700/900 Fuel Economy (Petrol Engines)

[DWM]

Originally Posted by Will M

How the f~~# do you get nearly 40 mpg, lol, i try and i cant even get to 30.

More gently!!!!

For all I know I have an abnormally efficient engine. But I do get pretty good mpg out of the V40 too. But if it's a serious question, basically I deploy all the usual well-known tricks

- don't overload car
- change up promptly - avoid high revs
- be especially gentle accelerating when engine is cold, on choke
- keep speed sensible (at higher speeds you're asking for trouble because each additional mph has an exponentially increased effect on drag)
- tyres pumped up hard
- coast where possible (in gear when you need to slow down, out of gear when you can on the flat/downhill)
- read road as best you can to avoid using brakes as far as humanly possible (gears to slow are always better - in a fuel-injected engine, no gas pedal in gear should mean no petrol used. Even my carburettor in theory cuts off the fuel when in gear and without gas pedal above 1650rpm) and try to maintain speed.
- use gradients (speed up cheaply on way down so that you can ease off on way up the other side)
- avoid rush hours

and I try (this is the hard one) constantly to be aware of the gas pedal, always trying to see if it is possible (as it often is) to ease off it a tiny bit without losing speed. (This is where losing the shoes helps.)

And:

Once a month (right after pay-day, when you care less about mpg) take it for a good hard half-hour run at higher revs and blow all the crud out of it.

New spark plugs always seem to improve mpg. Not sure how old mine are on the 745 as they've been in since I bought it but I'm expecting improvement when I change them.

[Will M]

Hi DWM

Was a serious question, I do all of that, plus cheecked wheel alignment, exhaust, breather pipes, runs on mobil 1, I live on an island so no long runs, well not at motorway speeds anyway.

[DWM]

Originally Posted by Will M

Hi DWM

Was a serious question, I do all of that, plus cheecked wheel alignment, exhaust, breather pipes, runs on mobil 1, I live on an island so no long runs, well not at motorway speeds anyway.

Sounds as if you are as well on top of it as could be. The lack of long runs is presumably what drags it down.

You don't have a slightly sticky brake caliper do you? - that's the only other common mpg-killer I can think of. The relevant wheel would be (burning - careful!) hot to the touch after a run if so.

[barkster1971]

Just worked out mine again after fitting a 19T turbo to it and now have 31mpg. Should give me 500 miles from a full tank. That's with chipped ecu and ezk, ipd turbo cam, 390cc injectors

[stuartggray]

My "test bed" 740 estate always got 34 mpg minimum. It was a 2.3 manual with overdrive on 4th with 320,000 on the clock.
My "posh" 740 estate always got 26 mpg. It was a 2.0 automatic with no lockup with 120,000 on the clock.
Those were the two extremes with the same car type.
For contrast, my V70 gets 35 mpg.

[James_N]

Volvo 940 Celebration B230FK

17MPG

[BarryK]

I used to own a '93 960 which was very economical on a run, it returned 30-31 on a run fully loaded and 29mpg with a roof rack.

[360dood]

960 cd 2.5 m90 box
p 1996

and



lpg

about 38mpg equvalent

[m0bzy]

1998 V90. 32 mpg between Birmingham and Kent,around town about 20mpg.

[wocketfast]

196 960 3.0 auto

Around town 20-22mpg, averaging 25-28 for our mix of town + a few A roads in rush hour. Motorway, overnight, 40+mpg without hanging about

Tyres are checked once a week, and I run them harder than the manual says as I check for wear and try to keep this even over the surface, e.g. if your sholders are wearing out first then your tyres are too soft. I have fitted MICHELIN Primacy HP tyres, which seem to last the longest by far.

The big gains come from getting off that accellerator as early as possible, which most of the time makes no difference to your speed and certainly not to your journey time. Its amazing how often you find yourself accelerating only to brake 2 seconds later, especially around town, car parks etc.

In the last couple of years its had new MAF and lamba sensor, new intake manifold rubbers (why volvo used a 1 inch rubber to join the manifold to the head I will never know) plus full inlet clean, new claipers all round. And its only done 65,000 miles. I guess this all helps.

If you drive like a holigan it does 10-12mpg, but it is fun