Adjusting your driving to become more fuel efficient

[dune]

With Diesel now costing about 140p/litre i've started driving by the rev counter and keep my rpm at around 1500 and knock the car out of gear on the crest of hills and let it roll down the other side. I now drive between 45 and 58 mph on A roads and on duel carriageways/motorways stick to about 60. I'm making quite big savings doing this.

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels-and-environment/drive-smart.html

 

Have you modified how you drive to save a few quid?

Edited 21 March, 2011 by dune

[Huffton]

As a cabbie I go through an obscene amount of fuel. I've found that by using the better fuels, BP ultimate or Shell v power diesel, I get a better mpg, so much so that it works out cheaper than using supermarket fuel. On a side note, the reason supermarket diesel is a bit cheaper is that it has a higher content of biodiesel, and modern engines don't like this as much as a good higher cetane fuel.

 

 

Edited for Monday morning grammar.

Edited 21 March, 2011 by Huffton

[saint_jas]

yep I have modified, sold my car and now getting a bus to work.

[Rory]

Interesting premise, but utterly frustrating. Before I take your advice on board, how much would you say you have saved, and how much fuel do you put in your car each week?

[dune]

Interesting premise, but utterly frustrating. Before I take your advice on board, how much would you say you have saved, and how much fuel do you put in your car each week?

 

I keep my tank full, but by coasting the amount of miles available from a full tank has gone up from 700 to 750. As I poodle along on the open road from town driving it goes up noticeably compared to how I used to drive.

 

Also don't see it as frustrating, enjoy doing it. It's great fun having Lorry drivers trying to push you along. Get your own back time.

[warsash saint]

I have slowed down to under 70mph for all my motorway driving & deffo makes a huge difference. The plus point on these high fuel prices is that the M27 down to Bournemouth every day is now a breeze to drive - has made a huge impact on the volume of cars on the road:)

[Huffton]

I keep my tank full, but by coasting the amount of miles available from a full tank has gone up from 700 to 750. As I poodle along on the open road from town driving it goes up noticeably compared to how I used to drive.

 

You will notice a bigger saving if you keep it below half full, all that extra weight you are needlessly lugging around makes a difference.

[dune]

You will notice a bigger saving if you keep it below half full, all that extra weight you are needlessly lugging around makes a difference.

 

I know, but I like having a full tank because that way if I have a long journey it's there and I don't have to put a lot in in one go. Also I regularly put redex in the tank to keep the injectors clean. Not sure if this helps or not. Also change the oil/filter every 3 months because in a turbo diesel you don't want old oil in the engine.

[Turkish]

I got a job where i get a company car and fuel card and then do a mileage claim every month, my personal mileage then gets deducted from my wages. By sheer conicidence i now only do around 300 personal miles a month.

[trousers]

I've also been driving by the rev counter for the last few months ....great political minds thinking alike eh Dune....? ;-)

 

The only problem I now have is that Lady Trousers keeps nagging me to put the car in gear when going down hill as, using women's logic, I'm somehow in less control of the car than if I'm in gear.

 

That said, I'm now wondering if I'm going to need to replace my brake pads more often and whether that is more expensive than the fuel I'm saving....

[toofarnorth]

I know, but I like having a full tank because that way if I have a long journey it's there and I don't have to put a lot in in one go. Also I regularly put redex in the tank to keep the injectors clean. Not sure if this helps or not. Also change the oil/filter every 3 months because in a turbo diesel you don't want old oil in the engine.

 

I'd always wondered if that stuff really works and also interesting to hear from Huffton about the premium fuel actually working out cheaper. I'd always wondered who bought the more expensive one. When I first got my car it was doing about 420 miles to a £50 tank and now it only does about 350 so I think I need to try something to get it back up, considering it's that change has been in about 18 months.

[notnowcato]

Why sit in front of a lorry when you can sit behind one. Save fortunes by sitting in the pocket thus removing all wind drag on your vehicle.

 

KERCHING!!

[dune]

Why sit in front of a lorry when you can sit behind one. Save fortunes by sitting in the pocket thus removing all wind drag on your vehicle.

 

KERCHING!!

 

F/ck that.

 

I like to be able to see the road ahead, and they spray muck all over your car. If you do this and they have to suddenly brake you'll be lucky not to slam into the back of them. I know it's more fuel efficient but i'd never do it.

[notnowcato]

F/ck that.

 

I like to be able to see the road ahead, and they spray muck all over your car. If you do this and they have to suddenly brake you'll be lucky not to slam into the back of them. I know it's more fuel efficient but i'd never do it.

 

Pfft, no commitment or clue.

 

Lorry drivers are more likely to fall asleep than use their brakes. Learn to play the percentages, FFS.

[dune]

Pfft, no commitment or clue.

 

Lorry drivers are more likely to fall asleep than use their brakes. Learn to play the percentages, FFS.

 

But you've still got to get some pleasure from driving. Yesterday for example I had Lorry behind me and the the driver was clearly getting angry as he kept trying to push me. It was great fun knocking the car out of gear just before the brow of a hill forcing him to lose all his revs. he he he.

[Doctoroncall]

F/ck that.

 

I like to be able to see the road ahead, and they spray muck all over your car. If you do this and they have to suddenly brake you'll be lucky not to slam into the back of them. I know it's more fuel efficient but i'd never do it.

 

When it comes to accidents, it's better to be behind a big heavy lorry than in front of it.

[Huffton]

But you've still got to get some pleasure from driving. Yesterday for example I had Lorry behind me and the the driver was clearly getting angry as he kept trying to push me. It was great fun knocking the car out of gear just before the brow of a hill forcing him to lose all his revs. he he he.

 

What really pi**es me off is there idiots who get all upset about a car pulling into their 'stopping gap', but have no problem driving right on your back bumper when it suits them. I usually slow right down until I get to the bottom of a hill, them shift down and boot it. They don't like it very much.

[lumuah]

If you take your car out of gear and coast down a hill, you use MORE fuel than in you left it in gear. Modern engines are designed to use no fuel when you coast, so by taking it out of gear the engine will tick over and still be consuming fuel.

 

I am currently regularly getting my diesel Passat estate to do over 60mpg (sometimes as much as 70mpg) by driving sensibly.

 

1. Leave in gear going down hills.

2. Getting behind HGVs will reduce air resistance, and also make you drive at an economical speed - you don't need to drive too close (Audi distance, as Jeremy Clarkson calls it) for this to help, and you should use your common sense and not do this in bad weather. HGVs do 56mph on motorways, which happens to be about the most economical speed for most cars. Keeping speed down is by far the biggest saver of money.

3. Read the road ahead - braking = wasted money. If you see a traffic queue, coast towards it rather than braking when you get to it.

4. Don't accelerate hard. Gradually increase speed. Try not to accelerate uphill - keep constant speed and accelerate downhill.

5. Do you really need your air con on? At low speeds open your window (at high speeds this will increase drag, so you are better with the air con.) If you do need it on, try to alternate between economy mode and normal (i.e. turn it on and off) and use recirculate mode to keep the cool air in.

6. Check you haven't left seat heaters and windscreen/wing mirror heaters on.

7. Only use headlights when you have to - when they are on you are requiring over 100w more power, which has to come from somewhere

8. If in a traffic queue that is going nowhere, turn your engine off

9. Diesels are most economical at the 1.5 to 2k rpm, and petrol cars should try to keep below 3k.

[bridge too far]

What really pi**es me off is there idiots who get all upset about a car pulling into their 'stopping gap', but have no problem driving right on your back bumper when it suits them. I usually slow right down until I get to the bottom of a hill, them shift down and boot it. They don't like it very much.

 

I often employ the good old 'switch on my lights for a split second' ploy. Instinctively the bumper rider thinks I'm braking and pulls back.

[Baj]

I don't drive economically, I drive normally. I find spending a few extra quid a month much less hassle than having to constantly worry about adopting a driving style that will save me fuel. I average 45mpg on motorways and 40mpg in cities. VW Passat 02. Ive tried "feathering it" loads in a passat, and most I get is around 50mpg, so the user above who gets 70mpg obviously has a different model!

[trousers]

If you take your car out of gear and coast down a hill, you use MORE fuel than in you left it in gear. Modern engines are designed to use no fuel when you coast, so by taking it out of gear the engine will tick over and still be consuming fuel.

 

 

I'm a bit of a numpty when it comes to 'how cars work' but my logic in taking the car out of gear is that the rev counter goes down to about 1,000 RPM whereas it would stay around 2,000 - 3,000 RPM if I leave it in gear.

 

As I say, I know next to nowt about the inner workings of the motor vehicle but I assumed the higher the revs the greater the fuel consumption (as a basic rule of thumb)?

[Spudders]

I like the fact that some of you guys are doing this as it offsets my sports car style driving. I love to get out on the A roads and floor it past cars when I get some open road. I like to imagine people in those cars saying to each other "look at that idiot, he won't get there any quicker". In truth I probably will, but more to the point I'm not trying to get anywhere quicker, I just like to get out on the open road and put my foot down.

Cheers all.

[so22saint]

I'm a bit of a numpty when it comes to 'how cars work' but my logic in taking the car out of gear is that the rev counter goes down to about 1,000 RPM whereas it would stay around 2,000 - 3,000 RPM if I leave it in gear.

 

As I say, I know next to nowt about the inner workings of the motor vehicle but I assumed the higher the revs the greater the fuel consumption (as a basic rule of thumb)?

 

Engine revs is just the speed of the flywheel (and by association the cylinders). However, if you're out of gear the engine has to inject fuel to keep the cylinders moving. If you coast in gear, the momentum of the car will keep pushing it forward, turning the wheels, which will turn the gearbox and therefore engine over. If you leave it in gear and take your foot off the accelerator therefore, a modern engine (one with an electronic box of tricks) will introduce no more fuel into the engine.

 

So leave it in gear

[so22saint]

ok, pistons before any smart arse points out "cylinders"

[keithd]

I like the fact that some of you guys are doing this as it offsets my sports car style driving. I love to get out on the A roads and floor it past cars when I get some open road. I like to imagine people in those cars saying to each other "look at that idiot, he won't get there any quicker". In truth I probably will, but more to the point I'm not trying to get anywhere quicker, I just like to get out on the open road and put my foot down.

Cheers all.

 

 

do you have teh small penis? isnt this what you are all acused of having? unlucky if thats the case

[ericofarabia]

get a good Insurance Policy which includes a free tow service - phone them up when you get to your destination and have finished your chores/watched the match etc andd ask them them to tow you back home !!!

[lumuah]

Its a 54 plate, so possibly the same shape, although not necessarily the same engine. (1.9 Diesel)

 

The 70mpg is rare, but on my daily Basingstoke to Portsmouth commute I usually get low to mid 60's. I don't necessarily drive slowly all the time either, just don't welly it to overtake, and sit at around 60mph. It adds 5 mins to the journey, but saves me about 15% on fuel costs, which when you do 100 miles a day commuting soon adds up.

 

You also have to bear in mind that the 70mpg comes from the dashboard computer, so is not 100% accurate, although using an Android app (Free - Fuel Friend Lite) I am averaging 57.15mpg for all journeys at a cost of 11p a mile. That is actually about the same cost per mile that I had with a petrol vectra about 10 years ago.

[Baj]

If I did a 100 miles a day, I'd be bloody feathering it too!

[Spudders]

do you have teh small penis? isnt this what you are all acused of having? unlucky if thats the case

 

I'm not really sure, I don't look at other men’s winkles, so I have nothing to compare with. I once saw one on a porno film and that was humungous. I was of the opinion that his was unusually big judging by the fuss the two ladies were making of it, however if my assumption was wrong and they are all that size than I may well indeed have a small one

[dune]

If you take your car out of gear and coast down a hill, you use MORE fuel than in you left it in gear. Modern engines are designed to use no fuel when you coast, so by taking it out of gear the engine will tick over and still be consuming fuel.

 

That's wrong. When i knock my car out of gear it ticks over at 1000 rpm and that saves fuel. It's noticeable on the trip computor that this is effective also.

[dune]

I often employ the good old 'switch on my lights for a split second' ploy. Instinctively the bumper rider thinks I'm braking and pulls back.

 

I just brake. It sh/ts them out. And they do back off.

[trousers]

Engine revs is just the speed of the flywheel (and by association the cylinders). However, if you're out of gear the engine has to inject fuel to keep the cylinders moving. If you coast in gear, the momentum of the car will keep pushing it forward, turning the wheels, which will turn the gearbox and therefore engine over. If you leave it in gear and take your foot off the accelerator therefore, a modern engine (one with an electronic box of tricks) will introduce no more fuel into the engine.

 

So leave it in gear

 

 

Cheers.....shows how much I know.

 

At least it'll stop the missus moaning now.... ;-)

[trousers]

I just brake. It sh/ts them out. And they do back off.

 

This. With some nifty foot work it's possible to dab the brake lights with your left foot whilst accelerating with the right. That annoys them even more becuase not only have you caused them to slam on their breaks you pull away from them at the same time.

 

Advice: don't try this manouvre with the aforementioned wife in the car....!

[bridge too far]

This. With some nifty foot work it's possible to dab the brake lights with your left foot whilst accelerating with the right. That annoys them even more becuase not only have you caused them to slam on their breaks you pull away from them at the same time.

 

Advice: don't try this manouvre with the aforementioned wife in the car....!

 

Aah the renowned 'heel and toe'. I used to impress when I did that. I'm too old now, though

[Window Cleaner]

I have a Citroen with stop and go, engine stops every time the car does. Don't know how it works though it just does.

[lumuah]

That's wrong. When i knock my car out of gear it ticks over at 1000 rpm and that saves fuel. It's noticeable on the trip computor that this is effective also.

 

Only if you have an old/sh*t car.

 

You are burning fuel and only turning it to heat, not motion. A waste of energy.

 

A modern engine burns NO fuel when you lift off the accelerator as long as you are still moving, as well explained above by so22saint.

[benjii]

but on my daily Basingstoke to Portsmouth commute

 

Good heavens.

 

I would drive slowly if those were my destinations.

[Mao Cap]

Done this for a couple of years. Would recommend it to anyone willing to leave for work 5-10 minutes earlier, it saves you a lot of money.

[dune]

Only if you have an old/sh*t car.

 

You are burning fuel and only turning it to heat, not motion. A waste of energy.

 

A modern engine burns NO fuel when you lift off the accelerator as long as you are still moving, as well explained above by so22saint.

 

If you say so, but I don't believe this. And my car is relatively modern.

[dune]

Aah the renowned 'heel and toe'. I used to impress when I did that. I'm too old now, though

 

Go on do it. It'll **** them off even more if they eventually overtake and see Miss Marple in the driving seat.

[Chin Strain]

I've also been driving by the rev counter for the last few months ....great political minds thinking alike eh Dune....? ;-)

 

The only problem I now have is that Lady Trousers keeps nagging me to put the car in gear when going down hill as, using women's logic, I'm somehow in less control of the car than if I'm in gear.

 

That said, I'm now wondering if I'm going to need to replace my brake pads more often and whether that is more expensive than the fuel I'm saving....

 

She's right though as if you need to accelerate suddenly to avoid someone then you'll look a bit of a plank when it's the rev counter going up rather than the speedo!

[angelman]

Changed when I drive the mrs's car but in my car I get too easily tempted.

 

But in reality, changing driving style is going to save what 5-10%, which while good, is not really a solution to the pounding of the wallet. I don't really get overly worked up by another 1p price rise as that is 70p a tank. What I want is prices to be at £1 or less. 40p a litre x 70 litres = £28

 

I have changed my attitude though. In the old days, I used to say that this regressive tax was "good" (especially as I drove less miles than average), but now everything has got soooo expensive it is causing problems.

 

Interesting to see the price of red diesel. It is currently at about 70p a litre (or 84p inc VAT).

[keithd]

She's right though as if you need to accelerate suddenly to avoid someone then you'll look a bit of a plank when it's the rev counter going up rather than the speedo!

 

this (as i believe the cool people say)

 

my driving instructor always told me the clutch pedal controls the car not the gas pedal

[richie]

I whack it in neutral whenever I can. Going down hills, coming up to junctions. Amazing how far you can go without it in gear!

 

I use the brake as little as possible too.

 

Keep it in a high gear and keep the revs down.

[bridge too far]

I do struggle to understand why the prices are so high now. OK I understand that the price of a barrel on the markets is c £117 but it has been much higher (£126 pb in 2009) yet prices at the pump have never been this high.

 

Surely it's not the oil companies profiteering?

 

http://www.ioga.com/Special/crudeoil_Hist.htm

[Jones91]

Any money you do save, you will just waste of something else.

[Alanh]

I whack it in neutral whenever I can. Going down hills, coming up to junctions. Amazing how far you can go without it in gear!

 

I use the brake as little as possible too.

 

Keep it in a high gear and keep the revs down.

 

Coasting in neutral will save you some fuel but the engine will still consume fuel ticking over. Coasting in the highest gear possible will mean that the engine will not use any fuel at all. Clarkeson has written about this a few times and mentioned it on Top Gear.

[dickyhale]

As a cabbie I go through an obscene amount of fuel. I've found that by using the better fuels, BP ultimate or Shell v power diesel, I get a better mpg, so much so that it works out cheaper than using supermarket fuel. On a side note, the reason supermarket diesel is a bit cheaper is that it has a higher content of biodiesel, and modern engines don't like this as much as a good higher cetane fuel.

 

I allways use the Shell garage in Redbridge(on the way home)never used supermarkets as the Diesel seems cheaper and the car does not have the MPG. Have a Golf 08 at present near 3 years old and thinking about part ex in for a Golf Bluemotion...Maybe go and see what the offer. But may keep it for another year

Edited 21 March, 2011 by dickyhale

[mcjwills]

With Diesel now costing about 140p/litre i've started driving by the rev counter and keep my rpm at around 1500 and knock the car out of gear on the crest of hills and let it roll down the other side. I now drive between 45 and 58 mph on A roads and on duel carriageways/motorways stick to about 60. I'm making quite big savings doing this.

 

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/fuels-and-environment/drive-smart.html

 

Have you modified how you drive to save a few quid?

 

The best way to save money on fuel is to share your journey to work with others, instantly saving 50%

[suewhistle]

It's a no-brainer that keeping the revs down saves on fuel. I live in Italy and drive back to England in the summer and at Christmas. When I first moved over here I used to use the Mont Blanc tunnel and hare down the centre of France on the motorway and watch the fuel gauge visibly going down. I also paid €90 odd for the privilege. Then I changed to coming through Switzerland and up the Eastern side of France where there are non-toll motorways but also some empty cross-country A roads. More interesting and less chance of dropping off! The difference in petrol consumption was marked, and I also have the advantage of filling up at cheaper prices in Switzerland and Luxembourg. Not much difference time-wise: UK (Thames Valley) to Italy I can still do it in a day and I allow an overnighter on the way over so there's no stress getting the ferry. If I never need to get back quickly for aged parent it'll probably still be 130kph+ down the middle of France but unless that happens I'm saving my money...