ARTICLE: How to get the maximum Fuel Efficiency

[turbofreak]

Good GTO ...sound piece of advice...

[veyron1]

The idling rule is fine for naturally aspirated petrols. For turbo petrols and turbo diesels, it is unwise to switch off the engine if you're idling for less than a minute and a half. That's because switching off the engine would cut lubrication to the turbo, and since you're in city, the temperatures can have a very drastic effect on the cooling lines. Not to mention the apparatus itself.

Besides, if you start a turbo petrol/diesel after shutting it off, you again need to let it idle for 30 secs before moving off.

Therefore, in case of turbo petrols/diesels, if the countdown timer shows a minimum of 300 seconds (5 mins), then you can shut off the engine after 60 seconds (when the timer shows 240), and restart the engine when the counter shows 60; thereby effectively saving fuel for 180 seconds, or three minutes. Antything lesser than 140 seconds on the counter, and it isn't worth switching off the engine.

The factor to keep in mind is that the damage to your engine components due to repeated cranking at signals might offset the fuel costs you save. Therefore, saving fuel at traffic signals is something to be taken cautiously.

The ultimate solution is- if you reside in city, have to face a lot of traffic, and commute 30 kms or thereabouts to your workplace- then get a Reva as a second car. The savings in fuel costs (at about 1200 kms+ per month, you do the math- with an avg. F.E of 9 kmpl in city, you save about 7K) and engine components wear and tear will see you save enough money to cover the costs of Reva within a couple of years.

[viper]

Hi,

Would like to add to the list a practice which almsot no one follows which will have a indirect impact on FE.

1> As far as possible always try and fill from one pump which is reputed to give out genuine fuel. Adulterated fuel besides causing loss in FE and power may also damage some expensive sensors in modern cars.

2> As far as posible always fill up the tank and refill before it reaches the quarter mark or near abouts. Do not wait for the reserve light to come on. This way you are well prepared for emergencies, can take out an accurate FE and avoid dirt getting into your fuel pump, injectors, etc. Most modern cars have fuel pumps inside the tank and letting a pump run without lubrication is one of the reasons for fuel pump failure which is expensive to replace and can leave you stranded in the middle of nowhere.

3> Avoid shutting of your car at traffic lights unless wait is long. Restarting burns more fuel.

This applies to both petrol and diesel.

Viper

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by viper

3> Avoid shutting of your car at traffic lights unless wait is long. Restarting burns more fuel. This applies to both petrol and diesel.

Agree with your 1st 2 points. But, regarding point3, what I understand is, for modern petrol engines (no idea about diesel, turbo etc), the fuel needed for restarting is not more than what you save, if you switch off at signals. With timers available at most signals, a 60sec wait or more is guaranteed to save you fuel.

As mentioned earlier, from what I read on the Net, for modern engines, even for waits of 10secs or more, you save fuel if you switch off. But then, I would need to read up more before confirming this.

[Floyd de Souza]

I endorse Sportive's and Vipers view fully that filling fuel at a reputed/coco/reliable (whatever you may call it) pump has a substantial impact on FE. I have experienced it first hand recently. I used to fill up at the HPCL COCO outlet at Bandra on a regular basis but I had to take a slight detour from my normal daily route. I located a privately owned HPCL pump a few metres away from my office..very convenient indeed..and the people who owned the pump seemed very genuine. I had been filling up over there for the last 3 months and noticed that the FE of my Baleno which used to hover around 11 kpl, was gradually going down and had reached 10 kpl and was going down further. I searched for all the possible reasons other than fuel quality (as I felt the owners could be trusted) and thought that traffic could be one of the prime reasons. But I was taking the same route everyday and I was getting 11 kpl with the normal traffic variation. I decided to switch back to my regular pump to ensure that fuel was not the issue...and voila...my Baleno's back to 11 kpl. I would'nt want to cast aspersions on the owners of the pump who I still feel are not the culprits. In all probability it is enroute adulteration which they are unable to detect.

[sandeep108]

Originally Posted by Floyd de Souza

I would'nt want to cast aspersions on the owners of the pump who I still feel are not the culprits. In all probability it is enroute adulteration which they are unable to detect.

I would not give them the benefit of doubt. I do think you should consider making a complaint against them to HPCL.

[vinod]

nice consice write GTO...good job!

[Harshavarthan]

Will the FE be affected by increasing the tyre diameter without changing the width of the tyre? What will happen if say i upgrade my tyre from 14 inches to 15 inches.

[Boom Shiva]

Originally Posted by veyron1

The ultimate solution is- if you reside in city, have to face a lot of traffic, and commute 30 kms or thereabouts to your workplace- then get a Reva as a second car. The savings in fuel costs (at about 1200 kms+ per month, you do the math- with an avg. F.E of 9 kmpl in city, you save about 7K) and engine components wear and tear will see you save enough money to cover the costs of Reva within a couple of years.

Wouldn't call it a solution yet. Reva doesn't have an A/C, which makes it hell in city traffic with the heat and pollution. Also it has bad pick up and a piddly size which makes it no fun to drive and you get bitchslapped by everyone else on the road.

Ricks, cabs or if you can ride - a bike makes much more sense than a Reva right now.

[CarDude]

Very informative stuff

[kingofkings]

Good Stuff man....Really informative and helpful.

[ram_hyundai]

All those nice piece of advice . Any one brief about the quality of pumps,suppliers and above all 2 wheelers keep in mind your fuel tank quality too.i hope reliance is giving good fuel.along with bp pure for sure pumps.and regarding the tank quality i had an oppurtunity to change my RX 100 tank and i was so surprised to see the kind of muck inside.

ram

[veyron1]

@Boom Shiva: Actually, Reva does come with A/C. And I did mention CITY, right? So the traffic density negates the scope of pick-up or acceleration, since everybody moves at snail-pace. And that piddly size is actually a great boon in city traffic. It handles like a go-cart, is ultra-silent, and quite practical for in-city use. In fact, it would've been far more attractive if the Mah. govt. had some sort of no-duty structure for the use of Reva, inside Mumbai.

Cabs and ricks are nice, but not as convenient as your own car.

Here are a few more pointers;

1) If you DO intend to use a cab, please try to drive forward the concept of share-a-cab. More convenient, less expenditure, and saves fuel as well.

2) Apart from making it mandatory to tank up before hitting the "E" mark on the fuel gauge, make sure that you always fill fuel between 5:30-7:00 A.M, or between 9:00-11:00 P.M. This ensures that the fuel density is significantly higher (since fuel expands due to heat, avoid fuelling at afternoons), and you get maximum bang for your buck.

[shiva_cool87]

Exceelent write up GTO.....very useful info.

[Surprise]

Just wanted to check out whether placing the car under hot sun for the entire day will result up in drying off the fuel (atleast to some negligible extent)

Also I was heard that improper wheel allignment will result in more consumption of fuel, not sure about the logic behind this, any idea?