[Mad Max]

Thanks for the responses.

Supreme: I am not too keen on looking at the speedometer, I rather look at the rpm meter for indication for when I have to shift. Some people shift by kmph, and some by rpm. I guess I fall under the latter category.

dadu - what is System G/D?

bottle - not feeling insulted. I have put two tanks and tank-to-tank, this is the approx fuel efficiency. I don't ride the clutch much, unless I need to control or half-throttle, but I need to work on this better. And my wallet is very unfriendly to premium prices. :(

roms - can you please clarify how to let the car go in 2nd, 3rd or 4th gear in 2kmph traffic? I'd believe that the car would stall if I put it in any gear except 1st given I move at 2-3 kmph. Traffic just moves inch by inch (for those who know Bangalore BTM traffic, and will sympathize with me) and hence I just put it in neutral and let it roll down the hill along with moving traffic. Will definitely try the 2-2.5k shifting pattern and see if that helps. When I mentioned highway driving, there is usually the sedate me driving along at 100 and then there is the "Mad Max" side which makes me go 140. But these two tanks were almost all city driving.

[Shashank.A]

what is that you average on a highway ? that would be crucial factor in pin pointing the problem to your fault or technical fault (including bad fuel).

[dadu]

Look here, its a fuel additive. Use nomore than 2 tankful to see the difference, is available at BP/IBP petrol pumps.

Originally Posted by Mad Max

dadu - what is System G/D?

[sanjaymugur]

Originally Posted by eclectix 1st

I'm no expert to dispense advise.

My palio stile 1.6 gives 10 ~ 10.5 KMPL with 100% AC.
Least I've got is 9KMPL. More than 60% of the time I'm crawling in the traffic.

Highways I average about 16 ~ 17.5 KMPL

I use IOC normal fuel.

Cheers

my PALIO 1.2 ELX gives me the same mileage (10 - 10.5kmpl) in bangalore with 100% AC on, & highways also it gives 16 - 17kmpl... damn missed on 1.6 experince ...kicking myself...

for low mileage
1. check the ignition coils, the number one culprit for low mileage...
2. reset ECU, will be rich initially after 3-4 tank full it should have read your driving pattern,...
3. in city 2.5k rpm gear shift should be more than adequate, else if u change at 4-5K rpm you might be using too much engine breaking for slowing down which consumes fuel...
4. check you next 3-4 tank full with shell fuel..its worth that extra 10 bucks...

[Firebird]

1. Check if there is a puncture in any of the tire. This is with ref to tire pressure. This was my experience with one tyre having puncture (not flat). The pressure was 24 in a rear. The FE got was 7 kmpl. After fix FE jumped to 9.25 kmpl in city with AC.

2. RPM range - 2000 rpm returns good FE - Personal observation

3. Roll up window and change to air circulation when AC not switched on.

4. Change the Fuel station. Use normal fuel.

5. Do not try to use all the horses you have been given. If you need to feed all, then you need to spend more.

[supremeBaleno]

Originally Posted by Mad Max

I am not too keen on looking at the speedometer, I rather look at the rpm meter for indication for when I have to shift. Some people shift by kmph, and some by rpm. I guess I fall under the latter category.

Ok, so that is what you meant by, "I orient myself better at rpms".

BTW, there is a 3rd category who just go by the engine sound, which IMO is the best indicator of when to shift gears. Tachometers are good when you are dragging/racing and need to shift gears at a particular rpm, but in bumper-to-bumper traffic condition, one cannot be looking at the dials while making gear changes every few seconds.

[meremortal]

Dude !! 3k-4k shifting is hard on the engine. I too drive on the same road as yours and drive a further 10 Kilometers. My babe returns me atleast 12 Kmpl (I am allergic to aircon).

That said the 1.6 has huge stores of torque at your disposal. The key is to make use of it. Revving a 1.6 engine in crawling traffic is not required at all. I assume you drive alone to and from office. Given just your weight, the car can easily travel in 2nd and 3rd for most part of the road.

Use the first to move only(first 2-3 seconds) and do not exceed 1500 rpm. Once you shift to 2nd, release the clutch slowly and the torque takes over. You can coast in this gear if the traffic is crawling. But if the traffic is moving in good speed use 3rd to coast. This is possible. I do it !

As everyone on this thread have said 2k rpm is the ideal shifting slot.

Make sure type pressue is consistent.

I do not recommend a fuel additive for a new engione like yours. Deposits occur after about 15k-20k clicks. Consult your A.S.S contact on this.

Originally Posted by Mad Max

Thanks for the responses.

Supreme: I am not too keen on looking at the speedometer, I rather look at the rpm meter for indication for when I have to shift. Some people shift by kmph, and some by rpm. I guess I fall under the latter category.

dadu - what is System G/D?

bottle - not feeling insulted. I have put two tanks and tank-to-tank, this is the approx fuel efficiency. I don't ride the clutch much, unless I need to control or half-throttle, but I need to work on this better. And my wallet is very unfriendly to premium prices. :(

roms - can you please clarify how to let the car go in 2nd, 3rd or 4th gear in 2kmph traffic? I'd believe that the car would stall if I put it in any gear except 1st given I move at 2-3 kmph. Traffic just moves inch by inch (for those who know Bangalore BTM traffic, and will sympathize with me) and hence I just put it in neutral and let it roll down the hill along with moving traffic. Will definitely try the 2-2.5k shifting pattern and see if that helps. When I mentioned highway driving, there is usually the sedate me driving along at 100 and then there is the "Mad Max" side which makes me go 140. But these two tanks were almost all city driving.

[hrag]

Hope you get better city mileage with all the suggestions but nobody can blame you for driving a Palio 1.6 in style - 4K rpm upshifts.

I quoted speeds because my car didn't come with a tacho. The best compromise is to upshift in the the 2000-2500 rpm band.

[Rai]

Hello,
I have Petra 1.6 and I guess Engine is same as Palio 1.6

I started driving Petra recently (last 5 months) and before that I was Driving, Sierra, Ford Escort Diesel, Scorpio, Safari (in the same Order) I still have Sierra.
You see, all my Driving was on Diesel Vehicles and when I started driving Petra my mileage was 6 KMPL. Now it has inreased to 9.5 KMPL for city Driving. On Highways (Bangalore to Mangalore) I get an average of 14.5 to 15. Never got below 14 on Highways. No matter what, my AC will be 100% on City Driving or Highway Driving. and in City (Bangalore) I drive from WhiteField to Domlur (EGL)
My point is, its all in your Driving style. Earlier I used to Drive the Petrol car in same style as Diesel Car and gradually I improved my Driving style.
Each car has got its own driving Style and you need to understand (listen to your car ) and adapt to that to get the best mileage.

Also some of the other things I observed in my Petra are:
Whenever I am back to City Driving after Highway Driving, my mileage drops drastically to 6.5 KMPL. I thought, it may be because of ECM which has adapted to highway speed Driving (high RPM/More Fuel/high speed), and hence I disconnected the ECM from Battery (actully disconnected the Battery) overnight, and voila, Mileage is normal.

Second point is: I keep my tire Pressure in 30 (front & Back) and any reduction in this tire pressure and effect in mileage.

Only Garage I have found in Bangalore who can really tune (Change) my mileage is HARIPRASAD Garage in Bangalore. All others to whom I took the car made my mileage worse.

So What I am emphasising is: Improve your Driving Style and automatically your Mileage will increase.

Regards
Rai

[Radnam]

Originally Posted by roms

1] Reply to point 1- While going downhill, keep the car running in 2nd,3rd or 4th, depending on the gradient. Do not shift to neutral in any case. Keeping the car in a gear would a) keep the car in control & b) it will avoid overheating of brake pads.

4] Reply to point 4- 3K to 4k is way too much for normal usage. Try upshifting at 2K rpm in city condition and 3-3.5K rpm on highways. Changing your driving style in this manner will significantly bring down fuel consumption.

5] Reply to point 5 - Try drive in overdrive(5th) gear for most part of your highway journey @ 80-100 kmph and you will be surprised by the mileage figures, which for me hover around 16-18 kmpl with a/c on highways.

Completely agreed Roms! I exactly practice above mentioned driving style. No hassles in getting 12Kpl in City and 18 on the Highway from my 2002 GTX.

[headers]

Originally Posted by supremeBaleno

BTW, there is a 3rd category who just go by the engine sound, which IMO is the best indicator of when to shift gears.

What about the category who listen to music LOUD? The Tacho or speedo or maybe "feel" of the car is the best way forward!

[guns666]

i drive a palio 1.6 and i get 10 when i behave (2k rpm gear changes etc) when others on the road misbehave, i get around 7 teaching them a lesson

i checked my mileage in different scenarios (in the city of bangalore):
10 when i change in 2k rpm and stay there even when i cruise into 5th
9 when i come back after a trip (highway)
7 when i cant wipe a grin off my face (4-6k gear changes, engine braking etc)
9 when i tried what call center cabbies do - only as an experiment - run on neutral everytime the car can roll to the next intersection (no jokes, my mileage decreased when i ran the car in neutral a lot - bad ...very bad idea cause u'll damage brakes and wont enjoy driving)

[karizma_devil]

My S 10 is giving 6 km/ltr !!! In bumper - Bumper Powai traffice !!

PLease help befor am bankrupt !

[planet_rocker]

lol! i thought my car was returning the lowest amongst Rahulkool, Bottle & Rudrah's 1.6s'. Their cars were returning around 10-11kpl. my car gives around 8kpl with 50% AC - my daily drive is usually 10kms (to and fro) - resulting in lower FE. i rarely engage 4th/5th gear

check the air filter. if possible use System G with normal unleaded fuel.

[d3mon]

6kmpl is pretty bad! You'd be better off with an auto

On a more serious note, there is one point that I want to emphasize on. While coasting to a stop, or just slowing down, instead of shifting to neutral and using the brakes, keep the car in gear.

This uses engine braking, and during engine braking, absolutely no fuel is used, as fuel supply is cut off to the injectors.

This is a verified fact, and many people who use tools like scanguage have reported 0 liters for 100km mileage figures(instantaneous, ofcourse) while coasting in gear.

Also, in traffic, there is no point in revving the car to 4k. You simply can not use that much power in town. Personally, I'm on a fuel efficiency run as long as I'm stuck in traffic, but come an open stretch of road, I like to stretch my car's legs a little for that heady feeling

The best advice that I've ever come across is to anticipate what's coming up ahead, and to plan accordingly. Makes you a much smoother and safer driver as well, and reduces the fuel bills too!

Hope this helps! Cheers.