Cars

[Rover the Top]

It's funny you say that, because I have a leaflet here on saving fuel that came with a tax disc renewal form for work:

Stay in gear.
Don't coast downhill or towards lights in neutral as this uses more fuel! Stay in gear and ease off the gas gently to reduce fuel flow to the engine to virtually zero.

Jeremy Clarkson has said the same on a Top Gear when he had a fuel-saving challenge. I've even tried it myself with the instant fuel consumption gauge on my dashboard, and they're right... so you're actually using more fuel and driving in a dangerous manner if you're deliberately coasting.

[Ethiaa]

True, all modern cars use less fuel when running in gear without the accelerator pressed than out of gear with the engine idling as they use the motion of the car to cut the fuel needed to idle the engine.

[Joe]

I had to chug along for about 5 miles to my nearest petrol station the other night (as the one at the bottom of our street has closed). It took me about half an hour, I stalled about 8 times, and only finally made it because I got a little bit of momentum from the top of Billenge. I was in 4th/5th just touching the accelerator, and by the time I made the entrance I was moving at about 5 mph with about 10 cars behind me.

Then in my anger/lateness I managed to spin my car on the big Langho roundabout. Almost thought I was going to end up in the middle of it at one point. Luckily no one was around.

[Ethiaa]

Perhaps you should fill up earlier.

[BMW318i]

thank you for the fact, i didn't know that putting the gear to neutral down hill uses more fuel.

[theadore]

Also if you drive with the doors open... and driving with the doors open does not make the car fly.

[Joe]

Perhaps you should fill up earlier.

I'd driven all the way to the petrol-station, and then realised I forgot my wallet. So had to drive all the way home, and back again. If only the petrol-station at the bottom of the road hadn't closed.

[Ethiaa]

Perhaps you should fill up earlier.

I'd driven all the way to the petrol-station, and then realised I forgot my wallet. So had to drive all the way home, and back again. If only the petrol-station at the bottom of the road hadn't closed.

Perhaps my point still applies

[Joe]

15 miles off empty is about right I'd say.

[Rover the Top]

But given your description of how you limped the last 5 miles there, were you really 15 miles from empty?

[Joe]

But given your description of how you limped the last 5 miles there, were you really 15 miles from empty?

[Darth Rover]

I'm all for facts and figures but i do get more MPG on my trip gauge if i coast at certain areas on my regular trip to work in the morning. Now if i choose to break the speed limit like many of my fellow early morning commuters i would expect my petrol tank to empty more quickly than say if i drove to the letter of the law. So bearing this in mind if pressing the pedal to the metal is more expensive than driving conservatively then surely hardly using the accelator is better than using it conservatively. I do a thirteen mile commute there and back daily. I reckon if i drove correctly i would only be getting about 40 to 45 MPG. I'm actually getting 50 and more by coasting in certain areas of my commute. Because i travel early with little traffic on the roads you basically have only yourself to think about. You even know when the traffic lights are going to change. Saving 5 miles per gallon doesn't sound much but when you are going through £20 pound a week thats around an extra 20 miles i can get from my fuel. That to me is ones days travelling for nothing. Sounds not bad of course but when you add into the equation of my GF driving on the M60 like its the Nurburgring then all my efforts are for nothing. She also twists the seat belts and handles the handbrake similarly to my personal appendage. Thats women i suppose

[Rover the Top]

All your savings will go when you have to pay for the damage caused by running into someone else's car because you're not in full control of your own... You can argue that your car doesn't work like a car if you want, but I'd be surprised if it's not more efficient to leave your car in gear without using the accelerator. My dashboard said I was doing 99.9 MPG (ie probably more as that's as high as it will go) as I cruised downhill on the M65 towards Darwen this evening at 70-75 mph.

[Darth Rover]

All your savings will go when you have to pay for the damage caused by running into someone else's car because you're not in full control of your own... You can argue that your car doesn't work like a car if you want, but I'd be surprised if it's not more efficient to leave your car in gear without using the accelerator. My dashboard said I was doing 99.9 MPG (ie probably more as that's as high as it will go) as I cruised downhill on the M65 towards Darwen this evening at 70-75 mph.

I don't do any coasting when there are any other vehicles around. I go to work at 5.45am and the roads are really quiet at that time. Yeah i agree its a bit dangerous but surprisingly i feel i'm paying more attention to my driving when i'm doing a bit of coasting. Also at most i'm dong 60mph going to work whilst others who in the right term are driving correctly are doing 80+. Speed kills as you know.

[Rover the Top]

You can drive properly and stay within the speed limits, you know?

And you might find speed can also kill at 60mph when the unexpected happens whilst you're coasting along.

Like I say, the benefit you claim you're getting goes against how cars are designed to work, and your justification for driving in a reckless manner seems to be just that other people drive in a different reckless manner. Very hard to agree with you.