On or around Wed, 24 May 2006 19:18:50 +0100, DavidM
<
[email protected]> enlightened us thusly:
>Ian Rawlings wrote, On 24/05/2006 18:58:
>> On 2006-05-24, TonyB <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>> The average was 35.8 mpg.
>>
>> A chap I know has a 300TDi Discovery, he reckons he gets 40MPG out of
>> it without really trying, despite me insisting he's wrong. I don't
>> see how he can manage that, especially since my Defender 300TDi seems
>> to average below 30MPG.
>>
>
>Is there a difference in diff ratios, or transfer box gearing between
>the Disco and Defender? Or maybe tyre treads?
I doubt it's genuine. he might be a very careful drive and coast down every
hill and so forth, but I don't reckon you'd get 40 mpg otherwise.
I keep accurate records over more than a thousand miles to get fuel figures,
and I've never yet seen anything like that from the 300 TDi disco.
It does partly depend on use: if you did only longish journeys on flattish
roads at 50 mph, you might get 40 mpg.
The only way to get accurate fuel figures is to start with a full tank,
drive, then fill the tank again and work out the economy based on the miles
covered. You can and should for better accuracy extend this by keeping note
of all fuel put in and then finishing up with a full tank, this will reduce
below a statistical level the errors in tank fullness which are inevitable.
currently I'm doing this for the latest minibus, so far I've covered 1462
miles on 48.43 gallons, for an average mpg of 30.2; although the figure is
still fluctuating a bit as the mileage isn't really long enough - all I can
honestly say at the moment is that it's doing something between about 30 and
32. which is probably accurate enough for most purposes, at that, but since
the data are easily acquired and processed I may as well continue. In this
vehicle, the attitude of the vehicle when filling can make quite a
difference to the amount of fuel put in.
If anyone wants a copy of the spreadsheet I use to channel all the vehicle
running costs down into a single "pence per mile" figure, let me know. It
covers everything that gets used up per mile, including service items,
tyres, fuel, etc. Doesn't cover standing costs, viz. the things you have to
pay even if you never drive it but have it available for use, e.g.
insurance, tax, MOT.
--
Austin Shackles.
www.ddol-las.net my opinions are just that
Satisfying: Satisfy your inner child by eating ten tubes of Smarties
from the Little Book of Complete B***ocks by Alistair Beaton.
