Tips To Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

[bhvm]

Re: Increasing fuel efficiency for Toyota Fortuner - Any recommendations Dieseltronic

Hi,

Recently bought a Toyota Fortuner.

1. Wanted to figure out how to increase the fuel efficiency for Toyota Fortuner. You know the reason.. Fortuner needs more money per month than my self to survive & operate

2. Please provide me suggestions
(a) Driving habits that would aid higher fuel efficiency, and
(b) Any add-on devices like Dieseltronics or other, which would help to increase the fuel efficiency

Thanks
Vijay

welcome Vijay.
I too own fortuner 3.0 MT. awd
the realistic fuel efficiency is 9.8 kmpl.

1. these big brawny diesels don't pay attention to minor changes. don't expect miracles from your d4d engine . always drive in ac with all windows up.

2. the engine has massive torque which means you can upshift higher. infact you can upshift at 2000 rpm without problems.

3. aim for top speed about 80-100kmph. I know it's hard for such a beautiful vehicle but do try.

4. stay away from tuning and mods atleast until warranty period.

5. and yes, don't forget to enjoy your beast. you're driving a big 3.0L heart which is rare in India these days.

 

[Sidd7hartha]

Friends will you please explain the term ' Engine Tuning'. Going through this thread I could learn properly tuned engine gives better FE. How I can understand that engines reqires tuning, what symptoms indicates it?

 

[vijayvm]

Re: Increasing fuel efficiency for Toyota Fortuner - Any recommendations Dieseltronic

welcome Vijay.
3. aim for top speed about 80-100kmph. I know it's hard for such a beautiful vehicle but do try.
.

Thanks for the advice. Cautiously i am driving in this 80-100kms especially on highways and surprisingly the Fuel efficiency is about 12KMs+. In one occassion for half-tank fuel, got 550KMs.. (i.e for 40Liters 550KM is 13KM+).

However in city traffic the FE reduces drastically to 8Km/ltr. usually my driving is about 70% hihway and 30% city traffic. Observed that i am getting 12KM/ltr for 2500KM driving.

 

[swadesh]

Fuel Efficiency - Facts & Myths.

Dear Readers,

Would like to know a few things regarding Fuel Efficiency.

1. How much Petrol will an Idle Car would consume, with AC on (Need to know this, as many times we find ourself stuck in massive Jams, and Family needs AC, but we need Fuel !!! )

2. Does switching off on red Lights or any other area, helps with FE ? ( I mean, what should be the Minimum time for stoppage, to save Fuel, and not to waste in re starting the Engine.

3. Does Increasing the Tyre Pressure by few points (4-5 PSI), helps in Improved FE ??

4. Does Nitrogen Air in Tyres , has any Effect on FE ? (any Benefits that you have seen so far) ???

Please do let me know your views on the Above Points, Thanks I advance.

 

[allhyundaicars]

1. I think it varies from car to car. I think car consumes around 2-3 liters with 1 hour of idling. Just a guess , can be more.

2. I switch off when traffic light is more than 40 seconds and since the cars at the front takes some time to move ahead i only start when the light turn greens and sometimes see the distance between me and the red light and start accordingly. Don't turn off your car if red light is for less than 40 seconds.

3. No but it will cause bouncy ride and tyre wear and tear.

4. Nitrogen just keeps the air pressure constant for a longer period of time compared with normal air. So if you don't want to spend on nitrogen , make sure you get the pressure checked weekly or sooner if you drive more. Nitrogen has nothing to do with fe but the air pressure does.

 

[ameyam]

Swadesh,

the idle fuel consumption is mentioned in the manual. I believe my Swift says 200ml for 10mins of idle. Its the stop-and-go that compromises FE and not the idling. Every time you accelerate from a standstill, you add in energy to overcome inertia and also the engine runs rich to prevent stalling. Then, when you brake, all that energy you have used to build up momentum is lost as heat through the brakes. That's what reduces your FE.

Switching off lights at signals will increase fuel economy but not much. Remember those bulbs are only 55W. However, switching OFF the lights does prevent inconveniencing oncoming traffic and pedestrians.

I believe the manual says that if you wait at a signal that you know is over a minute long, you should switch OFF the engine as restarting the engine takes less fuel than is lost in idling

Increasing tire pressure will help FE only marginally but will damage tire and reduce grip and ride comfort. Suggest to keep the recommended tyre pressure or a psi or two less in case of rough ride.

Nitrogen purging increases tyre life by preventing internal corrosion. Remember tyres are not rubber only but also steel, Kevlar and so on. My personal experience is that nitrogen purging helps make the car feel more planted but there is no real FE increase


If you want to increase FE try these



1) Once you start the aircon, let the cabin cool and then turn the know into the white part of the dial. Most of us use the knob at the extreme blue end of the range all the time to give maximum cooling but this overcools the car as the compressor runs all the time. In reality, once the cabin is cooled, a lot less cooling effort is required to maintain the temperature, so the temperature can be maintained by setting the knob into the white zone. Also, the cooling effect is enhanced by setting the fan to a higher speed even at higher temperatures. So lower cooling setting and higher fan speed helps (which by the way is exactly opposite to what we do in daily life, isint it?). Try this out



2) Follow the manufacturers' recommendation regarding when to switch off the engine at signals. They know what they are doing



3) Try to cruise as much as possible. When the road is open, take the car to the speed you want and then let it cruise at that speed with just enough accelerator to maintain it. Look further down the road and try and anticipate other cars cutting into your lane so you don't have to bleed off any speed suddenly by braking and at the same time don't get impeded by that car. I found that most of the time, just taking the foot off the accelerator provides sufficient braking to schedule your speed. Basically drive more smoothly. You will also find that doing this will make all the engine vibrations disappear



4) Drive in a higher gear. Remember you shift into a higher gear not only to match the engine torque (remember torque, not speed) but also if you want to cruise in the speed you have just achieved. Use this trick in traffic when you need to just roll, you can get away in 2nd most of the time unless the engine judders.



5) Don't charge down to the signals and then brake and stop there. You just put in energy to get there fast and lose it in braking. Instead, see if you can roll to the signal so that you get there when it changes. That way you keep rolling and don't have to put in and expend energy. I do this a lot on the highway and a lot of my co-drivers think I am plain nuts! But when the signal changes, I am always the first through as I am in gear and rolling whereas they are standing still and need to get into gear and accelerate



6) Try a aftermarket air filter- I am using K&N. It adds about a km/l of fuel on its own and makes in-gear acceleration effortless


Ameyam

 

[sethumurugan]

Re: Tips To Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

Swadesh,

Nitrogen purging increases tyre life by preventing internal corrosion. Remember tyres are not rubber only but also steel, Kevlar and so on. My personal experience is that nitrogen purging helps make the car feel more planted but there is no real FE increase

i am using nitrogen from my M800 days (2008). even now in my spark i use only Nigrogen.

3) Try to cruise as much as possible. When the road is open, take the car to the speed you want and then let it cruise at that speed with just enough accelerator to maintain it. Look further down the road and try and anticipate other cars cutting into your lane so you don't have to bleed off any speed suddenly by braking and at the same time don't get impeded by that car. I found that most of the time, just taking the foot off the accelerator provides sufficient braking to schedule your speed. Basically drive more smoothly. You will also find that doing this will make all the engine vibrations disappear

I do that. I never apply brakes in highway as much as possible. just pull of my legs from accelerator car will slow down. if it is very necessary I will use brakes.

My family prefers my driving than anyone driving and they say this specifically that I dont apply brakes often which makes them comfort.

 

[nmm mithra]

Re: Tips To Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

Before every starts of the day in your vehicle please don't switch on the Air conditioner for about 5 -10 minutes, before the engine gets warmer but use a blower alone to increase the FE if the interiors of the vehicle are some what warmer when it was parked on the closed garage.

 

[Sidd7hartha]

If one moves at 80 Km/hr. in 5th gear and it is necessary to slow down what is the best method ----Applying break at 5th gear or shifting down to 4th and apply break?

 

[incarnation]

shifting down to fourth and applying brakes is the safest way to control your vehicle. imagine you are running and somebody gets hold of your legs what happens, you tend to fall in vehicles you might loose the grip. the main thing is to stop the power to the wheels which is done by transmission which transfers the energy to the wheels hence downshifting and breaking is the safest method. hope i was able to answer your query.

 

[GrandRk]

Re: Tips To Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

If one moves at 80 Km/hr. in 5th gear and it is necessary to slow down what is the best method ----Applying break at 5th gear or shifting down to 4th and apply break?

In emergency situation you wont get time for downshift, hence apply brakes. But if you just want to slow down then downshift to any gear lower than 5th based on your slowness.

 

[kanishka]

Re: Tips To Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

Swadesh,


1) Once you start the aircon, let the cabin cool and then turn the know into the white part of the dial. Most of us use the knob at the extreme blue end of the range all the time to give maximum cooling but this overcools the car as the compressor runs all the time. In reality, once the cabin is cooled, a lot less cooling effort is required to maintain the temperature, so the temperature can be maintained by setting the knob into the white zone. Also, the cooling effect is enhanced by setting the fan to a higher speed even at higher temperatures. So lower cooling setting and higher fan speed helps (which by the way is exactly opposite to what we do in daily life, isint it?). Try this out

Ameyam

This is my friend a big myth people have...

Keeping the temperature control knob in blue or white position does not alter the compressor speed or cut off time in cars fitted with manual air con system!!!

The temperature control knob in manual ac cars is just connected to a flap which directs the airflow between the heating coil and cooling coil of the car, keeping the knob in middle position or in the white zone will cause the blower fan to suck the partial air from the cooling coil and partial from the heating coil, putting more load on the AC compressor.
Still not convinced??

see under the dashboard moving the knob you will find a flap connected to the knob through a cable, or move the knob to the white portion open the hood and notice compressor for any change in cut off timings and speed, compressor runs on a fixed speed depending upon the engine rpm.

It is the cars fitted with climate control in which the temperature settings alter the compressor cut off rate...

 

[ameyam]

Kanishka,


I know that. But there is merit in what I do. With the know all the way in blue, the compressor compresses the refrigerant all the time but with it set lower, even though the compressor continues to run, less cooling effect is produced by the expansion valve. This reduces back pressure on the compressor, unloading it. Atleast that is what I read up elsewhere. In a previous set of runs where I did this, I was able to push up my FE by 1kmpl from running fully in the blue one week to running somewhat in the white in the next. I tried this atleast a couple of weeks before I settled on this idea
In any case, I don't specifically have a "Need for Cool" all the time anyway, so I set the aircon to the highest temperature I am comfortable at. Also, if only the front two seats are occupied, I direct the aircon air at my arms and I have noted that this cools you down the fastest


Ameyam

 

[ranjithrai]

Re: Tips To Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

Hi everyone, do we get System G fuel additive nowadays ? I checked with BP bunk and they said, nowadays they don't sell it because they have Speed petrol at their bunk, which has got fuel additive mixed in it. I am from Mangalore, please let me know if you know any place where I can get System G. Fuel additive helps in engine performance hence better mileage..

There is a eshop for car accessories called rogermotors.com. I saw system g in their site, just asked their CSR about fuel additive and its advantages, but he asked me to go for this product.
http://www.rogermotors.com/power-mileage/roger-engitech/p-4545011-92537563593-cat.html#variant_id=4545011-92537563593

Please guide me, I tried to reply to fuel additive thread, but u couldn't.

 

[Sierra King]

Re: Tips To Improve Your Car’s Fuel Efficiency

I have an M800 of 1998 of my Father in law.
It is currently giving an fuel efficiency of 8KMPL so worried.
Is there any way I can increase it.
Is there a difference of the carburetor of 1998 model and the latest version of M800.
Can the latest version fit into the 1998.
Pls can any one help