Get an extra 5km per litre easy peasy!

[LTDHO]

Originally Posted by Grobbo

Change up below 2000rpm. Basically keeping the revs as low as possible.

I did this last night and was in 5th before 60kph and needed 6th as I went over 60.

[peachey80]

Originally Posted by Grobbo

I normally use 17.5 Litres per 100km in a mix of 65% city, 35% highway driving.

SO, anyway, the result - 12.5 km per litre - the savings are ridiculous! I could not believe what my trip meter was telling me.

I doubt you are getting 12.5km per litre, I'm guessing you meant 12.5L/100.

[Quicksand]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Your talking about cars (Ford) that arent on the market yet, the euro V8's are.

Is the new Mustang with the Coyote engine for sale in America yet?

[Neeek]

Originally Posted by DJM83

If you want to save fuel dont own a V8......

Get this man a gold star.

If the price of fuel really concerns you, by all means alter your driving habits a bit and see what happens. And if it REALLY concerns you, you should be driving a car you can afford to run and thus drive it the way you want to.

Me, I couldn't care less about the price I pay at the pumps. An LPG conversion fixed that one! Far better option (for me, anyway) than not running a big old V8 every single day of the week.

Anyway, it's just not the same if they can't hear you in the next suburb.

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Go for it but IMO economy and V8 dont belong in the same sentence.

I'll buy that.

I've had a couple of V12 Jags over the years and I DIDN'T buy them for their fuel economy :
(20L/100k If I was really carefull...35L/100k if I wanted to have fun)

[Quicksand]

Originally Posted by Neeek

Far better option (for me, anyway) than not running a big old V8 every single day of the week.

Well sure, but we aren't just talking about old school V8's, which are not the norm (no pun intended Norm ).

There are good, high-tech V8's out there (including the incoming Coyote) returning really good fuel economy + good power, which is the desire of the modern consumer. And rightly so.

The 'if you are worried about fuel dont by a V8' saying is old rhetoric and wont stand up in court these days. GM & Chrysler have been caught out by this old style of thinking due to a lack of understanding of what a modern consumer demands out of a vehicle/engine.

Thats my take on things anyway.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by Neeek

Get this man a gold star.

If the price of fuel really concerns you, by all means alter your driving habits a bit and see what happens. And if it REALLY concerns you, you should be driving a car you can afford to run and thus drive it the way you want to.

Me, I couldn't care less about the price I pay at the pumps. An LPG conversion fixed that one! Far better option (for me, anyway) than not running a big old V8 every single day of the week.

+1
I generally change gears by 2000rpm anyway, it's not really my choice since I have an auto. The 3V has enough low down torque to get me quickly to speed before hitting 2000rpm. Still, giving it the occasional 3000+ rpm squirt is fun.

But since I fuel it with bbq gas it only costs me 30 bucks a week to do 350kms anyway. At that price who cares :

As far as driving smoothly goes, lifting off the throttle well before stopping if I know it's coming, smooth light throttle inputs etc, this is how I have always driven and just assumed it was how most people drive.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Rodp

I do 40,000kms on a light year, I do worry about economy and I do love my V8. Perhaps you don't feel the sting in the back pocket but some of us do. I like to own my V8 as well as reduce fuel bills where possible.

To claim I shouldn't care about fuel economy because I own a V8 is spurious at best.

Mate this is a forum and EVERYONE is entitled to an opinion and that one is mine, i dont care if you dont think its right or wrong. And if i feel that way thats my choice, although i do applaud you for buying a V8 and using it for that many KM's per year not many would.

Originally Posted by Inducted Breeze

Is the new Mustang with the Coyote engine for sale in America yet?

Last time i checked we live in AUSTRALIA not the USA, but yes the new 5.0 is one on the newer less is more V8's

[Quicksand]

Originally Posted by Powdered Toast Man

+1
But since I fuel it with bbq gas it only costs me 30 bucks a week to do 350kms anyway. At that price who cares :

I support LPG 100% (I had it on my old XR6T). I just find it humorous that out of the 4 people so far who are saying 'if you are worried about fuel, dont buy a V8', two of them switched their V8's to a cheaper fuel option; that being LPG......!!

"Do as i say, not as i do"

[Quicksand]

Originally Posted by DJM83

Last time i checked we live in AUSTRALIA not the USA, but yes the new 5.0 is one on the newer less is more V8's

C'mon, thats an out and you know it. The Coyote is the future direction of V8's in Ford Australia and it is more than appropriate to be included in this discussion.

FWIW and i know it isn't directed at me, but i welcome your opinion and am enjoying the discussion!

[prydey]

Originally Posted by Inducted_Breeze

I support LPG 100% (I had it on my old XR6T). I just find it humorous that out of the 4 people so far who are saying 'if you are worried about fuel, dont buy a V8', two of them switched their V8's to a cheaper fuel option; that being LPG......!!

"Do as i say, not as i do"

it does seem a little hypocritical doesn't it however with the advance in lpg technology, the latest systems work quite well, resulting in very little power loss.

the argument remains though, if you need to convert it to lpg, then petrol costs were obviously deemed to high, and according to some on this thread, owning a v8 shouldn't be an option.

Originally Posted by Powdered Toast Man

As far as driving smoothly goes, lifting off the throttle well before stopping if I know it's coming, smooth light throttle inputs etc, this is how I have always driven and just assumed it was how most people drive.

agreed. like i said earlier in the thread, if people drove, anticipating what lies ahead a little more, not only would there be less accidents but more than likely you will increase your mileage.

for what its worth, i don't worry myself about the price of fuel. its something i can't control and i need to use it so i just fill up and drive until i need to fill again. i own a v8 because i like the sound (who doesn't) and the performance. this doesn't mean i can't drive with the flow of traffic, instead of nailing the throttle at any opportunity.

on a side note, i find it amusing that people with manual gearboxes still don't use overdrive unless they are on the freeway or something. they aren't that overdriven that they can't handle any speed from about 60 onwards. the engines develop plenty of torque so they are rarely labouring.

[Davebro]

I just filled up with United Plus 95 last night, the ethanol one, caus I thought I would give it a go.

Its sluggish compared to the BP 98, and the average fuel usage has gone up too!

Dumb petrol.

[DJM83]

Originally Posted by Inducted_Breeze

C'mon, thats an out and you know it. The Coyote is the future direction of V8's in Ford Australia and it is more than appropriate to be included in this discussion.

FWIW and i know it isn't directed at me, but i welcome your opinion and am enjoying the discussion!

Not at all, you asked if it was for sale in America yet? We are talking about OZ. Yes Coyote is the future for V8's in the Blue oval camp and it is in the right direction. Im refering more to to the current modern day V8 ie BOSS and Windsor (OP was refering to the Windsor)

[bernadette86]

Hey davebro down in strathalbyn they sell 100 octane if you wanna give that a try. Or buy 98 and bottle of octane booster. Ah fuel consumption I know about that ZL fairlane in city driving im lucky to get 18-20L/100km and I gotta fill an 80L tank. Highway is about 14L I drive how I like who cares about the earth. We'll find another planet.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Originally Posted by Inducted_Breeze

I support LPG 100% (I had it on my old XR6T). I just find it humorous that out of the 4 people so far who are saying 'if you are worried about fuel, dont buy a V8', two of them switched their V8's to a cheaper fuel option; that being LPG......!!

"Do as i say, not as i do"

No I supported the argument you should buy a car you can afford to run. I didn't mention anything about the engine configuration or if it runs on petrol, gas or ox pee.

I bought a car I can afford to run. I love my V8s and LPG is the cheapest way to run them so I put it on LPG. If I couldn't have afforded to put it on gas and do the required kays to offset the installation costs I wouldn't have bought the car. Well I might have still bought it but I would have had to sell it years ago because I couldn't afford to run it and pay it off at the same time.

BTW thats not just an off the cuff comment either, that was my financial situation at the time. Buying my car could have been a very stupid financial decision had things been different:

[turbo al]

Originally Posted by paule11

From memory having a flat underside isnt a great thing i remember hearing stories in the 70s of the Lamborghini Muria getting airborne due to the flat underside might just be rumours though

Cars are somewhat shaped like wings - look at a wing cross section. Flat bum and rounded top creates lift.
I think it was Mercedes who had flying cars at Le Mans a few years ago- not cool on the Mulsanne straight.

Fuel economy is easy- dont spool the turbo as often

[SteveJH]

Originally Posted by turbo al

Cars are somewhat shaped like wings - look at a wing cross section. Flat bum and rounded top creates lift.
I think it was Mercedes who had flying cars at Le Mans a few years ago- not cool on the Mulsanne straight.

Fuel economy is easy- dont spool the turbo as often

There you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvSrCdgDeSM&feature=fvw

[mik]

i don`t think it matters what car your in, if you drive smoothly, your not just saving fuel, but brakes ,suspension and its a less stressfull drive.

[Grobbo]

Originally Posted by SteveJH

There you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvSrCdgDeSM&feature=fvw

I'm sure this has been pointed out already but it was a Mercedes that flipped into the crowd at Le Mans in the olden days and killed 140 people or something.... Spooky!

In other news related to my thread, I got sick of driving like that after one tank of gas and then really started sticking the boot in to make up for it.

Now I'm back up to 17L/100, my neighbours are complaining and my car is groaning under the strain... Fun tho.

[Grobbo]

Originally Posted by LTDHO

I agree with all the above ideas other than turning the engine off! That is stupid.

Oh yeah and another relevant update, I blew my starter motor.

Ha ha ha ha. $400 would've bought quite a bit of fuel I imagine!

[Halfmo Rocks]

Originally Posted by [CaSeY]

im pretty sure mythbusters proved that closed/open tailgate don't effect fuel usage, but i could be wrong

i think it was the other way...open tailgate/no tailgate pushed the load down on the back end making economy much worse, and closed gate had the air in the tray circle round...so the air flowing over the top of vehicle didn't push down on the back.
i'd imagine a hard cover would be the same, maybe even better

[Mr Brooksy]

Originally Posted by SteveJH

There you go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvSrCdgDeSM&feature=fvw

I remember that... poor Webber!

But that flip wanst caused by a flat underbelly if memory serves. It was the upper body that was the cause...

And F1 cars have had flat under trays for donkeys years, all the other prototype Le Mans cars have flat under trays too. And someone mentioned the old Lambos, that again was a upper body design issue. It created lift not downforce.

I'd like ot know why the new Mazda 6 has a half flat undertray? Does anyone kn0ow of any research that talks about its benefits/drawbacks?

[GasoLane]

Originally Posted by turbo al

Cars are somewhat shaped like wings - look at a wing cross section. Flat bum and rounded top creates lift.

Couple of problems there.....

1. The underside of Aircraft wings are not flat.

2. The underside of cars is not flat but full of wind catching bits.

I did own a car once that was almost exactly as you describe, and it stuck to the road like glue.

[NC1183]

Originally Posted by turbo al

Cars are somewhat shaped like wings - look at a wing cross section. Flat bum and rounded top creates lift.
I think it was Mercedes who had flying cars at Le Mans a few years ago- not cool on the Mulsanne straight.

Fuel economy is easy- dont spool the turbo as often

Ah, every car I have looked at side on looks kinda opposite to a wind to me, ie. the front of a wing for lift is the bigger part of the wing and then it gets thinner. Cars are usually thinner at the front then the back. Also the designers and engineers take lift into account when designing/creating the car and therefore add other areodynamic aids to combat lift.


On topic, I drive my SP in a rather spirited fashion around town and regularly see the instant fuel usage around the 12s with 7 to 9's on the highway

[castellan]

I would think everyone who pays for fuel cares about economy. or would you fill up at $2.00 litre when across the road you could get the same fuel for $1.00.
I have a gen 3 V8 6sp manual. i take off in 1st then 3rd then 5th and then 6th at 70 km/h if it's ok to do so. and don't hang about poncing around.
I do find using a tonneau cover is better on the highway for fuel, and if you have tray back take the sides off helps.
The cruise control is not an economy device. it is only a licence saver.
A V8 is only a V8, some must think it's a race motor. like ooohh! eebygom Johnny's got a V8 you know. he muost be a rratbag, you know like.

[fos408]

Just move to Adelaide, they all take off from the lights like snails and keep you boxed in so you never get to give your car a rev

[GASWAGON]

Originally Posted by AC/DC

Dont forget to Pump Up the tyres !

I did today and they were all under 25 PSI, , as I drove out of the servo it felt like a new car

You can even run your tyres a bit harder than manufacturer says if you do'nt mind a little harder ride.... I run 38psi in mine and tyre wear seems to be fine.
Also try and anticipate lights and try don't rev over 3k.... It all helps.

[nfury8]

Originally Posted by mac_man_luke

this is the only one id avoid, starter motors are expensive.

And on restarting id imagine it would dump in more fuel than just leaving it running

Dont bother switching the motor off, mine only sips away at a rate of 2Lper HOUR, thats a chipped BOSS 260 motor, let me break it down to
seconds>>> 0.5555ml fuel per second,
minutes>>>>33ml fuel per minute

[mik]

speaking of aero dynamics..........i did read some time ago that the toyota tarago actually had quite a good drag coefficient actually better than the front wheel drive celica............BELIEVE IT OR NOT !!!

[sd1800]

Originally Posted by grey_esp

If he drives in the left lane he wont frustrate anyone, thats where slow cars (or slow accelerating cars) belong.

In heavy traffic it's not. No-one is going anywhere when average speed is 10kmph, but you get these 19yr old smarta$$ young girls in thier Rav4's that just have to keep changing lanes to get 3 cars ahead.

Edit: Whoops. Sorry for the thread mine.....