Jack
11-08-08, 08:12 PM
this (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7530652.stm) has been my LMFAO of the evening.
Oh deary me...
A petrolhead in a Mini. Ok, I could forgive that. But he's baulking at spending £54 on a tank of fuel - don't get me wrong, I'm sure everyone wants to spend less on the good stuff, but surely a true petrolhead would want the juice no matter the cost? Anyway. Read on.
The idea is that through good maintenance, a more relaxed driving style and cutting out short trips, you can make a difference to the health of the planet - and your wallet.
No short journeys, thats pretty obvious I'd have thought. The less you use your car, the less you have to spend on fuel (and for the tree huggers out there, the less you kill the planet).
"If you've got a 15-year-old Range Rover and you use these techniques, you'll save fuel today."
Confused.com have diversified into fuel saving?
The Magazine's budget does not run to either specialist fuel efficiency gadgetry
Damn. No eco valve ebay resistor chip jobbie slamming then.
First rule of eco-driving - ditch unnecessary weight.
Again, we're talking obvious here.
But I chuck out old car park tickets and receipts, and recycle the accumulated water bottles and drink cans.
I don't really think a few miligrams worth of parking tickets will make a massive difference...
I obey another eco-driving edict - not to brim the tank, as this adds extra weight and reduces fuel efficiency. I pump in 35 litres (the tank holds 40). £41.26 - painful, but not as bad as before.
Why does 35 litres cost £41 when 40 litres costs £54? Hmm.
braking into bends then accelerating out.
As opposed to... accelerating into corners and braking out?
the conditions for getting back to London are a lot more favourable than the trip down - it's later in the day and a Sunday ... our cargo is possibly a smidgeon lighter.
So its already shaping up to be an unfair test. Goodo.
An eco-driver has to read the road
Much like any other driver really.
10 miles per hour under the speed limit is good for the environment and more miserly on fuel.
So 20mph is more economical and better for the environment than 30mph? Incidentally, my celica is more efficient at 70 than it is at 60. Go figure.
My eco-driving checklist says to turn the engine off if you're stationary for more than a minute.
In stop/start traffic or roadworks, this could well prove to be more inefficient than leaving the engine on idle. Not to mention the stress on engine components. Yes, saving £50 a year on fuel would be good, but spending £75 on a new battery each year won't be much assistance.
If you lift off the gas, keeping the car in a high gear, the engine's computer will stop injecting fuel.
Yep, happens all the time. Whenever I let off the accelerator, my car stops taking in fuel. Its just burning air. Honest.
with extra traffic and some frankly bonkers driving by others
...all of whom are probably quite pissed off at this turnip driving 20mph everywhere, taking half a mile to get up to speed and slow down each time he approaches a junction.
I wonder how many people will now be labouring their engines, changing gear at 1800rpm lol
Oh deary me...
A petrolhead in a Mini. Ok, I could forgive that. But he's baulking at spending £54 on a tank of fuel - don't get me wrong, I'm sure everyone wants to spend less on the good stuff, but surely a true petrolhead would want the juice no matter the cost? Anyway. Read on.
The idea is that through good maintenance, a more relaxed driving style and cutting out short trips, you can make a difference to the health of the planet - and your wallet.
No short journeys, thats pretty obvious I'd have thought. The less you use your car, the less you have to spend on fuel (and for the tree huggers out there, the less you kill the planet).
"If you've got a 15-year-old Range Rover and you use these techniques, you'll save fuel today."
Confused.com have diversified into fuel saving?
The Magazine's budget does not run to either specialist fuel efficiency gadgetry
Damn. No eco valve ebay resistor chip jobbie slamming then.
First rule of eco-driving - ditch unnecessary weight.
Again, we're talking obvious here.
But I chuck out old car park tickets and receipts, and recycle the accumulated water bottles and drink cans.
I don't really think a few miligrams worth of parking tickets will make a massive difference...
I obey another eco-driving edict - not to brim the tank, as this adds extra weight and reduces fuel efficiency. I pump in 35 litres (the tank holds 40). £41.26 - painful, but not as bad as before.
Why does 35 litres cost £41 when 40 litres costs £54? Hmm.
braking into bends then accelerating out.
As opposed to... accelerating into corners and braking out?
the conditions for getting back to London are a lot more favourable than the trip down - it's later in the day and a Sunday ... our cargo is possibly a smidgeon lighter.
So its already shaping up to be an unfair test. Goodo.
An eco-driver has to read the road
Much like any other driver really.
10 miles per hour under the speed limit is good for the environment and more miserly on fuel.
So 20mph is more economical and better for the environment than 30mph? Incidentally, my celica is more efficient at 70 than it is at 60. Go figure.
My eco-driving checklist says to turn the engine off if you're stationary for more than a minute.
In stop/start traffic or roadworks, this could well prove to be more inefficient than leaving the engine on idle. Not to mention the stress on engine components. Yes, saving £50 a year on fuel would be good, but spending £75 on a new battery each year won't be much assistance.
If you lift off the gas, keeping the car in a high gear, the engine's computer will stop injecting fuel.
Yep, happens all the time. Whenever I let off the accelerator, my car stops taking in fuel. Its just burning air. Honest.
with extra traffic and some frankly bonkers driving by others
...all of whom are probably quite pissed off at this turnip driving 20mph everywhere, taking half a mile to get up to speed and slow down each time he approaches a junction.
I wonder how many people will now be labouring their engines, changing gear at 1800rpm lol