[V6-12v] fuel efficiency

[Tom Christiansen]

Jonathan,

There are a lot of factors that affect fuel economy. How much you are
hauling, tire pressure, etc. But foremost probably your driving habits and
type of driving.

On my 1994 90S that I parted with last year I had about 170000 miles (272000
km) on it. I consistently got 25-26 MPG (10.9 km/l or 9.2 l/100km). Last
summer, when gas was less cheap, I changed my driving habits. Rather than
driving 70 MPH on the highway, I stuck to the posted speed limit of 60 MPH.
That gave another 10-15 % fuel savings. Inspired by some fuel economy
contest in Europe, I also started coasting downhill. Just step on the clutch
and coast - if you need power to steer around something all you have to do
is pop the clutch and it's here... That gave 0-10 % improvement. But
frankly, it was a bit of a pain and the results were very inconsistent. It
did lead to a change in my driving style, though. On the routes I take
regularly, I now coast down even seemingly negligible slopes while
maintaining a constant speed (gravity at work). And I stick to the posted
speed limit. I avoid rapid starts. For the most part anyway... Every once in
a while you gotta have some fun and floor it... :-)

My driving is about 60/40 between highway/city driving. Before I parted with
the 90S, I seem to recall getting 27-28 MPG.

So in short; I don't think fuel economy is a good gauge for how the engine
is fairing. I'd keep an eye of it and analyze changes. But oil consumption
has for me been a better indicator.

~ Tom


On Wed, May 20, 2009 at 2:20 AM, Jonathan <jhhummel at bigpond.com> wrote:

> Hey All,
>
> Just worked out my fuel efficiency last fill up - just cause really.
> Anyway, it
> works out to be about 11.6L/100Km. It's official ecconomy is about 10
> something
> isn't it?
> Anyway, to my point. Is fuel economy a reasonable measure of how your
> engine
> is fairing? As in, that's not bad for a 13yr old engine that has done
> 265000Km.
>
> Car:
> 9 6A4
> 2.6 V6
> 5spd Auto, front wheel drive.
>
> Cheers
>
> Jon
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