The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? - Car Talk - Nairaland
Nairaland Forum / Nairaland / General / Car Talk / The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? (20278 Views)
Photos: How To Calculate Fuel Consumption / Is The Infinity M35x Very Thirsty Or This Particular One Is Faulty / How To Know If You Have Been Under-dispensed At The Fuel Filling Station (2) (3) (4)
(1) (2) (3) (4) (Reply) (Go Down)
| The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 10:44pm On May 20, 2011 |
Another thread that may be of interest to Nairalanders, and visitors to Nairaland - fuel consumption. We all know that fuel costs are spiralling, and we're keen to squeeze as many miles / kilometres out of a full tank of gasolene. Let's split this survey into two parts, for cars with fuel computers - a full display that shows: Average miles per gallon / kilometres per litre. Instantaneous miles per gallon / kilometres per litre. Fuel range (distance that can be achieved before your tank comes close to running dry). Average speed. And for cars without fuel computers. In this instance, the usual way to determine consumption will be to fill your tank, then zero your trip meter, then see how many miles you can achieve before a refuel is required. Of course, you'll need to know your fuel tank capacity in litres or gallons. We'll go by UK and US values: UK ---4.55 litres = 1 gallon. US----3,79 litres = 1 gallon. So, for example, your car has a 66 litre tank, and you cover 389 miles from full to empty, your result should be derived in this way: UK------ distance covered (miles) divided by fuel tank capacity. So: 389 / 66 = 5.9 miles per litre. To get miles per gallon: 5,9 x 4.54 = 26.8 miles per gallon. US------distance covered (kilometres) divided by fuel tank capacity. So: 630 / 66 = 9,5 kilometres per litre. To convert your kilometre per litre to miles per gallon, simply multiply your result by 2.82. So, 9,5 km/L) x 2.82 = 26.8 mpg. If your car has a fuel computer as described above, you won't need to do these calculations, though it will be interesting to see how accurate the car's calculations are. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 10:58pm On May 20, 2011 |
I'll start with my own car - a 2002 Audi A4 Quattro 3,0L V6 Tiptronic Avant. Fuel tank capacity: 66 litres. Fuel computer: Yes. Fuel type: Unleaded premium. Transmission: 5 speed Tiptronic. Air conditioner: Yes. Fuel range displayed on computer with full tank: 415 miles. Actual range consistently achieved: 409 miles. My calculations: 409 / 66 = 6,2 miles per litre. 6,2 miles per litre x 4,54 (1 gallon) = 28,2 miles per gallon. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 11:06pm On May 20, 2011 |
Bear in mind, the fuel range shown by fuel computers is the distance that can be achieved, or exceeded under optimum conditions, so no steep gradients, strong head winds etc. Though in theory, such conditions are almost impossible to drive in, we can however achieve as good consumption as possible, getting closest to the car's calculated values. So come on, guys. Post your figures, using the format I used in my own calculations (my car's figures). Please state: Car make Audi Car model: A4 Avant Quattro Engine size: 2,976cc Car year: 2002 Fuel tank capacity: *** Fuel type: Petrol. Fuel computer: Yes. Transmission: 5-speed Tiptronic. Air conditioner: Yes. Fuel range as indicated by fuel computer: 415 miles. Actual range consistently achieved: 409. To get the most accurate readings, you'll need to fill your tank to the brim, at least 4 times, and see how much variation you get. This will give you your average. 1 Like |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 9:05am On May 21, 2011 |
If any of you need help with calculations, I'm quite happy to do so, as long as you give me values, i.e distance you travelled on a full tank, and the size of your tank. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 7:54am On May 22, 2011 |
With the Nigerian obsession with fuel economy / consumption, I'm surprised this informative thread's had no responses. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by oblo(m): 6:30pm On May 22, 2011 |
Siena really am not surprsed responses are slow to come up her for some of my own supposed reasons  Most Nigerians are are quite less bothered about how much fuel their car consumes once a car is purchased. All we want initially is to get a car that is fuel efficient and after that its home free and dry. Most times even after buying a car that is fuel efficient measures to be taken in order to maintain this fuel efficiency is trashed i.e regular servicing of the engine, air filter change as at when due(we all know naija is a very dusty place due to the plenty plenty trunk z  roads we have) ) ,unnessesary luggage in trunk , aggressive driving , i can go on and on, I bet my money on the fact that in naija a fuel thirsty car like a V6 BMW 325 that is well managed and precautions taken could end up being more practically efficient than a Toyota camry 2.2 that is ill maintained.If i ask some ppl here on nairaland when last they checked/changed the fuel filter, air filter of the caburetor air intake they will tell you that untill they completely pack up they dnt change  Well i would be able to give some figures here soon as I have sold my Golf3 and will be getting another runaround car. I have in mind a ford focus hatch back, Volvo V40 or Nissan Primera hatch back all 2002 models with 1.8ltr engines. If i get a 2.0 in any of these all well and good. If i might ask you Siena what would be your pick of these three mentioned cars? |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 11:38pm On May 22, 2011 |
@ Siena Pls how can one" zero a cars trip meter"? and pls like Oblo asked I personally want to know which of the two is better in terms of Fuel economy rugggedness and availability of part; a 2000-2002 ford focus or a nissan primera/almera. We are eagerly waiting for your response. Thanks in advance. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 7:24pm On May 23, 2011 |
gist4real: You zero your trip meter by pressing the trip reset button. The trip meter is the second row of digits, not to be confused with the odometer, which is the total mileage the car has covered. In response to your question on the suitability of a car for use in Nigeria, I would pick the Nissan Primera over the Ford Focus, because it's easy for a novice to work on, parts are surplus, and your mechanic won't be scratching his head each time he raises the hood. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 7:30pm On May 23, 2011 |
oblo: If I had to pick one of the three cars you've listed here, I'd go with the Volvo V40. I have just purchased one as a work hack, it's a 1,8i 2002 model. I've only driven her for two days, so can't really give consumption figures yet. It has cruise control, is a manual, and it was delivered with a quarter tank of gas. I've driven her to work and back twice, at a constant 70 mph on cruise, I haven't added any more juice. My work place is 52 miles each way, so 104 miles x 2 days = 208 miles. The range is still indicating 60 miles, so looks like I'm onto a winner there. 1 Like |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by cretin: 8:11pm On May 23, 2011 |
highway miles and intercity miles aint the same thing.the traffic situation in nigeria is a mess. a full tank gives me abt 160miles intercity/heavy traffic, with a/c on highway, i hv done 152miles on half tank. my tank is 56litres Fuel tank capacity: *** 56 Fuel type: Petrol/Diesel. petrol Fuel computer: Yes/No. no Transmission: Auto/Manual. auto Air conditioner: Yes/No. yes Fuel range as indicated by fuel computer: *** n/a, but users in the US claim btw 320 to 370 per full tank Actual range consistently achieved: *** n/a |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 9:14pm On May 23, 2011 |
Good Lord, Cretin! So with highway driving, your car's doing an average of 12,3 mpg (4,4L/km)!  What make and model of car do you drive, what's the year and engine capacity? Bro, your car's thirsty! |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by cretin: 7:51am On May 24, 2011 |
no ur maths is wrong, i said 152miles on half tank, so it implies i do 152 X2 on a full tank, doing the math i get 24.6mpg. note my post cat oxygen sensors are bad, just changed them last wk, will check the mpg again when next i travell if i wud notice any increase. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by kuntash: 8:17am On May 24, 2011 |
Siena, maybe its good to add the first line like this, Car Make/Model/Year:**** Fuel tank capacity: *** Fuel type: Petrol/Diesel. *** Fuel computer: Yes/No.***** Transmission: Auto/Manual.***** Air conditioner: Yes/No.**** Fuel range as indicated by fuel computer: *** Actual range consistently achieved: *** |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by kuntash: 8:33am On May 24, 2011 |
Nice thread , @ Oblo, I agree with you on the mindset that we in this part of the world follow the "dem say dem say " syndrome before buying a car, then afterwards whether the car gulps fuel like a drunk, they dont bother afterwards, e.g, Toyota, and Honda are good cars , they dont consume fuel, yes o, Oya, pay for that toyota/honda, carry go! Another issue that need mention here is the quality of fuel we get here, I am certain fuel sold in UK or US differs, that does affect both performance and efficiency, I hope we havent forgotten when Oando imported Ethanol last time, however, after some fine tuning ( getting the right temp, cleaning throttle body etc) I have been able to achieve the following in my Janopee, Car Make/Model/Year: Mercedes Benz /C-200/1997 Fuel tank capacity: 62 litres Fuel type: Petrol/Diesel. Petrol Fuel computer: Yes/No. I DONT KNOW Transmission: Auto/Manual. AUTO Air conditioner: Yes/No.YES Fuel range as indicated by fuel computer: Actual range consistently achieved: 20 - 23 MPG(US) |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by cretin: 9:12am On May 24, 2011 |
yeah most nigerians dont hv the right mindset when it comes to fuel consumption. most of the colleagues in my office, if u ask dem,, they always say, my fulltank takes me 1wk or 2wks, they hv no clue on the actual mileage driven, the tank capacity etc, it really pisses me off, though thank God for the internet, i do my research online on any car am interested in, that way i get to know the mpg, and common major and minor issues faced by users. & yes, the quality of petrol in nigeria is poor, plus our bad roads,lack of regular maintaince - peeps rarely change their fuel/air filter until the cars performance is affected so its gonna be hard for any nigerian to achieve us/uk kinds of mileage |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by calculusx(m): 10:15am On May 24, 2011 |
cretin: Cretin you have a mail. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by sultaan(m): 10:34am On May 24, 2011 |
Car Make/Model/Year: Ford Fusion 2010 Fuel tank capacity: 17.5gal Fuel type: 3.0l Petrol Fuel computer: Yes Transmission: Auto Air conditioner: Yes Fuel range as indicated by fuel computer: 420/ 25.5mpg does 32mpg on long trips easily Actual range consistently achieved: n/a Car Make/Model/Year:Jeep Grand Cherokee 2000 Fuel tank capacity: 20.5gal Fuel type: 4.7l Petrol Fuel computer: Yes Transmission: Auto Air conditioner: Yes Fuel range as indicated by fuel computer: 340miles/ 18mpg got 23mpg hypermiling from Florida to GA once Actual range consistently achieved: n/a |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Sequoia(m): 12:21pm On May 24, 2011 |
will definitely be back! nice discussion! |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Larky: 3:33pm On May 24, 2011 |
no your maths is wrong, i said 152miles on half tank, so it implies i do 152 X2 on a full tank, doing the math i get 24.6mpg. note my post cat oxygen sensors are bad, just changed them last wk, will check the mpg again when next i travell if i wud notice any increase. Cretin, Please I am interested in this Cat oxygen issue that help reduce your fuel consumption. Can you give a lead on how you did it. I don't have exact figures yet but I am convinced my Car is a guzzler. I will post the numbers after I get something consistent. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by cretin: 3:57pm On May 24, 2011 |
@ larky, is ur oxygen sensor bad? the only way of knowing is if ur check engine light comes on, and u scan it with an obd scanner.from the error code it brings, u will now know if its the oxygen sensor or something else. most cars comes with 2 or 4 oxygen sensors, mine has 4 such sensors, 2 located before the catalytic convertor [pre CAT], this one is normally called the air- fuel sensor = A/F sensor 2 located after the catalytic converter [post CAT]. driving a car with bad oxygen sensors 4 a long period of time will damage the CATALYTIC converter, n this aint cheap, it also makes ur car eat more fuel. though ur average mechanic will tell u, OGA NO MIND THAT THING, JUST DEY DRIVE UR CAR DEY GO, E NO DEY WORK ANYTHING', |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by EmmySaints: 4:23pm On May 24, 2011 |
Pls i want to buy a honda civic 2007 model. Does it consume so much fuel |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Larky: 4:41pm On May 24, 2011 |
Ok cretin, The first thing is that I have very little idea of these stuff you've mention. Only thing is that, yes, the check engine light is on. Infact its been on for a long time and as you've guessed I was told to ignore it. The mech said its probably because naija fuel is different. The car is 2001 Rav4. I will appreciate if you know somenone that can help with the scan. Thanks. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by cretin: 5:29pm On May 24, 2011 |
if you are in port harcourt, i can refer you to someone who checked mine for me, for a small fee.my car is a 2003 rav 4 too. i hope you are aware of the ecm issues generally experienced by all 2001 to 2003 rav4 models?, there is a thread somewhere on nairaland abt it.it affects the transmission. attached below is the technical service bulletine issued by toyota corporation on the issue
|
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by cretin: 5:44pm On May 24, 2011 |
EmmySaints: the civic is very fuel efficient though the elantra and corolla hv slightly beta mpg. do remember to drop by my thread for a vin check if you decide to buy the car. https://www.nairaland.com/nigeria/topic-655107.128.html#msg8384247 Snapshot EPA Fuel Economy: City: 23 – 30 Highway: 32 – 40 Available Engines: 113-hp, 1.8-liter I-4 (natural gas) 140-hp, 1.8-liter I-4 (regular gas) 197-hp, 2.0-liter I-4 (premium) Available Transmissions: 5-speed automatic w/OD 5-speed manual w/OD 6-speed manual w/OD good things abt the car: bgood fuel economy, six standard airbag, interior quality, quietness. Vehicle Summary A redesigned eighth-generation version of Honda's smallest model went on sale for the 2006 model year. Honda calls it the most-changed Civic since the model was introduced to the U.S. market in 1973. The only significant change for 2007 is the addition of a high-performance Civic Si sedan |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 8:23pm On May 24, 2011 |
cretin: My apologies bro - I didn't read your response properly, and wrongly assumed you did 152 miles on a full tank. Of course, it makes sense now. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by blacksta(m): 9:43pm On May 24, 2011 |
Car make VW Car model: GOLF BlueMotion Technology 1.6 TDI 105PS with start and stop technology 2011 Fuel tank capacity: 50 litres. Fuel computer: Yes. Fuel type: FREAKING DIESEL Transmission: 7 Speed auto DSG, front-wheel drive Air conditioner: Yes. Fuel range displayed on computer with full tank: 550 miles. Actual range consistently achieved: 540 miles. Actual range consistently achieved: 60 - 65 MPG |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 10:04pm On May 24, 2011 |
^^^ The first diesel to grace this thread. Brilliant fuel economy. 1 Like |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by blacksta(m): 10:14pm On May 24, 2011 |
Siena: Was pushed to diesel cause of the cost of petrol as u r aware in d u.k |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 10:28pm On May 24, 2011 |
blacksta: Yes, it's crazy. Petrol is cheaper, but diesel fuel economy is a winner. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by MADAFA: 11:19pm On May 24, 2011 |
A nice and meaningful topic to contribute. Car make: Infiniti Car model: FX45 Engine size: 4,544cc Car year: 2007 Fuel tank capacity: 23 Gal (90Lit) Fuel type: Petrol Fuel computer: Yes Fuel economy with a/c: 22.2L/km Fuel economy with open windows, sunroof and no a/c: 18.5L/km Transmission: 5-speed Tiptronic Air conditioner: Yes Fuel range as indicated by fuel computer: 485 miles Actual range consistently achieved: 455 |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Nobody: 1:13am On May 25, 2011 |
^^^ Madafa, that's brilliant. Given your engine size. Just goes to prove that a big capacity V6/V8 can be economical if looked after, and driven sensibly. |
| Re: The Fuel Consumption Thread - How Thirsty Is Your Car? by Larky: 7:35am On May 25, 2011 |
if you are in port harcourt, i can refer you to someone who checked mine for me, for a small fee.my car is a 2003 rav 4 too. i hope you are aware of the ecm issues generally experienced by all 2001 to 2003 rav4 models?, there is a thread somewhere on nairaland abt it.it affects the transmission. attached below is the technical service bulletine issued by toyota corporation on the issue[quote][/quote] cretin, Thanks man, but I am in Lag. I am not aware of any ecm transmission issues . However, I do know that the car takes its time to move especially after a red light. Is slow acceleration a transmission problem? |
Rolls Royce : 15 Eye Opening Facts You Should Know / My First Experience Picking Up A Car From Tincan Port, Lagos To Port Harcourt / 6 Fuel Saving Tips For Automatic Drivers
(Go Up)
| Sections: politics (1) business autos (1) jobs (1) career education (1) romance computers phones travel sports fashion health religion celebs tv-movies music-radio literature webmasters programming techmarket Links: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8) (9) (10) Nairaland - Copyright © 2005 - 2024 Oluwaseun Osewa. All rights reserved. See How To Advertise. 68 |