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Having recently read in the paper and Auto Express about some chap who devised a way to drive petrol cars more economically, by accelerating flat out upto 2000 rpm in each gear then changing up, I was wondering what the most economical way to drive my diesel car (1.5dci Megane)? The article in Auto Express stated that because of the differences in the fuel injection systems between petrol and diesel, his method didn't work with diesel engines.
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I didn't read the article, although it does seem counter intuitive.
Presumably, the guy drives on a completely empty road, and never has to slow back down again for the car in front?
I would like to see economy tips for people who drive on real roads.
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My best ecomomy tip is to use the brakes as little as possible. Don't get me wrong, please do stop but if you are using the brakes as little as possible, you are anticpating what is going on ahead and coming off the gas earlier.
I also keep up corner speeds as much as is safely possible thereby limiting the amount of accelerating I need to do to resume cruising speed.
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Defiantly 2nd that - doing this around town helps a lot for consumption as its the short bursts around town that bring your economy down.
Dont forget to keep the car going, dabbing the accelerator and leaving plenty of room in front and you may not even have to stop in some situations. Getting a heavy car moving from standstill requires a lot of energy.
You can also minimize braking on A and B roads by reading a corner and reducing power instead of braking, saving fuel but dont get gas heavy straight away, gradually build it up. Also dont labour the engine either - it doesn't do any good, keep your RPM comfortably up around 2k or just below.
But in reality you may achieve an extra 2 - 6mpg depending on your engine power - it wont set the world alight. I just try to drive like this anyway because it is safer.
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The AE article went into how when accelerating, the friction inside the engine is what you are fighting, and the sooner you get up to cruising speed the better (thus harder acceleration means you get there quicker). The computers inside modern petrol engines inject the correct amount of petrol into the engine and with the injector gates fully open when your foot is to the floor, it's more efficient, or something like that.
The article also tested I think 3 normal people around a 10 mile city route in their own cars, firstly driving how they usually drive, then driving as per the new economical method. All of them experienced better economy.
I was just wondering why the method would fail for a diesel engine. When you bury your foot in the floor, surely the engine would limit the amount of fuel squirted in, as in the petrol engine? And the 2000 revs was the limit cos above this the engine becomes much more uneconomical.
I've been through the standard police driving course, so know how to take a corner at pretty much the quickest, safest speed as per the training, and also look well ahead and anticipatethe road and hazards ahead.
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Would concur with the advice here, just adding that it's worth taking advantage of the complete lack of engine braking on a diesel. When driving at a constant speed, and particularly if on a gentle downhill stretch, you can often back off the gas quite a lot without any drop in speed. If you have an onboard computer, this can add 30-40 mpg to your instant economy readout.
Cheers
DP
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