Tips on improving indica FE

panky12345 · 12th February 2007, 10:15

hi, i have an Indica DLS V2 2001 model.
the FE has not been over 14 in city (without AC) and 12 With AC.
Of late, I'd been consulting taxi walas to give some tips to increase FE and found 2 suggestions:

1. Use 200 ml of engine oil in fuel tank in a tank full.
2. Get Air filter cleaned every week.

I do it but dont find anything except white smoke and a low FE respectively.

Also, Would like to mention that I seldom use 5th Gear and am driving less than 50kmph at any time.

Any suggestions as regards driving habits or tips to increase the FE are welcome!

revtech · 12th February 2007, 10:33

stay in the highest possible gear.for examp at 50 kmph you could be in 2nd , 3rd 4th or even 5th....2nd undoubtedly will feell good but for Better FE stay in 5th.

do not accelerate suddenly.

do not brake hard.if you see something up a head like a signal or traffic ease of the accelerator instead of zooming ahead and then braking hard later.

which fuel do you use anyway ? have you tried speed/power ?? any results ?

Rev

panky12345 · 12th February 2007, 10:38

Thanks Rev, I use HP Turbo and the FE results are based on that.

at 50 I normally use 3rd/4th. Do you recommend shifting to higher gears even in diesel cars? I've been told that in diesel cars you need to be in lower gears only to get perfect FE and longer engine life.

adya33 · 12th February 2007, 11:08

You might want to take a look at ARTICLE: How to get the maximum Fuel Efficiency from TeamBHP advise section.

Quote:

Originally Posted by revtech

stay in the highest possible gear.for examp at 50 kmph you could be in 2nd , 3rd 4th or even 5th....2nd undoubtedly will feell good but for Better FE stay in 5th.

Actually rather than staying in maximum possible gear it is better to drive in torque band. If I remember correctly Indica has max torque at 2000 RPM

Quote:

1. Use 200 ml of engine oil in fuel tank in a tank full.

Why? Any reason given?

esteem_lover · 12th February 2007, 16:04

Quote:

Originally Posted by adya33

Why? Any reason given?

do you actually believe the cab wallahs know anything about a car ? they are just used to smoking vehicles & that is probably why they adviced you to add oil to diesel.

improve your driving habits & tune your engine for optimum performance by a good tuner.

revtech · 12th February 2007, 16:38

oh im sorry i overlooked the part where you said it was a diesel....

n_aditya · 12th February 2007, 19:30

I would suggest adding diesel additives instead of oil... Sonax manufactures diesel additives and so does Bharath Petroleum (System D).

I have a petrol car and the additives (system G and Sonax products) ensure smoother ride. Wouldnt be able to confirm on any significant/noticable FE increase.

Zappo · 13th February 2007, 00:40

Umm... Panky when was the last service carried out on your car? I think you could start with taking it to the Tata Service and telling the problem. May be the pump needs a recalibration. Or the filters are dirty... Do you find the exhaust too smoky? That is without that engine oil in the tank (what an outlandish idea!)? Does the car feels excessively underpowered when you accelerate from standstill? If it does do not press harder on the accelerator. That only increases the smoke and the fuel consumption. All these are pointers to note and then tell to your service adviser.

By the way any properly maintained Indica diesel should give at least 15kmpl in city conditions. Also, 3rd gear at 50kmph is a real No-No. For a reference, my car (Indica diesel) runs in 5th gear at 50. You should try to shift to the highest possible gear at any time. For an Indica 50 is the speed when the engine does not sound labored in the 5th gear. Below 45 shift back to 4th gear. 4th holds till 30kmph with 2 people on board. Below 30kmph shift to 3rd. 3rd gear can roll the car at 20kmph easily without the engine getting lugged.

wolfinstein · 13th February 2007, 23:10

Try De-carbonising Treatment and Replace the Engine Oil and Get engine flushed at Defined Oil Change Interval, Or when you feel that the Oil has lost its viscosity.
I recall, hearing that Diesel need a through Exhaust system clean up at every 20 K to reduce emmision and enable easy flow of gas, which might be restricted to Soot formation.
Spark Plugs- Glow Plugs should be replaced at defined interval..! Basically if you maintain the Manufacturer Service schedule along with Engine Flush and Oil change, Not only you will have better FE but also a much responsive, cleaner and Happier Car.

( Drive in 5 gear for speeds above 50, Ideally 55-65 is suitable enough for the 5 gear)

amu1983 · 14th February 2007, 00:28

>> Spark Plugs
Does diesel engine have a spark plug? This is new to me.

Anyways. What you have heard from the taxi-wallahs is partially true. Just use 2T engine oil instead of the engine oil, and your car will run a lot smoother.

Your car is 5 years old. Don't expect an FE of 17-19 from it. 15 should be OK. Are you using upsized tyres? If so, your speedo/odo-meter will read lesser and your car would have actually covered a greater distance.

Here's an experiment that you can do. Fill up your tank to the full capacity, and go for a ride on a highway. Drive about 20-25 kms at a constant speed of 60-65 and fill it up once again (before filling note down how much distance you've covered). And, now calculate the FE. If it's still bad, you can get a help from the mechanic. If it's not, the car needn't be touched, blame it on your city!

panky12345 · 14th February 2007, 11:03

[quote=amu1983;373741 If it's not, the car needn't be touched, blame it on your city![/quote]

True Indeed!!

I 100% agree Delhi is not a place to drive anymore!

12th February 2007, 10:15	#1
panky12345 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 2,697 Thanked: 171 Times	Tips on improving indica FE hi, i have an Indica DLS V2 2001 model. the FE has not been over 14 in city (without AC) and 12 With AC. Of late, I'd been consulting taxi walas to give some tips to increase FE and found 2 suggestions: 1. Use 200 ml of engine oil in fuel tank in a tank full. 2. Get Air filter cleaned every week. I do it but dont find anything except white smoke and a low FE respectively. Also, Would like to mention that I seldom use 5th Gear and am driving less than 50kmph at any time. Any suggestions as regards driving habits or tips to increase the FE are welcome!
	() Thanks

12th February 2007, 10:33	#2
revtech Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,992 Thanked: 38 Times View My Garage	stay in the highest possible gear.for examp at 50 kmph you could be in 2nd , 3rd 4th or even 5th....2nd undoubtedly will feell good but for Better FE stay in 5th. do not accelerate suddenly. do not brake hard.if you see something up a head like a signal or traffic ease of the accelerator instead of zooming ahead and then braking hard later. which fuel do you use anyway ? have you tried speed/power ?? any results ? Rev
	() Thanks

12th February 2007, 10:38	#3
panky12345 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 2,697 Thanked: 171 Times	Thanks Rev, I use HP Turbo and the FE results are based on that. at 50 I normally use 3rd/4th. Do you recommend shifting to higher gears even in diesel cars? I've been told that in diesel cars you need to be in lower gears only to get perfect FE and longer engine life.
	() Thanks

12th February 2007, 16:38	#6
revtech Senior - BHPian Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 1,992 Thanked: 38 Times View My Garage	oh im sorry i overlooked the part where you said it was a diesel....
	() Thanks

12th February 2007, 19:30	#7
n_aditya Senior - BHPian Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Namma Bengaluru Posts: 5,348 Thanked: 3,684 Times View My Garage	I would suggest adding diesel additives instead of oil... Sonax manufactures diesel additives and so does Bharath Petroleum (System D). I have a petrol car and the additives (system G and Sonax products) ensure smoother ride. Wouldnt be able to confirm on any significant/noticable FE increase.
	() Thanks

13th February 2007, 00:40	#8
Zappo Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 5,922 Thanked: 2,699 Times	Umm... Panky when was the last service carried out on your car? I think you could start with taking it to the Tata Service and telling the problem. May be the pump needs a recalibration. Or the filters are dirty... Do you find the exhaust too smoky? That is without that engine oil in the tank (what an outlandish idea!)? Does the car feels excessively underpowered when you accelerate from standstill? If it does do not press harder on the accelerator. That only increases the smoke and the fuel consumption. All these are pointers to note and then tell to your service adviser. By the way any properly maintained Indica diesel should give at least 15kmpl in city conditions. Also, 3rd gear at 50kmph is a real No-No. For a reference, my car (Indica diesel) runs in 5th gear at 50. You should try to shift to the highest possible gear at any time. For an Indica 50 is the speed when the engine does not sound labored in the 5th gear. Below 45 shift back to 4th gear. 4th holds till 30kmph with 2 people on board. Below 30kmph shift to 3rd. 3rd gear can roll the car at 20kmph easily without the engine getting lugged. Last edited by Zappo : 13th February 2007 at 00:42.
	() Thanks

13th February 2007, 23:10	#9
wolfinstein BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 994 Thanked: 20 Times	Try De-carbonising Treatment and Replace the Engine Oil and Get engine flushed at Defined Oil Change Interval, Or when you feel that the Oil has lost its viscosity. I recall, hearing that Diesel need a through Exhaust system clean up at every 20 K to reduce emmision and enable easy flow of gas, which might be restricted to Soot formation. Spark Plugs- Glow Plugs should be replaced at defined interval..! Basically if you maintain the Manufacturer Service schedule along with Engine Flush and Oil change, Not only you will have better FE but also a much responsive, cleaner and Happier Car. ( Drive in 5 gear for speeds above 50, Ideally 55-65 is suitable enough for the 5 gear) Last edited by wolfinstein : 13th February 2007 at 23:11.
	() Thanks

14th February 2007, 00:28	#10
amu1983 BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Pune Posts: 144 Thanked: 0 Times	>> Spark Plugs Does diesel engine have a spark plug? This is new to me. Anyways. What you have heard from the taxi-wallahs is partially true. Just use 2T engine oil instead of the engine oil, and your car will run a lot smoother. Your car is 5 years old. Don't expect an FE of 17-19 from it. 15 should be OK. Are you using upsized tyres? If so, your speedo/odo-meter will read lesser and your car would have actually covered a greater distance. Here's an experiment that you can do. Fill up your tank to the full capacity, and go for a ride on a highway. Drive about 20-25 kms at a constant speed of 60-65 and fill it up once again (before filling note down how much distance you've covered). And, now calculate the FE. If it's still bad, you can get a help from the mechanic. If it's not, the car needn't be touched, blame it on your city!
	() Thanks

14th February 2007, 11:03	#11
panky12345 Senior - BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New Delhi Posts: 2,697 Thanked: 171 Times	[quote=amu1983;373741 If it's not, the car needn't be touched, blame it on your city![/quote] True Indeed!! I 100% agree Delhi is not a place to drive anymore!
	() Thanks