ARTICLE: How to get the maximum Fuel Efficiency - Page 11 - Team-BHP

Chevy_lover · 4th April 2008, 12:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by arjyamaj

Hey everyone,

2. If I know I have to stop at a signal, I'll put the gear in neutral, turn off my engine and coast to a stop.

4. At the top of the ramp/flyover, I'll again put the gear in neutral, turn off the engine and coast to the bottom by which time I would have enough momentum to keep going for atleast another 100 mtrs

6. Idling at red lights is a no no (I have an MPFI 796cc 3 cyl). I turn it off if I have to wait for more than 30 secs.

Comments??? Suggestions?

Buddy, arjyamaj, you are doing something very dangerous.

If you are switching off the engine, when the car is still in motion, the brakes become highly irresponsive and you lose atleast 70% braking efficiency. It can even jam in some extreme cases. You should not think about muscle power to control your steering. You will end up spoiling its mechanics!!! A car is meant to be driven ONLY with its engine on! Please don't treat it like a cycle!!!

Just imagine this scenario. You have switched off your engine about a 100 meters before a signal or on top of a flyover and you are coasting. Suddenly another car cuts in front of you. What will happen?

I can assure you that your steering won't work as you want it to, neither will your brakes. You will end up hitting the other car and the fault will naturally come to you! Worse still, what if a pedestrian comes in front of your vehicle?

You will end up spending all the money you saved by following these unsafe driving practices. Please drive safe. And consider others lives also before you do these practices.

See GTO's post. It is accurate.

Turning off the engine and re-starting it during a one-minute signal will cost you more fuel. The engine wear will also be quick.

arjyamaj · 4th April 2008, 12:52

OK OK

However, in my defense, the following:-
Lets say when you're approaching a signal where you have to stop, you're already at 20kmph. Now, if you were to turn off the engine at that point of time, two things will happen:-
1. Your brakes will no longer be power assisted and
2. Neither will your steering

Essentially, response time to an exterior event (such as a jaywalking idiot or a manic punk) is lessened. So, what do you do? Stick to your lane (this helps if you're already in the lane you should be taking in the first place!) and expect that you will have to use a lot more force to maneuver the car.

Now, come on guys... its an ALTO!!! I've been used to driving Amby's (see my introductory post)- how difficult is it really to steer an Alto without power steering? I'm not saying that I could beat all of you in hand-wrestling (I'd probably lose every time) but it really doesnt take a lot of doing. We're all just used to power steering and feather touch responses.

Next- brakes. Try this sometime. Start your engine, let it idle for about 30 secs. Turn it off. Now pump the brakes. You'll notice that for the first (depending upon your car) 3-4 times, the brakes work fine- as in they go all the way down. After that, it kinda gets stuck at the halfway point and it wont go down any further. That's when the hydraulics in the lines stop working. What does this mean? This means that after you turn off your engine, you still have enough fluid pressure in the braking system to bring your vehicle to a rolling stop from 20-30 kmph to 0.

If all of that still doesnt make sense, check these out-
http://www.kotv.com/news/topstory/?id=126884 - a news story about hypermiling
This Guy Can Get 59 MPG in a Plain Old Accord. Beat That, Punk. - a story about a guy who gets the equivalent of 25 kmph in a Honda Accord!
Fuel economy-maximizing behaviors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - this is possibly the best writeup on hypermiling yet

yes yes... bring on the brickbats now

kingshan · 10th April 2008, 05:48

Some points I could throw up ...

Next time you get your oil changed, have the air filter checked as well. Replacing a dirty air filter with a clean one can save up to 10 percent on fuel costs.

Make sure your vehicle is in top running order. Read your owner's manual and follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule. If it's time for a tune up, do it and you can realize up to a 4.1 percent increase in fuel economy.

Using the manufacturer's specified motor oil, and changing it per factory recommendations, can improve fuel economy as well, so grease up.
The less weight in your vehicle, the better your fuel economy. Clean out that trunk!
Here is the ultimatum

Cool down. Fill your tank up on cool mornings. Fuel is denser when cold. Fuel pumps measure by volume, so if you pump when it's cold, you get more gas for your hard earned money.

sunson · 15th April 2008, 16:24

Does the colour (or color (just so people can find this post by searching

) ) of the car affect Fuel Efficiency? It is quite logical that Black absorbs more heat and hence will require more air conditioning to dissipate the heat which in turn translates to more fuel consumption.

I have already made a booking for a black SX4 and after having thought about black's heat absorption capacity, I was wondering if I should change my booking to some other lighter colour (silver or beige, maybe).

Please advise!

GTO · 15th April 2008, 18:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by sunson

I have already made a booking for a black SX4 and after having thought about black's heat absorption capacity, I was wondering if I should change my booking to some other lighter colour (silver or beige, maybe).

Please advise!

3 of my 4 cars are black, I can tell you that the only downside is more upkeep (time and $$$). But it is well worth it.

swift8847 · 15th April 2008, 18:42

Hey sunson. The color of the car has nothing to do with the FE. Agreed that black absorbs more heat than any other color, but then its only on the external. My two cents. Guys correct me if i am wrong.

sunson · 16th April 2008, 08:48

Dear GTO, I anyway went ahead and made a confirmation yesterday for the Black SX4. Like you rightly said, its well worth it and I guess I might lose something negligible and I think the loss definitely won't be on the order of 1 kmpl or somesuch. It might be some sort of a fraction. Wondering if you guys know of any appreciable differences. Maybe I should start a poll!

swift8847, well

It depends on how the heat transfer happens to the interiors. Haven't you noticed that when you park your car in the sun, the insides feel hot? The other factor to consider is that the air inside the bonnet will tend to be more hotter for a black car and hence the air-intake density will be lower (hence lower fuel efficiency). I could get a better air-intake duct (like has been pointed out in the 'modifying your car' related threads).

4th April 2008, 12:52	#152 (permalink)
arjyamaj Newbie Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: NCT Posts: 7	OK OK However, in my defense, the following:- Lets say when you're approaching a signal where you have to stop, you're already at 20kmph. Now, if you were to turn off the engine at that point of time, two things will happen:- 1. Your brakes will no longer be power assisted and 2. Neither will your steering Essentially, response time to an exterior event (such as a jaywalking idiot or a manic punk) is lessened. So, what do you do? Stick to your lane (this helps if you're already in the lane you should be taking in the first place!) and expect that you will have to use a lot more force to maneuver the car. Now, come on guys... its an ALTO!!! I've been used to driving Amby's (see my introductory post)- how difficult is it really to steer an Alto without power steering? I'm not saying that I could beat all of you in hand-wrestling (I'd probably lose every time) but it really doesnt take a lot of doing. We're all just used to power steering and feather touch responses. Next- brakes. Try this sometime. Start your engine, let it idle for about 30 secs. Turn it off. Now pump the brakes. You'll notice that for the first (depending upon your car) 3-4 times, the brakes work fine- as in they go all the way down. After that, it kinda gets stuck at the halfway point and it wont go down any further. That's when the hydraulics in the lines stop working. What does this mean? This means that after you turn off your engine, you still have enough fluid pressure in the braking system to bring your vehicle to a rolling stop from 20-30 kmph to 0. If all of that still doesnt make sense, check these out- http://www.kotv.com/news/topstory/?id=126884 - a news story about hypermiling This Guy Can Get 59 MPG in a Plain Old Accord. Beat That, Punk. - a story about a guy who gets the equivalent of 25 kmph in a Honda Accord! Fuel economy-maximizing behaviors - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia - this is possibly the best writeup on hypermiling yet yes yes... bring on the brickbats now __________________ strangers passing in the street by chance do separate glances meet I am you and what I see is me

10th April 2008, 05:48	#153 (permalink)
kingshan Newbie Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 27	Some points I could throw up ... Next time you get your oil changed, have the air filter checked as well. Replacing a dirty air filter with a clean one can save up to 10 percent on fuel costs. Make sure your vehicle is in top running order. Read your owner's manual and follow the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule. If it's time for a tune up, do it and you can realize up to a 4.1 percent increase in fuel economy. Using the manufacturer's specified motor oil, and changing it per factory recommendations, can improve fuel economy as well, so grease up. The less weight in your vehicle, the better your fuel economy. Clean out that trunk! Here is the ultimatum Cool down. Fill your tank up on cool mornings. Fuel is denser when cold. Fuel pumps measure by volume, so if you pump when it's cold, you get more gas for your hard earned money. __________________ Thanks and Regards Shan

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
What is your Actual Fuel Efficiency?	normally_crazy	The Indian Car Scene!!	1242	14th May 2008 23:33
AVEO U-VA 1.2, Fuel Efficiency?	Woods	Sedans	1	4th September 2007 12:02
Fuel Efficiency Tips	nicejits	Modifications & Accessories	2	28th June 2007 13:27
Fuel Efficiency	madhav	Technical Stuff	10	5th June 2007 19:46

15th April 2008, 16:24	#154 (permalink)
sunson Newbie Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11	Does the colour (or color (just so people can find this post by searching ) ) of the car affect Fuel Efficiency? It is quite logical that Black absorbs more heat and hence will require more air conditioning to dissipate the heat which in turn translates to more fuel consumption. I have already made a booking for a black SX4 and after having thought about black's heat absorption capacity, I was wondering if I should change my booking to some other lighter colour (silver or beige, maybe). Please advise!

15th April 2008, 18:42	#156 (permalink)
swift8847 BHPian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Bangalore/Chennai Posts: 73	Hey sunson. The color of the car has nothing to do with the FE. Agreed that black absorbs more heat than any other color, but then its only on the external. My two cents. Guys correct me if i am wrong.

16th April 2008, 08:48	#157 (permalink)
sunson Newbie Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 11	Dear GTO, I anyway went ahead and made a confirmation yesterday for the Black SX4. Like you rightly said, its well worth it and I guess I might lose something negligible and I think the loss definitely won't be on the order of 1 kmpl or somesuch. It might be some sort of a fraction. Wondering if you guys know of any appreciable differences. Maybe I should start a poll! swift8847, well It depends on how the heat transfer happens to the interiors. Haven't you noticed that when you park your car in the sun, the insides feel hot? The other factor to consider is that the air inside the bonnet will tend to be more hotter for a black car and hence the air-intake density will be lower (hence lower fuel efficiency). I could get a better air-intake duct (like has been pointed out in the 'modifying your car' related threads).