Saving fuel

[MarkCup]

Said already but I'll say it again as I think it's the single most important factor in getting good mpg, and that is, look ahead, plan, and BRAKE LESS.

Holding a constant speed uses very little fuel (unless you're sat at 70mph+), it is accelerating that burns it up, and every time you press that brake pedal, you need to accelerate again to build your speed back up.

Time your approach to roundabouts so you can keep rolling and slip into a gap (plan to stop but look to go), ease off the throttle way before you need to turn off into a side road so you can coast down and not brake, leave double or even triple your normal distance to the car in front so you can sit there rolling along in top while those bunched up ahead are continually braking/accelerating/braking/accelerating.

Driving like that I saw an average reading over a full tank in my 200 of 43mpg so it definitely works!

 

[Jordanb29]

I used to get 50mpg in my old 1.2. Big difference from 36-38.

Dont understand how. Mine is around 40mpg when driving eco :| you must be doing 30mph all the way

 

[Chip-mk1]

A 172 will do an indicated 50mpg if driven with economy not progress in mind, at 50-60mph and being very dedicated to watching ahead so you dont need to use the brakes and carrying plenty of speed over roundabouts etc.

I got the mrs clio when it was fitted with an RS2 but not yet the 197 cams (which hurt economy) to indicate over 50mpg on a 100 mile or so journey on a roads by driving in a very economy focused way.
Gauge over reads by nearly 10% though IME, so thats more like a real life 45-46mpg probably.

 

[Wayne-G]

Im currently getting 49.2 mpg out of my 1.2, i always use my gears to slow down, less braking etc

 

[James1470]

I don't see the point in this thread, why buy a 2.0 hot hatch and moan about fuel economy ... I had a guy in at work complaining his Ibiza only done 70mpg ... He didn't understand when I laughed in his face, I get 25 mpg out of the 200 and Ill not be driving less fun to improve it... Yea on a run 100 miles + ill stick cruise control on at 70 and it goes up to 35-40 but its bloody boring!

 

[STiX]

I agree with James above.

If us Impreza drivers worried about mpg we wouldn't be Impreza drivers.

​Oh, just for the record I get about 15-18mpg - but that's just a guess as I don't properly work it out. 33 - pah!

 

[Tim.]

But he's not moaning about fuel economy, he asked a sensible question about maximising his car's efficiency and trying to improve his driving style.

Let's say he's just gone to pick up a few crates of eggs, or to collect his 90-year-old Grandmother. Why would he want to rag his car given the precious cargo? Why shouldn't he try and make it as economical as possible in that situation?

Try and think outside the box fellas, you don't have to drive it like you stole it all the time...

 

[Chip-mk1]

I don't see the point in this thread, why buy a 2.0 hot hatch and moan about fuel economy ...

Moaning about a figure you can check before you buy the car is silly, hot hatch or not.

But I find it amazing that some of you guys have so much money or use your car so little that you think fuel consumption is completely irrelevant.

Even on my clio turbo where I only really use it for fun road driving and trackdays I still care what the economy is like on a 400 mile round trip to and from a trackday as it effects how many trackdays I can do a year if I have a car that is too thirsty going to and from as I only have a finite amount a year to spend on my cars currently after I put aside money for mortgage and living and other things I want to do or save etc, and I dont want to waste too much of that budget just on fuel during uninteresting driving.
Every few hundred quid I save on fuel, is another trackday, for me its as simple as that!

 

[James1470]

But he's not moaning about fuel economy, he asked a sensible question about maximising his car's efficiency and trying to improve his driving style.

Let's say he's just gone to pick up a few crates of eggs, or to collect his 90-year-old Grandmother. Why would he want to rag his car given the precious cargo? Why shouldn't he try and make it as economical as possible in that situation?

Try and think outside the box fellas, you don't have to drive it like you stole it all the time...

Yea but the question wasn't how to drive my car without giving a old woman a heart attack or smashing my shopping ...


Also chip, I don't have tons of money, I'm paying for a wedding, a bloody expensive honeymoon, saving for a deposit on a house which takes up 50% of my wage + bills = not much left ... But fuel economy doesn't come into it at all... My car makes me happy ... So I drive it how it should be driven, i don't constantly red line it or race about but I don't ***** on looking at the MPG ... It could be 10 or 50 I couldn't care less.. I knew they where crap on fuel when I bought it, and I love it. I get out of it with a grin on my face every time ... I'm happy. So what if it costs me £50 a week to commute ..

 

[STiX]

But surely the reason you buy a performance car is to use at least a bit of the performance? Pussy footing around everywhere you could do in any car?

When I had my first Impreza, I put my foot down. A lot. Worked out mpg - 15. Then next tank as an experiment I took it easy most of the time. Worked out mpg - 18mpg.

So since then (2003) I put my foot down when I want to, knowing it's not going to make a lot of difference.

 

[The Fatty]

Im currently getting 49.2 mpg out of my 1.2, i always use my gears to slow down, less braking etc

brake pads are cheaper than engine parts. Using your engine to 'slow down' is not going to save you any fuel.

 

[Chip-mk1]

But surely the reason you buy a performance car is to use at least a bit of the performance?

When out driving for pleasure yes I am more worried about performance than economy, but when on the motorway travelling to and from a trackday, or to and from work, then there simply isnt the option to enjoy performance (lets face it even a 1.2 can get over 100 where your license doesnt want to be for long), so during that type of driving I care a lot about economy.

It amazes me that anyone wouldnt care what their economy is if they drive a lot of miles (I do 30-50K per year).

Sure if you live 2 miles from work and never really go anywhere then I guess 10mpg or 100mpg only makes a few quid a week difference.

 

[James1470]

But surely the reason you buy a performance car is to use at least a bit of the performance? Pussy footing around everywhere you could do in any car?

When I had my first Impreza, I put my foot down. A lot. Worked out mpg - 15. Then next tank as an experiment I took it easy most of the time. Worked out mpg - 18mpg.

So since then (2003) I put my foot down when I want to, knowing it's not going to make a lot of difference.

This.

I don't see the point in driving around trying to save fuel .. When in reality, the extra 5 mpg is only really going to get you out of your street and along the road. Doesn't really make much difference. Considering its a average anyway not a instant.

 

[Tim.]

Yea but the question wasn't how to drive my car without giving a old woman a heart attack or smashing my shopping ...

No, it wasn't, it was this:

Whats the best way to save fuel and get good MPG?

He didn't say he wanted to drive like that all the time. If you can't help the guy answer his question what's the purpose of posting? Totally appreciate you approach driving differently and have zero consideration for mpg, but does that make him wrong for wanting to learn more about how to improve his driving in the style he chooses?

 

[James1470]

When out driving for pleasure yes I am more worried about performance than economy, but when on the motorway travelling to and from a trackday, or to and from work, then there simply isnt the option to enjoy performance (lets face it even a 1.2 can get over 100 where your license doesnt want to be for long), so during that type of driving I care a lot about economy.

It amazes me that anyone wouldnt care what their economy is if they drive a lot of miles (I do 30-50K per year).

Sure if you live 2 miles from work and never really go anywhere then I guess 10mpg or 100mpg only makes a few quid a week difference.

I probably do 30-40 miles a day ... Could be doing 1000, and the only thing I'd really be bothered about is how many miles where on the clock

 

[Chip-mk1]

Also chip, I don't have tons of money, I'm paying for a wedding, a bloody expensive honeymoon, saving for a deposit on a house which takes up 50% of my wage + bills = not much left ... But fuel economy doesn't come into it at all... My car makes me happy ... So I drive it how it should be driven, i don't constantly red line it or race about but I don't ***** on looking at the MPG ... It could be 10 or 50 I couldn't care less.. I knew they where crap on fuel when I bought it, and I love it. I get out of it with a grin on my face every time ... I'm happy. So what if it costs me £50 a week to commute ..

Well if even with poor economy you are only spending 50 quid a week in fuel then you dont have a massive amount you could save anyway, maybe a grand a year or so, but for some of us that do as many as 1000 miles in a week sometimes, the difference between say a 35mpg clio and a 18mpg imprezza like the one mentioned in this thread, is a case of 27 gallons of fuel extra used in that week, which at current price is more like 150 quid a week dearer to drive an imprezza or a 172, and to me personally I dont think an imprezza is enough more fun on a long motorway journey to want to pay 5-10K a year more on it, over just a few years period thats a deposit on another rental property for me for example.

 

[James1470]

No, it wasn't, it was this:


He didn't say he wanted to drive like that all the time. If you can't help the guy answer his question what's the purpose of posting? Totally appreciate you approach driving differently and have zero consideration for mpg, but does that make him wrong for wanting to learn more about how to improve his driving in the style he chooses?

well then just read your handbook. It's simple really... Less acceleration , less braking, accurate gear changes.

But is it just me that thinks anything over 30 mpg is brilliant?

 

[danward]

Since owning the 182 I've tried to ignore MPG and the price of petrol - it would depress me too much haha.

 

[Tim.]

It amazes me that anyone wouldnt care what their economy is if they drive a lot of miles (I do 30-50K per year).

I drive less than 4k a year and I care about mpg, but then I can't afford to piss money (or fuel) up against the wall. If I'm in a queue of traffic doing 50 on a single-carriageway road I'll be in 5th leaving plenty of room to minimise speed differential.

 

[Chip-mk1]

I probably do 30-40 miles a day ... Could be doing 1000, and the only thing I'd really be bothered about is how many miles where on the clock

1000 is a bit of a ridiculous example, but as you have chosen that figure then as per my example above, a change of car could potentially save you 150 quid a day, if being able to save an extra few grand a month towards your house deposit or honeymoon is irrelevant then like I said you must earn a LOT!

 

[James1470]

Well if even with poor economy you are only spending 50 quid a week in fuel then you dont have a massive amount you could save anyway, maybe a grand a year or so, but for some of us that do as many as 1000 miles in a week sometimes, the difference between say a 35mpg clio and a 18mpg imprezza like the one mentioned in this thread, is a case of 27 gallons of fuel extra used in that week, which at current price is more like 150 quid a week dearer to drive an imprezza or a 172, and to me personally I dont think an imprezza is enough more fun on a long motorway journey to want to pay 5-10K a year more on it, over just a few years period thats a deposit on another rental property for me for example.

on long runs don't 1*2s not get nearer 45-50 mpg though, but that's my point , if I was doing long runs I'd get 40mpg .... Usually get about 470 miles from a full tank. Adjust your driving to the circumstances and don't moan about it.

 

[Tim.]

But is it just me that thinks anything over 30 mpg is brilliant?

Considering the performance Renaultsport Clios offer I think the mpg is more than a reasonable trade-off!

 

[dannyb2012]

My tce does 65 mile to £10 ? No car is cheap too run with theses petrol prices it's a f**king joke tbh

 

[Stu-]

I can honestly say, I've never once driven my car with economy in mind. I use £70 a week in fuel.

I don't see the point in worrying about it? Buy a different car if you're that bothered.

oh, and James....

 

[James1470]

1000 is a bit of a ridiculous example, but as you have chosen that figure then as per my example above, a change of car could potentially save you 150 quid a day, if being able to save an extra few grand a month towards your house deposit or honeymoon is irrelevant then like I said you must earn a LOT!

No at all I come out with a average wage (less than 2k pm) as does the mrs, we have bills to pay etc .. But I don't go on the piss every weekend or anything like that - I'd rather have a nice car. I'd rather spend the (I agree ridiculous example) £150 per day extra and drive my car though.

But from what I've heard you seem to have a lot more money to waste than some of us

 

[Chip-mk1]

on long runs don't 1*2s not get nearer 45-50 mpg though

Only going to get that high a figure if sat at 60mph really, so even on a long run I'd say 35-40mpg was more realistic at the sort of speeds we are all more likely to be doing (80 ish)

But then that is why I like the 172 in the first place, compared to say an imprezza, its economy is so much better, its one of the reason we own some of them to begin with, because its a case of having your cake and eating it in that a 172 is both fun to drive and good on fuel, very few cars manage both those things.

 

[Chip-mk1]

No at all I come out with a average wage (less than 2k pm) as does the mrs, we have bills to pay etc .. But I don't go on the piss every weekend or anything like that - I'd rather have a nice car. I'd rather spend the (I agree ridiculous example) £150 per day extra and drive my car though.

But from what I've heard you seem to have a lot more money to waste than some of us

Well Im older than most people on here so probably have a few more quid spare as a result, but that makes it all the more surprising that you feel that fuel economy is so irrelevant, where you say if you had to do a 1000 miles a day you would waste the extra money to do it in your car for example, you would be bankrupt very quickly even if you and your mrs lived in a hostel and put all your money into fuel, lol.
Obviously that was a silly figure in the first place you came up with of 1000 miles a day, but even at a few hundred miles a day which some of us on here do end up doing quite often, you would quickly find I suspect based on what you say about your wages that you had no choice but to start considering economy pretty seriously, as otherwise you would end up using your car at the expense of all the other things you say matter to you with you having such a modest amount of money in the first place each month, its surprising how quickly it dissapears when you are doing thousands of miles a month in an uneconomical car.
My mrs new job is a 80-90 mile round trip every day, and her wages arent great (she works as a manager in halfords) if she had a car doing really poor economy like the 15-18 mentioned in this thread, she'd effectively have to work for free 2 days a week just to cover the fuel costs!

 

[wag_7]

I used to get roughly 70-80 miles out of 10 quid in the 1.2. So it's not much different really

This is about 1 and a half times more miles for the same money so i would say that is a big difference. You fill up a 1*2 1 and a half times more often than a 1.2!

 

[madcarl27]

This thread got serious. Only wanted to no ways to save fuel money. I don't drive like a granny all the time. Just Monday to Friday. Then on the weekend treat myself and have a blast around. If I'm not on the piss.

anyway quick change of topic. I reakon the CS could do with a 6th gear. Would save fuel on motorway. These cars rev happy

 

[STiX]

Well if even with poor economy you are only spending 50 quid a week in fuel then you dont have a massive amount you could save anyway, maybe a grand a year or so, but for some of us that do as many as 1000 miles in a week sometimes, the difference between say a 35mpg clio and a 18mpg imprezza like the one mentioned in this thread, is a case of 27 gallons of fuel extra used in that week, which at current price is more like 150 quid a week dearer to drive an imprezza or a 172, and to me personally I dont think an imprezza is enough more fun on a long motorway journey to want to pay 5-10K a year more on it, over just a few years period thats a deposit on another rental property for me for example.

This is why I personally am not bothered about mpg, hence the performance car.

I put about 60 quid a month in mine, and I live close to where I work. In fact if the weather's half-decent I take the bike into work anyway!

If I did 40-50 miles a day I wouldn't own an Impreza and would probably get a TDi.

Oh, and you are right an Impreza is completely unnecessary for motorway runs. Apart from blipping for a quick overtake it's a pain.

 

[James1470]

I can honestly say, I've never once driven my car with economy in mind. I use £70 a week in fuel. I don't see the point in worrying about it? Buy a different car if you're that bothered. oh, and James....

lol and you drive like a tit

 

[Ray Gin]

I can honestly say, I've never once driven my car with economy in mind. I use £70 a week in fuel.

I don't see the point in worrying about it? Buy a different car if you're that bothered.

This.

 

[James1470]

This thread got serious. Only wanted to no ways to save fuel money. I don't drive like a granny all the time. Just Monday to Friday. Then on the weekend treat myself and have a blast around. If I'm not on the piss.

anyway quick change of topic. I reakon the CS could do with a 6th gear. Would save fuel on motorway. These cars rev happy

​I have 6 gears

 

[madcarl27]

​I have 6 gears

Alright I don't no much about other models

 

[The Chubby Pirate]

Buys a 172, wants better economy.

Is it not enough that it happens to be freakishly(sp?) good on fuel as it is?

 

[Chip-mk1]

This thread got serious. Only wanted to no ways to save fuel money. I don't drive like a granny all the time. Just Monday to Friday. Then on the weekend treat myself and have a blast around. If I'm not on the piss.

anyway quick change of topic. I reakon the CS could do with a 6th gear. Would save fuel on motorway. These cars rev happy

Phase 1 box is better than a phase 2, and is a simple swap.

5% taller geared. which is about 400rpm less at 80mph.

 

[madcarl27]

Yea they still good on fuel. I had a Astra 2.2 Sri. What a bag of s**t. Drank fuel and was slow. Had a scooby aswell classic wrx which was a bag. A Clio would beat a uk model scooby wrx. As I had trouble keeping up with one.

 

[Chip-mk1]

This is why I personally am not bothered about mpg, hence the performance car.

I put about 60 quid a month in mine, and I live close to where I work. In fact if the weather's half-decent I take the bike into work anyway!

If I did 40-50 miles a day I wouldn't own an Impreza and would probably get a TDi.

If you could only have one car and wanted to do trackdays and work was 40-50 miles a day, you would probably fall back in love with a 172

Oh, and you are right an Impreza is completely unnecessary for motorway runs. Apart from blipping for a quick overtake it's a pain.

About 60bhp is all you need to maintain 80mph, so any more than that is pretty wasted most of the time. Even a standard 172 can happily do far more than the speed limit up even very steep hills.

 

[Alan]

FFS.

 

[Alan]

People actually put £10 of fuel in?

Not ballin'