Fuel Wankers.

[kyoto49]

I noticed there were lots going slower on the motorways last weekend , and even more today .
I decided to try to stick to 60mph today , like quite a few others around me were doing, to cut the petrol bill down a bit, . But with unusual lack of traffic , and a clear motorway for a change, found myself creeping up at times.

I had the opposite! Stuck to 73 as most is variable speed limit apart from the toll and found others doing similar. I've never driven that slow on the toll tbh but wasnt the only one going at that speed and found myself appreciating how much less fuel I used. Bit of an eye opener tbh and with cycling to work with the better weather I'm not going to be using the car much at all.

 

[staffordjas]

I was wondering ....at one time 56 mph used to be said to be most economical speed. But with more modern vehicles, does this still apply?

My car seems to be happier / smoother at 65-ish ....

 

[kyoto49]

I was wondering ....at one time 56 mph used to be said to be most economical speed. But with more modern vehicles, does this still apply?

My car seems to be happier / smoother at 65-ish ....

No idea on optimum speed but mine likes to be at around 65 to 70 and is significantly more efficient than at 80+ where it drinks petrol!

 

[tek-monkey]

I thought that 56 was the 'offical' speed to test mpg at, so cars were usually tuned to that. Could well be wrong though!

 

[cj1]

56mph is generally for lorries. For other vehicles its generally lower and varies between different engines and transmission.
The ford fiesta ecoboost achieved 96mpg in an economy competition by among other things keeping engine rpm below 1450 rpm without labouring the engine. Other things to improve efficiency include:
Service and check oil frequently - well maintained cars run smoothly
Tyre pressure checked monthly - underinflated tyres can raise full consumption
Reduce unnecessary heaviness in car or boot
Remove roof racks with no luggage and keep windows closed - wind resistance can increase car fuel consumption
Resist harsh acceleration and braking
Use higher gears when accelerating

 

[tek-monkey]

56mph is generally for lorries. For other vehicles its generally lower and varies between different engines and transmission.
The ford fiesta ecoboost achieved 96mpg in an economy competition by among other things keeping engine rpm below 1450 rpm without labouring the engine. Other things to improve efficiency include:
Service and check oil frequently - well maintained cars run smoothly
Tyre pressure checked monthly - underinflated tyres can raise full consumption
Reduce unnecessary heaviness in car or boot
Remove roof racks with no luggage and keep windows closed - wind resistance can increase car fuel consumption
Resist harsh acceleration and braking
Use higher gears when accelerating

I was amazed the drop I got with three bikes on the roof! Also I get much less in winter, readout currently about 57 but in summer have had it up to 69 when doing long journeys too.

 

[Cirrus]

Tesco was £1.63 for diesel yesterday, up 10p from the previous week

 

[BobClay]

All this makes me think of a great line from Trig in Only Fools and Horses: "Fuel prices going up don't affect me because I only ever put £20's worth in."

 

[Cue]

This has prompted me to actually check how big the tank on my old Fiesta was, never cost me more than £45ish to fill…

It’d be more like £80 now… for a dinky little 2011 Fiesta. Christ Almighty

 

[c0tt0nt0p]

As someone who spent 13 years driving to J2 of the M5, I've spent the last 2 years working at home and at the end of March will be taking redundancy so the fuel costs don't impact us as much (luckily)...

 

[staffordjas]

I can't wait til we move now. Been costing a fortune to get to sons and house viewing this past month or so , even though our small car does good mileage to the gallon. Luckily hubby should be working from home when we move , with just a journey back up to Stafford to pick up the equipment. I'll be making sure I'm driving as I get more mpg than him . I drive faster but smoother and makes a big difference. (Plus I'll be choosing which office plants we want, and making sure he doesn't re-clutter the house with every bit of rubbish he can find! )

 

[timmo]

If that doesn’t tell a sorry ass story of greed and profiteering I don’t know what does. Oil at $180 a barrel gave us a price per litre at around 145p. Eighty dollars a barrel cheaper and we’re paying 175p. There may be other factors at work but somebody is coining it.

 

[proactive]

Heads they win, tails we lose.

 

[Jonah]

 

[Noah]

Diesel 1.82 a litre at the petrol station near the Water Tower in Hednesford.

 

[gilesjuk]

UK doesn't have enough diesel refineries, so rather than build some or convert they got Saudi to refine it and send it over to us. There was bad weather which caused a dip in supply.

 

[Entropy]

ASDA are slowly increasing 2p for Diesel each day. in the space of a 40 minute journey it increased 1p this morning to 173.7p

 

[Trumpet]

£1.79 and £1.83 in Newport.

 

[tek-monkey]

On the M1 on Friday it was something like 193.9, they'll charge whatever they think they can get away with.

Edit: just realised I'll need to fill up on the way home too

 

[Trumpet]

£1.65 in Willenhall this morning.