Alto Fuel Economy Woes

gpa · 30th May 2009, 12:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

the figures i quoted are for city drive only. on the highway i've been driving flat out so i couldn't expect more.

What is the best FE you have got thus far on the highway? Even with flat out driving and AC on fully, you can easily expect a FE in the range of 22 to 24 kmpl.

HappyWheels · 30th May 2009, 13:15

Got my worst FE on my last highway drive to Bangalore - 15kmpl!!!

Agreed that I did some good speed, but this is not the first time. Highway driving always used to give me +18kmpl.

Need to check!

And also noticed that the vehicle was slightly struggling (with respect to previous drives) even at the Krishnagiri ghat up-slopes! :(

ASHISHPALLOD · 30th May 2009, 15:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

Got my worst FE on my last highway drive to Bangalore - 15kmpl!!!

And also noticed that the vehicle was slightly struggling (with respect to previous drives) :(

one year back, same thing happened with my alto. fe was going down day by day. it came to 13 km/ltr. newly opened maruti showroom engineer at baramati checked the car and suspected valve clearance problem. car was at 23rd month of ownership at 37500 km running. i mailed to maruti about this problem and sorted it out under warranty. fe came back to normal of 18-20 range.

HappyWheels · 30th May 2009, 20:34

^^ Wow! That is bad! I hope and pray it is not that bad. I really do need to do a proper service within the next couple of weeks.

The change to fully synthetic is also on the card.

Vehicle is reaching close to 60k kms. Need to give the little guy some make over. Thinking....

Gansan · 12th June 2009, 17:35

Is there no bottle test possible to check the FE of cars nowadays, like they do for the bikes? I remember doing such a test for my Dolhin car way back in 1995.

amit_mechengg · 12th June 2009, 19:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gansan

Is there no bottle test possible to check the FE of cars nowadays, like they do for the bikes? I remember doing such a test for my Dolhin car way back in 1995.

yes this technique is still used. i have seen it with MASS.

anky · 13th June 2009, 18:03

I drive in peak hour traffic of bombay for 15 kms daily with 100% Ac on and my fuel economy never exceeds 13.5 kmpl.Tyre pressure is 28 psi and car serviced at mass every 6 months and petrol filled at same pump all the time.

gpa · 14th June 2009, 07:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by anky

with 100% Ac on and my fuel economy never exceeds 13.5 kmpl.Tyre pressure is 28 psi

anky,

you are running on very low air pressure, which is why your car's FE is suffering. The recommended air pressure for the Alto is 30 psi and not 28 psi. If you travel on good roads you can even increase it a notch or two to about 31-32 psi.

Make this change and you should see a marked improvement.

Cheers,
gpa

gpa · 14th June 2009, 07:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by HappyWheels

^^ Wow! That is bad! I hope and pray it is not that bad. I really do need to do a proper service within the next couple of weeks.

The change to fully synthetic is also on the card.

Vehicle is reaching close to 60k kms. Need to give the little guy some make over. Thinking....

HW,

Yes, 15kmpl is on the low side for the little guy. Especially on the highway. Do check it at the 60k service. The change to fully synthetic will give you only a marginal improvement in FE, but will be great for engine performance and driveability

You will have an eager revving engine that will love to be given the whip!!

Cheers,
gpa

14000rpm · 16th June 2009, 20:32

Quote:

Originally Posted by gpa

What is the best FE you have got thus far on the highway? Even with flat out driving and AC on fully, you can easily expect a FE in the range of 22 to 24 kmpl.

Finally improving FE. I got 21 kmpl on my drive from BLR-ooty-BLR. 1 fuel stop strategy with no tyre changes (read no punctures). 1 tank of fuel took me to ooty and back. It was with restrained driving (80 kph) and thoughtful shifting.
It almost ended up running on fumes!!.

This is my car.

gpa · 17th June 2009, 09:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by 14000rpm

Finally improving FE. I got 21 kmpl on my drive from BLR-ooty-BLR. 1 fuel stop strategy with no tyre changes (read no punctures) - Good strategy to do the trip on one pitstop, glad it worked out for you unlike for Ferrari where Massa had to slow down and let a few cars pass a few races ago just to get to the chequered flag ultimatley losing 3rd place

It almost ended up running on fumes!! - Do not run your car like this. Will lead to premature wear of the fuel pump and also cause problems for your engine due to improper fuel feed. Always ensure you tank up when ther is about 3 to 4 litres of fuel in the tank. The fuel is also used to keep the fuel pump cool.

Find my responses in bold. It is good to know that you managed to get a good FE on your trip and bear in mind this will improve as the car racks up the miles. BTW, nice pics, you have a well maintained car

Cheers,
gpa

ASHISHPALLOD · 17th June 2009, 10:33

Quote:

@14000rpm.--I got 21 kmpl on my drive from BLR-ooty-BLR. It almost ended up running on fumes

14000rpm, you told that got fe of 21 and lastly running on fumes. but odo pic says that 667.5km run. it means that either you got 19 fe or 3 lit of fuel in tank. i suppose the odo pic is at the end of your jorney. please clarify.

Quote:

@gpa--Do not run your car like this. Always ensure you tank up when ther is about 3 to 4 litres of fuel in the tank

if 14000rpm really got 21 fe, then there should be at least 3 lit of fuel in tank.

Vid6639 · 17th June 2009, 10:39

The Alto fuel tank is 32litres. So 667.5kms and 21kmpl means 31.785 litres of fuel. Around 200ml left in tank but usually the car does take in more than 32 litres if you run it till the end.

gpa · 17th June 2009, 10:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by vid6639

The Alto fuel tank is 32litres.

Vid,

The owners manual specifies 35 litres as tank capacity. Well, atleast mine (May 2008) does. Do older Altos have a 32 litre tank?

HappyWheels · 17th June 2009, 10:50

Mine says 35 liters of tank capacity (Feb 2005).

30th May 2009, 13:15	#227
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	Got my worst FE on my last highway drive to Bangalore - 15kmpl!!! Agreed that I did some good speed, but this is not the first time. Highway driving always used to give me +18kmpl. Need to check! And also noticed that the vehicle was slightly struggling (with respect to previous drives) even at the Krishnagiri ghat up-slopes! :(
	() Thanks

30th May 2009, 20:34	#229
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	^^ Wow! That is bad! I hope and pray it is not that bad. I really do need to do a proper service within the next couple of weeks. The change to fully synthetic is also on the card. Vehicle is reaching close to 60k kms. Need to give the little guy some make over. Thinking....
	() Thanks

12th June 2009, 17:35	#230
Gansan Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2009 Location: Chennai Posts: 4,539 Thanked: 5,562 Times	Is there no bottle test possible to check the FE of cars nowadays, like they do for the bikes? I remember doing such a test for my Dolhin car way back in 1995.
	() Thanks

13th June 2009, 18:03	#232
anky BHPian Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 402 Thanked: 115 Times	12.5 to 13.5 I drive in peak hour traffic of bombay for 15 kms daily with 100% Ac on and my fuel economy never exceeds 13.5 kmpl.Tyre pressure is 28 psi and car serviced at mass every 6 months and petrol filled at same pump all the time.
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 10:39	#238
Vid6639 Team-BHP Support Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 17,730 Thanked: 43,483 Times View My Garage	The Alto fuel tank is 32litres. So 667.5kms and 21kmpl means 31.785 litres of fuel. Around 200ml left in tank but usually the car does take in more than 32 litres if you run it till the end.
	() Thanks

17th June 2009, 10:50	#240
HappyWheels Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,106 Thanked: 537 Times	Mine says 35 liters of tank capacity (Feb 2005).
	() Thanks