Hello all! - Fuelly Forums

Click here to see important news regarding the aCar App

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 11-21-2006, 11:30 AM   #1
Team GasMisers5!
 
landspeed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 440
Country: United States
Hello all!

Hi!

Just found this website, after looking for tips on improving fuel economy!. Already I have found loads of useful info here, having only found it 24 hours ago!. Before visiting the site, I had already 'invented' by myself : Driving behind lorries, engine-off coasting etc!. I have now found a lot of new tips here, and tried properly using engine-off coasting today, getting 60 miles from the fuel gauge, where I might only get 30-50 miles. (and... my
thermostat is not sealing properly at all, meaning the engine would cool right down on the temp gauge after a
3.6 mile coast)

My car is a 1987 Nissan Bluebird 1.8 Turbo (8 valve). It is a 'T12' and in the States would most likely be known as a 'Stanza'. It uses a permanently open-loop fuel injection system, together with a low-compression engine, to get pretty poor fuel economy. Here, we pay $6.60 per gallon (I have converted to US gallons for this), and I get a fuel economy of 32.5mpg average. This is again in US gallons - so a lot of room for improvement!. My
current economy is actually markedly better than many of the people I know who drive this car, and is better than the official economy figures!.

Looking forward to finding out more about getting very good fuel economy
- it is nice to save money, but also to reduce the damage I am doing to the environment!. Maybe next spring I will complete the EV cycle I started this winter too!

Edit : My car also has LPG half-fitted (need to finish that off soon). It currently serves as a useful way to cut
power to the engine and bump-start it again, all under the LPG system control!
__________________

__________________

Team GasMisers5 - #1 for first three rounds of the original GS Fuel Economy Challenge
Miles displaced by e-bike since 1 Jan 2008: 62.6 (0 kWh used)
Hypomiler
landspeed is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2006, 12:52 PM   #2
Registered Member
 
GasSavers_TomO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 1,108
Country: United States
Send a message via AIM to GasSavers_TomO Send a message via MSN to GasSavers_TomO Send a message via Yahoo to GasSavers_TomO
Welcome aboard GasSavers! It's pretty awesome that we are slowly gaining world-wide coverage.
__________________

__________________

Honda Civic VX Info/Links
Remember to use good Webiquette!
Quote:
Originally Posted by ezeedee View Post
controversy is an idea thought up by weak people who are too afraid to hear the truth.
GasSavers_TomO is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-21-2006, 02:03 PM   #3
Registered Member
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,223
Country: United States
Quote:
Maybe next spring I will complete the EV cycle I started this winter too!
Sounds interesting! You'll have to tell me more about this.

Again, welcome to the site. Glad to have another motivated tinkerer around.
MetroMPG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-22-2006, 11:14 PM   #4
Team GasMisers5!
 
landspeed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 440
Country: United States
The EV is based on a mountain bike - I have got a sturmey archer 3-speed hub for the front wheel, and most of what I need to build it. The idea is to use it to commute around the workplace (I work on a large site), and maybe to/from work (26miles in total) - but I might fit a mirror due to the drivers who use the roads llike a race track).

It has a 200W motor, and two golf-cart batteries. I think the range will be about 26 miles, and the cost about 1p per day (about two cents) Rather than £2.50/day as I spend now ($5.00 per day)

On another car forum, one of the people is buying the diesel version of my car to get better economy. I have discussed fuel-saving techniques on that site, and haven't get a completely cold reception - once I start getting 60+MPG, I'm sure I can convince some people there to also save fuel!.
__________________

Team GasMisers5 - #1 for first three rounds of the original GS Fuel Economy Challenge
Miles displaced by e-bike since 1 Jan 2008: 62.6 (0 kWh used)
Hypomiler
landspeed is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2006, 05:43 AM   #5
Registered Member
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,223
Country: United States
Cool. I hope you'll start a thread in the electric vehicle section to document your progress on the mountain bike.

I just had my first ride on an electric bike last month. I'm completely sold on the idea. Electric bicycles: now legal where I live
MetroMPG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2006, 06:55 AM   #6
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 238
Country: United States
Hi, "Landspeed"!

I caught your post this AM... Welcome to (one of) the best MPG sites inna world!
Scottish, eh? I'm in the USA...but I'm Irish by blood (some of me are! LOL!). Me better-half is so much a Scot...she's got plaid blood!
LPG in your ride? Kudos! I'm absolutely addicted to gasoline (petrol?), even tho' pure gasoline is long-since dead!
It certainly sounds like you are a tinkerer! We speak the same language! Bureaucraps (oops! Can't spell...or can I?) make life miserable for most...but they just "fuel our creative fires", right?
$6.60 a (US) gallon ?????? Ah! You've got 'em, too! Politics and corporations make "grate" bedfellows! Me? I'm still looking for a(nother?) planet to live on...!
Ted Hart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2006, 07:02 AM   #7
Registered Member
 
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 238
Country: United States
Quote:
Originally Posted by MetroMPG
Cool. I hope you'll start a thread in the electric vehicle section to document your progress on the mountain bike.

I just had my first ride on an electric bike last month. I'm completely sold on the idea. Electric bicycles: now legal where I live
I, too, like the idea very much! Bring a raincoat! Bring the eyes for the back of your head! Bring your guardian angel, too! The last bike rider I saw who "argued" with a car lay sprawled out in the road...as the EMS people covered him! Was he dead? Hmmm....
As population density rises, bicycles become more & more vulnerable... Not a nice "mix". Pessimistic? Moi? Realistic!
Ted Hart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2006, 09:26 AM   #8
Team GasMisers5!
 
landspeed's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 440
Country: United States
Safety on bikes is a big problem, therefore, my intention is to bring it to work, and keep it on site, and use it to commute around (can do up to 4 miles worth per day). And use my car (with SuperMID) to commute to/from work. Once the LPG is fitted, the SuperMID will still give a good indication of the fuel economy, although not perfectly accurate, so it will still be of benefit to getting good economy!
__________________

Team GasMisers5 - #1 for first three rounds of the original GS Fuel Economy Challenge
Miles displaced by e-bike since 1 Jan 2008: 62.6 (0 kWh used)
Hypomiler
landspeed is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2006, 10:05 AM   #9
Registered Member
 
MetroMPG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 4,223
Country: United States
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ted Hart
Bring a raincoat! Bring the eyes for the back of your head! Bring your guardian angel, too! ... As population density rises, bicycles become more & more vulnerable... Not a nice "mix". Pessimistic? Moi? Realistic!
That view seems more "extreme" than "realistic". There are appropriate times, places, conditions and operator skill levels to suit many vehicle types in a transportation mix. It all depends on circumstances.

As population density rises, I believe it becomes ever more important to pursue transportation options other than the dominant model of one person per 3000+ lb vehicle.
MetroMPG is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-23-2006, 08:06 PM   #10
Registered Member
 
Peakster's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 467
Country: United States
Nice to meet you landspeed. I was just checking out your gaslog and man alive gas prices are crazy where you live! How can you afford it?
__________________

Peakster is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Fuelly iOS Apps
Powered by vBadvanced CMPS v3.2.3


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 03:07 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.