Fuel saving advice please

[holden_calais_VT_1999]

hay all i am planing a road trip in my VT Calais 1999 and i was after any mods i can do to my car to save on fuel.

i already have a CAI (K&N pannel filter to go with) and a complete new exhaust system (extractor hi-flo cat throught to tip)


and if your going to say dont be heavy on your accelerator well a head of you lol

[Vt_vic]

use the cruise control it actually saves a considerable anount

[pablo]

Pump your tyres up to max recommended in the book!

[ephect]

have you kept up regular servicing? maintaining a good engine is the key. Since your about to go on a road trip, throw some fresh oil in her

change your O2 sensors if they havent been done since you've owned the car. check for error codes make sure nothing is wrong proir to leaving

there's other stuff but i cant think of any atm

[Maxseverity]

neutral roll down hills. Rofl. dont use cruise control up hills. it'll change down gears.

[dan666]

fill up with premium

[moose man]

Yeah, agree with most of this stuff.
Pump your tyres up 3 or 4 Psi more than normal. Makes your tyres a bit harder, so less rolling resistance. 36-38 Psi is ok.
Using cruise control actually uses more fuel (only minimal though) but keeps you at the right speed. The safety payoff is worth the extra amount of fuel.
Carry as least weight as possible in the car. Each 20Kg adds roughly 1.5 - 2% extra fuel use.
What's the biggest difference to fuel economy you can make?

Travel at 80Kph. Wind resistance increases exponentially over this speed.

You will save more fuel doing this than all these tips put together. If you are in no rush, however, this won't work..

[ACEMonkey]

I'd use premium unleaded for continuous long distance drive (with very few stop/starts in between), you'd usually get about 100 to 200km extra out of the tank compared to using regular unleaded. And yeah, don't use cruise control uphills as it always tries to keep up the speed by dropping gears and revving harder, which is probably fine if you want to get over the hill as quickly as possible.

If you have roof racks, spot lamps, Aussie flags, fluffy dice etc on your car that you're not using, take them off. The less drag, the better.

[Sean880]

All good suggestions here, including the use of premium fuel.

1. Definitely run your tyres with 38psi Front and 36-37 psi Rear to reduce rolling resistance. This also improves braking and handling and you will hardly notice any change in ride quality. If there is going to be a lot of weight in the boot then run 38 psi in the rear also.

2. CHANGE your engine Air Filter element before the trip if you have not in the last 12 months. This is easy to do and they are cheap to buy. Nothing like a clogged air filter to reduce engine performance and impair your fuel mileage.

3. Change your driving style for maximum economy. Feather the throttle and coast down hills as much as possible and never use Cruise Control in hilly or undulating roads. This makes a big difference in economy. Avoid the need for any heavy braking by adjusting your driving.

Also running at 90 kph rather than 100 or at 100 rather than 110 makes a considerable difference in fuel used and the time you lose on the trip is very marginal. Just be prepared for the occasional tail gating wankers that you will have to put up with.

4. Make sure you change your engine oil and oil filter before you set off.

[ashbox]

Travel at 80Kph. Wind resistance increases exponentially over this speed.

Also running at 90 kph rather than 100 or at 100 rather than 110 makes a considerable difference in fuel used and the time you lose on the trip is very marginal. Just be prepared for the occasional tail gating wankers that you will have to put up with.

you guys do realise that sitting below the limit is very dangerous, you become more of a hazard. And yes i know trucks are speed limited to 100 but they're a hazard in their own right.

just sit on whatever the speed limit states and please, stay in the left lane unless overtaking

if you want to save fuel, drive smoothly, its that simple.

[Sean880]

you guys do realise that sitting below the limit is very dangerous, you become more of a hazard. And yes i know trucks are speed limited to 100 but they're a hazard in their own right.
.

What rubbish. How long have you been driving? You use common sense and you can readily drive without interfering with faster traffic.

Drive on or near the speed limit and you will still be overtaken by 50% of other cars on the road by the way. So how does that fit with your theory then?

Then you see 70% of "drivers" running in groups at 100 kph on the highway 1.5 car lengths from the guy in front. They just don't have a clue about braking distances. That's dangerous.

Save us from the lecture.

[strgas]

convert to LPG ???

[_R_J_K_]

What rubbish. How long have you been driving? You use common sense and you can readily drive without interfering with faster traffic.

Drive on or near the speed limit and you will still be overtaken by 50% of other cars on the road by the way. So how does that fit with your theory then?

Then you see 70% of "drivers" running in groups at 100 kph on the highway 1.5 car lengths from the guy in front. They just don't have a clue about braking distances. That's dangerous.

Save us from the lecture.

How long have you been driving?

That statement implies that you have been driving for some time. Because of that, you should then know that a lot of other drivers don't use common sense and that you can't control the actions of other drivers. E.g., those drivers don't have a clue about the car in front of them that is going 20km/h under the speed limit and probably 30 or 40 km/h under the speed that they're doing. You essentially become an obsticle.

Your statement doesn't really support your theory either.

Here's my support. - http://www.theleader.com.au/news/loc...ng/456549.aspx

Save us from the lecture.

[strgas]

forgot the posted limits south eastern 3 lane freeway left lane moving at 60-70 middle 80-90 right lane luck to be doing 95-100 hard for most to do 100kms and thats on a weekend afternoon without any rain .

[pablo]

I'd use premium unleaded for continuous long distance drive (with very few stop/starts in between), you'd usually get about 100 to 200km extra out of the tank compared to using regular unleaded..

While I am not saying not to use premium fuel, I don't think you are going to get 10-20% more distance from a tank by doing so!
If that were the case, this benifit would be well known and ever body would be doing it by now.

[edals]

While I am not saying not to use premium fuel, I don't think you are going to get 10-20% more distance from a tank by doing so!
If that were the case, this benifit would be well known and ever body would be doing it by now.

I would say i would get a extra 30-50 kms from premium, But i just use it cause its better for your car, cleaner & maybe a bit smoother & Keep ya injectors clean longer.

[moose man]

... & Keep ya injectors clean longer.

meh...
anyone who falls for that marketing dribble deserves to be ripped off at the pump in my opinion.
There's one main reason fuel companies are pushing the higher octane fuel, apart from the small percentage of higher-end cars that need it.
Put simply, it makes fuel companies more money. It's more profitable to sell premium fuel than standard.
Do you really think the fuel companies give a shit if your car runs faster, better, etc.?
All the tests show that you get a slight increase in mileage, but the trade-off is cost. It comes out even. More money for less product.

...and don't anyone try to tell me that they can 'feel' a difference on premuim.

[ashbox]

What rubbish. How long have you been driving? You use common sense and you can readily drive without interfering with faster traffic.

Drive on or near the speed limit and you will still be overtaken by 50% of other cars on the road by the way. So how does that fit with your theory then?

Then you see 70% of "drivers" running in groups at 100 kph on the highway 1.5 car lengths from the guy in front. They just don't have a clue about braking distances. That's dangerous.

Save us from the lecture.

probably longer than most.

i can tell when i have to either overtake or brake for a slow moving car but i can't vouch for every other driver on the road so driving slower than the posted limit can be dangerous.

how long do you think a truck is gonna sit behind a car going slower than he /she is?

[holden_calais_VT_1999]

ok a lil bit of the subject but thats great advice thanks now i am looking at replacing my o2 sensor any advice were to get the best deal and also i was in super cheap the other day and they had octane fule additive and also do hi-clone or simalr products work??

[moose man]

Will octane fuel additive work? - yes, it will raise the octane of the fuel.
Will it give you more economy? - very slightly.
Will it cost less in the long run? - certainly not. Your $8.95 is better spent on normal petrol.

Will hi-clone work? - no.

[holden_calais_VT_1999]

ok thanks for the mate short sharpe and straight to the point you go any advice for me anything you can thing of or anyone else??

[Benboy]

What rubbish. How long have you been driving? You use common sense and you can readily drive without interfering with faster traffic.

Drive on or near the speed limit and you will still be overtaken by 50% of other cars on the road by the way. So how does that fit with your theory then?

Then you see 70% of "drivers" running in groups at 100 kph on the highway 1.5 car lengths from the guy in front. They just don't have a clue about braking distances. That's dangerous.

Save us from the lecture.

Driving below the posted speed limit is a hazard to other road users. In some states you can be issued a T.I.N. for obstructing the flow of traffic (or similar). Imagine, speed limit 100 km/ph, slow poke toddling along at 80 km/ph, following motorist travelling at posted speed limit, crests a small rise on the road to be confronted by slow poke in dream land. Very real probability of rear end simply becuase someone thought they could save some fuel. Too bad about lives lost, injuries sustained, vehicle wrecked etc.

Another scenario....Pacific Highway, dual lane carriageway, slow poke travelling at 10-20 km/ph below speed limit, huge traffic build up behind, on-coming traffic makes overtaking difficult, following motorists become angry, frustrated and totally 'cheesed off' by thoughtless, inconsiderate actions of slow poke. Following vehicle(s) decide time to overtake, wait for safe opportunity, make a move, unknow to overtaking vehicle(s) bend in road, B-double approacing from opposite direction WHAMMO !!!!!!!

Another situation, slow poke again travelling below speed limit, huge contingent of vehicles backed up behind, overtaking lane sign announces overtaking in 3 km. Following motorists breath a sigh of relief that they won't have to take any risks to get past the moving road-block. Reach overtaking lane, slow poke decides to put foot down making it impossible for anyone to overtake. Again following may be inclined to take dangerous risks to get away from this idiot.
What, you say just because you travel below the speed limit that you wouldn't increase your speed at an overtaking lane, I don't believe you. If you are inconsiderate of others being wo are forced to travel at your speed - below the speed limit - nothing you say could convince me that you wouldn't also be inconsiderate and selfish when it came to allowing vehicle to overtake you safetly at an overtaking lane. In fact nothing you do that might endanger other road users would surprise me at all. Just stay out'a my sights.

[Tsunamix]

Heres the most simple and effective way of saving fuel.

Get a piece of finishing line exactly 880mm long. Tie a blood knoot loop on both ends.

Place 1 end on your big toe, the other on around your left testicle.

Drive with string in place.

[moose man]

Driving In some states you can be issued a T.I.N. for obstructing the flow of traffic (or similar).

I've never heard such rubbish. Think before you type you fool.

Think of all the learner drivers, vintage vehicles, cyclists, towing vehicles, even horse-drawn carriages that do this every day. Some of these examples can't travel on motorways etc, but plenty of vehicles travel below the speed limit legally every day right across australia.

If you stay in the left hand lane, you can travel whatever speed you like. There's no law that says that a vehicle can't travel below the speed limit, only that they must stay left.

[Rolla_Rolla']

Heres the most simple and effective way of saving fuel.

Get a piece of finishing line exactly 880mm long. Tie a blood knoot loop on both ends.

Place 1 end on your big toe, the other on around your left testicle.

Drive with string in place.

Hahahahah, that made me lol