Fuel Consumption Saving Tips

[Good-Carbuyer]

http://sgauto.wordpress.com/better-fc/

 

EASY STEPS FOR SAVING PETROL

 

Soaring crude oil prices have increased the prices of petrol at the pumps and while there are a number of drivers who are willing to endure having to pay thru their noses for petrol by driving their petrol guzzling machines, most people are searching for ways and means to squeeze more kilometers for each litre of petrol. Drivers are unable to control the price of petrol due to the government taxes and the limited number of petrol companies in our markets. There are methods of optimizing your car and driving style to get better mileage from each litre of petrol.

Maintenance

 

Needless to say, driving a car with a smaller capacity engine will give you better mileage but that defeats the purpose of this article isn

[Good-Carbuyer]

Tires are also very important when it comes to fuel effeciency.

 

Recently i just changed my tires (same profile & size, but different brand) and my FC shot up by 15%!!! Been observing for 2 weeks liao. [furious]

 

Was it Firehawk?

[Good-Carbuyer]

And of course, need to keep out of lane 1 of expressways. The lane 1 is where all the fast-go-stop actions happen, and not a good environment for good FC.

 

Exception: My Accent did 28.83km/l mostly driven in Lane 1

[Good-Carbuyer]

Inflate tyres to 40psi

Drive slow best follow a truck at a distance.

Free yr gear approaching red light.

 

My opinion. any extra dollar spent in a car that claimed to save petrol cost u abt 0.5ltr of petrol.

For a fuel saving product that cost $300, cost u abt 150ltrs of fuel.

 

Do not follow behind truck. Overtake the truck. One rear end collision and the repair can cost more than the petrol saved over months/years

[Good-Carbuyer]

Good one, I also hate such people... Brake out of a sudden when there is a completely clear road in front of them.

 

Some of these drivers do it while climbing uphill, too. I wonder if they rev the engineall the way going downhill

[Good-Carbuyer]

1. I dont agree totally. A healthy car with a cautious driver should be able to stop much earlier than a truck.

2. I never agree driving on free gear, but i practice to free it <40kph towards red light.

3. I never agree on fuel saving products, as they alone cost a bomb.

4. I always believe its the driver's attitude on street, and the load the car is carrying.

 

1. How many times you encountered behind buses with brake lights that do not light up when bus-drivers do emergency braking?

2. How many vehicles have you witnessed skidding at less than 10km/h?

3. Have not boughtanything from me yet?

4. You can be more open to other parties who can help you

[Good-Carbuyer]

hypermilling is done on their super long highways

 

Do you guys dare not to brake and take corners even @ 80-100km/hr ?

 

SG has too many traffic lights/jams.

 

Not that foolish yet (not in Singapore). Only practice that while outstation

[Good-Carbuyer]

i'm driving a toyota mr-s and have been trying different guels over the past month. so far, the best mileage i get is from a combi of v-power and shell 98. i've been doing 570km for 40 litres which gives 14.25km/l. driving styles are economical most of the way, but with some very spirited driving added in once in awhile. stuff i do to maximise mileage:

 

upshifting lower, typically below 2000rpm, driving at 5th gear through estates. note however that my final 6th gear ratio is rather low so i cruise on highway about 26-2700rpm at 90kmh.

 

keep to speed limit. anything about 90 on highway seems to burn petrol excessively. besides, if you drive at 110 compared to 90, you're only going to get to your destination maybe a minute or so earlier.

 

drafting. while i'm hugely against tailgating, i believe keeping a reasonable distance behind the car in front does reduce fc. however i'm not sure if its psychological or not for manual cars cause say travelling at 90kmh behind someone who's taking the wind pull vs driving in open road at 90kmh, the engine still runs at the same rpm. to be investigated further.

 

plan your routes properly, nothing more frustrating than to spend time in a traffic jam or burn fuel going somewhere unnecessary.

 

also helps that you lighten your car. i removed the spare tire cause i know i probably won't be using/ won't be able to put it on anyway. car is roughly 950kilos for a 1.8L engine.

 

Less fuel used to maintain same engine speed is among hypermiling techniques?

 

[Good-Carbuyer]

to Branzzz

 

Have you watched Mythbusters?

Yes, it's proven true. You do save fuel when you draft. .... and it will only work effectively when you drive dangerously close to the truck...about half car length away.

 

The verdict is ... it is not worth the danger to do it. So better to avoid this method.

 

Wow! 950kg for a 1.8 L car? That's extremely good power to weight ratio you have there. Even lighter than the Mitsubishi electric " i ".

 

Looks like you will be breaking the 20 km/L barrier anytime soon

 

Why do you have to adopt tail-gating another vehicle? I had done 28.83km/l in Singapore with Accent 1.5M (without other external help)

[Good-Carbuyer]

last time i try to practice hypermilling, take out spare/tools even umbrella. Overinflate my tyres and drive like a grandma and irritated lots of other motorists. minimize use of aircon. drive at most efficient speed at highway (80km/h). 12km/l can go up to 17km/l. but its a lifestyle i cant take, save a few bucks but have to be so conscious about driving style and also piss off many other road users. add more stress to my life and hence realized not worth the hassle even though can save money. it makes driving much more of a chore than a pleasure (even though its already a big chore for me)

 

Perhaps the best recommendation is to get 'under-powered' car. That is, the cruising speed at 90km/h

[Good-Carbuyer]

i admit i lack patience. Anyway 12km/l is reasonable for me. If petrol prices go even further north, then its time to downgrade or get a hybrid.

 

hybrid more commercial/marketing than hypermiling (like CNG conversion for some)

[Good-Carbuyer]

You assumption is completely the opposite of Hypermiling. That act is called Road Hogging.

 

Hypermiling requres a person to be highly alert of the traffic conditions around. It requres a conscious effort to keep up with the flow and at the same time comply with the laws of traffic.

 

Hypermiling does not disrupt traffic flow but instead if everybody practises hypermiling, 60%... I repeat again...60% of tailgating collisions can be avoided... Tailgating collisions are inconsiderate, and it contributes to disruption of traffic flow.

 

Hypermiling promotes a smoother traffic flow.

 

A computer simulated traffic flow was done (in US) with regards to start stop traffic.

This sort of driving created very bad jams for long periods of time. Usually associated with over-exuberant driving. Driving that involves quick starts, persistant overtaking, and closing-up the gap(tailgating).

 

However, when the computer simulated everyone leaving spaces of a few car lenghts ahead... and everyone following the flow of the general traffic. The speed although a little slower... moved along very very smoothly. There were very few jams.

 

So you decide. Is Safe Hypermiling in Singapore a considerate act or a inconsiderate one.

poor chap really do not understand hypermiling

 

[Good-Carbuyer]

Which was exactly what i was pointing out in your post. Don't mix road-hogging, inconsiderate, and unsafe driving habits associated with Safe Hypermiling In Singapore. These are completely the opposite actions from the bold heading.

 

For Safe Hypermiling In Singapore.

You still need to be highly aware and alert to hypermile safely. It is therefore a trait in "Hypermiling In Singapore".

As you have noticed in some replies here. It stresses some people out to drive conscientiously and consciously.

 

It takes concentration and effort to keep to the flow of traffic at sustained periods of time. It can be stressful to some if they are not conditioned enough to do it.

 

So happened that this technique coincides with safe and responsible driving habits. That's a good thing.

 

As i have mentioned earlier. Safe Hypermiling In Singapore requires you to regulate your speed to follow the flow of traffic.

 

Not slow it down or raise it up. It means that when flow is fast. Follow fast. When flow is slow. Follow slow. Just keep to a safety distance from the front. I really thought i mentioned this before.

 

 

With regards to

 

P.S. In reference to being efficient from 90 to 100kmh. To nitpick a lil In constant cruising, between 70 to 90kmh is most efficient for most vehicles when you compare time taken vs consumption, however for hypermilling the target is lowest FC (i.e. distance vs consumption) which is roughly between 50 to 70kmh. The exact speed would be dependant on each vehicle.

 

Good point above. Time vs consumption, distance vs comsumption.

 

That is very true. Each vehicle/model will have its own sweet spot km/hr. This will depend very much on the car's final gear ratio. Thought i mentioned about this sweet spot thingy before too. Why do i sound like i m repeating over and over.

 

Cars with good power to weight ration will enjoy a better chance of getting good mileage figures. Little stress on engine.

 

Agree with you on that point. The less stress you put on your engine, the better the FC.

 

To be clear. What i am talking about applies only to singapore roads. Only what is practical to our traffic culture here.

 

Therefore i always stress on hypermiling in a safe and considerate manner. We will leave the "foreign" negative techniques out from here to avoid misunderstanding. Otherwise have to repeat and re-explain because some don't bother to read the old contributions.

 

To avoid being mistaken or misunderstood I will usually put my heading in bold before i start. Safe Hypermiling In Singapore to make the line of discussion clear.

 

As i have mentioned before. To Hypermile is to do a set of things to achieve good km/L. It's a big term for several actions and steps to take. Don't get it mistaken with having ONLY to do with vehicle Activity & Motion.

 

Many things done together. Not separated. Hypermiling is a umbrella terminology.

 

So, should I put the heading as Safe And Considerate Hypermiling In Singapore before i type?

 

Too long?... Too short people misunderstand or say cannot see. Too long becomes too much to read. How?

 

To me hypermiling is safe if done correctly, just like road-hogging in wrong hypermiling practice/technique (done 28.83km/h locally without compromise on safety/road-sharing consideration)

[Good-Carbuyer]

So that's what I have been doing and suppose to be doing according to manual, as coasting allows Regen brake to charge batteries.

Cheers to coasting.

 

Can share this great manual with us?

[5936]

Do it own time, own target and carry on.

 

No fix rules as long it dont affect other road users & safety.

 

 

[Good-Carbuyer]

I think you're mixing a lot of things things together and confusing them as a single "entity".

Hypermilling is about maximising fuel economy.

Road hogging and tailgating are both examples of inconsiderate driving.

Keeping up with the flow is part of conscientious driving

And complying with the law is just that.

 

Speed and acceleration wise, theoretically you get the best fuel economy at the lowest load, and lowest engine speed. That is what hypermilling is about. Everything from aerodynamics, to keeping weight down to coasting, and even drafting, all involves keeping the load as low as possible.

 

You can hypermill and be conscientious, but they are independent of each other. Just know that by doing both, it is at the expense of fuel economy.

 

Also, hypermilling in itself does not promote a smoother flow. It may impede traffic flow as long as everyone else drives faster. Similarly, aggressive non-conscientious driving by persistant overtaking, forcefully cutting in, not giving way etc disrupts the flow by causing others to slow down unnecessarily. Your US study example wasn't hypermilling, rather it was conscientious driving, which is exactly what allows for a smoother traffic flow.

 

Btw, being highly aware of whats going on around is a responsibility of every driver regardless of driving style, and no, it is not a trait that is uniquely associated with hypermilling.

 

P.S. In reference to being efficient from 90 to 100kmh. To nitpick a lil In constant cruising, between 70 to 90kmh is most efficient for most vehicles when you compare time taken vs consumption, however for hypermilling the target is lowest FC (i.e. distance vs consumption) which is roughly between 50 to 70kmh. The exact speed would be dependant on each vehicle.

 

I like to believe road-hogging has got nothing to do with safe and practical hypermiling techniques. Tailgating is a dangerous hypermiling techniques suitable for laboratory research only. Basically there must be environment conducive to practice hypermiling techniques. Otherwise the participant would find it stressful, fruitless, dangerous, too.

[5936]

I dont agree to tail gating.

For me safety distance important.

 

 

[TristanC]

Best way to get a good fuel consumption is to buy a flat near jurong extension, then work nightshift at some building just off the highway

 

Your driving route makes a huge difference to your consumption figures.

 

Jurong to airport... I get about 15km/l average... getting to work in the morning with the jams... 8-9km/l would be generous.