trip computer says............................

Trip Distance 86m

Average Speed 24mph

Average Consumption 19.8mpg

Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[ChrisF]

This is going to sound like a daft question, but have you thought about getting the engines tuning checked. The engine might be running a bit on the rich side. 19mpg at that average speed is definitley suspicious. Do you have the aircon cranked or something?

 

[timr69]

I usually get about 48mpg and an average speed of 50ish.

That's because a lot of my 40 mile commute is motorway.
In fact I worked out last week that on one section I'm in 5th gear for 27 miles.

 

[StiloBoy]

The thing is an average speed of 20mph for a full tank is actually ok, because your car works it its average from the minute the engine is started, and driving slow, or sitting in traffic makes the average drop sharply.

Twincamms average of 24mph suggests he was driving pretty fast some of the time and probably stationary some of the time. Hence poor economy.

 

[James Abarth]

According to the onboard comp I averaged aprox 30 mpg yesterday on the round trip to Stanford from London. Went steadily up the M1 over 1-- mph most of the way but much slower start stop on the return leg. Do most of my driving in town and average about 24-25mpg. In winter with all the electric going or in summer with the aircon I get anything btwn 18 - 24mpg.

 

[StiloBoy]

I usually pootle about around 70mph, on dual carriageway, occasionally getting up to 75mph, but i have found that cruising at 80mph i get better economy still.

 

[Stu DemonD]

Re: My trip computer says............................

Trip Distance 86m

Average Speed 24mph

Average Consumption 19.8mpg

Noooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let the Mrs drive it for the same distance, and see if you get the same results...

 

[ChrisF]

The thing is an average speed of 20mph for a full tank is actually ok, because your car works it its average from the minute the engine is started, and driving slow, or sitting in traffic makes the average drop sharply.

Twincamms average of 24mph suggests he was driving pretty fast some of the time and probably stationary some of the time. Hence poor economy.

Hmmm you know what this sounds like? I know my fuel economy in first and second is pretty bad if im being nippy off of the lights, sounds like some serious booting it in the early gears...maybe?

Or he lives in postman pat style hilly road territory.

 

[Stu DemonD]

TC is over Peterborough way, not the North York Moors, lol.

 

[ChrisF]

TC is over Peterborough way, not the North York Moors, lol.

Well that explains it living in peterborough automatically loses you 10mpg, it's the fiat black hole effect. It's the only explanation.

 

[Scorg]

I switched to instant econ on the computer to see what it would say from a pull away. damn thing dropped to 12mpg! or was that 9mpg. I think, maybe its best not to have these computers and just rely on old pen and paper or your hand calculator

 

[rutthenut]

Re: At last.......................................

19-25 is something wrong .Id be worried,ny jag gave me better from a 3ltr.

I get 19 to 24 mpg from my 4.7 litre Heep, which has an auto box and accelerates and cruises much quicker than you might expect!

Certainly be able to sort out small-engined Stilo's and Rovers in a fairly straight-line drag race...

 

[ChrisF]

I switched to instant econ on the computer to see what it would say from a pull away. damn thing dropped to 12mpg! or was that 9mpg. I think, maybe its best not to have these computers and just rely on old pen and paper or your hand calculator

Beat you there mate, tonight on my way home i got 2mpg on a fast getaway from a steep up hill cross road...the sucker moved quick mind you