18.4 mpg - is this the worst ?

[nigelgibson]

just filled her up after a measly 323 kms to tank full [ approx 200 in mormal short runs , shops etc and 120 odd motorway at steady 65-70 ]. so 49.4 litres equates to 18.4 mpg.

Any suggestions before i look for an alternative?

i'm used to 23/24 mpg and late 20's on good run so what's changed ?

surely my elite conversion and bike rack/side steps cant have added that much weight/wind drag ?

we are now delving into ridiculous , i get 17.5/18.5 mpg from my 4 litre petrol xk8 doing same driving !!!!

[missfixit70]

Checked your fuel pump/lines for leaks? Binding brakes? gearbox/diff oils changed? What tyre pressures?
That is a bit pants for consumption.

[dave_aber]

My last recorded on Fuelly was also my worst - 18.3mpg. All round town, and mostly lugging a box trailer full of crap to the tip.

The tankfull before was also my best at 26.6mpg.

The difference - a self-imposed 2500rpm limit on the 26.6 tank.

The short runs and ignoring the 2500 limit have really crippled the mpg.

[bongodonkey]

Looking at the data, I presume that you are driving diesels!

My LPG doesn't even give me such a bad return.

As already stated, check all the obvious bit and bobs........also out of interest if you've used a supermarket fuel then that will also have an impact on your consumption as the fuel is poorer quality and burns quicker. However, even low grade fuel shouldn't give such a bad return!

The biggest improvement that I've seen on checking is the tyre pressures on saving fuel......apart from that dunno!

[nigelgibson]

mmm.... will check the list tomorrow for culprits.

yes ..., it is a diesel auto , i've had 3 and never had such poor mpg.
i do have a fair few add ons , forgot to mention some , so all in there is a yk side awning, rear ladder, rear step, bike rack ,front bullbars, chrome side steps, roof rails, interior elite side conversion inc. r/r bed. But heh ...i never use the right foot !!!

And i have seen plenty with similar mods and not heard them grumbling.

As i said i will check the list of potential culprits and report back.

[Northern Bongolow]

is it a 4wd, and have you put some new tyres on recently?.

[nigelgibson]

yep it's a 4wd and no tyres recently.

[missfixit70]

Mebe it's those whitewalls?
TBH the add ons you've fitted shouldn't make a massive difference, especially if you've taken out the heavy original seating, be interesting to get it on a weighbridge though?

[mikeWalsall]

Thinking of getting a V6 automatic Bongo .. so still lurking ..reading ..sussing out info. on the Forum

As I have never been in a Bongo ... am I right in thinking they do not have a switchable overdrive similar the Toyota Estimas autos..??

[Northern Bongolow]

yep it's a 4wd and no tyres recently.

any wierd tyre wear, usually on the front,are the front tyres (well down) and the rears quite good.
just thinking its winding up the transmission, and causing major drag.
do a search on here for some threads of a similar nature from member alacrity. i think his last thread was the telling one.
he had fuel ussage probs etc.any strange noises on the running gear. have you jacked all 4 wheels up at once to see if there is any brake binding problems

[nigelgibson]

tyre wear seems normal , if anything rear are lower but i haven't needed to replace in 2 or so years i've had it.

Just checked and it seems i have an issue with pressure on at least 2 , stuck 40 in each and will check.
i have a bit of a whine which i think may be rear diff, changed diff oil but no better. The prop does seem a little stiff , might have to take to garage and let them put it on ramps and run it up to speed to check , and can check all wheels/ brakes for freeness at same time.
thanks for suggestions, i'll post back as and when i find anything.

The last thread from Alacrity was scary - 20.4 on a run AFTER finding and correcting his problem !!

[Northern Bongolow]

if my memory is not playing tricks on me, i think his issues continued, and he has had a major mechanical prob on the drivetrain while on holiday -----but could be mistaken.
there is a lot of talk on other forums (vw) of the importance of 4 identical sized tyres/pressures etc, being the ONLY way to go, and rotate them, and i beleive that too after nearly frazzling my transfer box. it seems to take only a small margine of difference in anything to munch something.

[nigelgibson]

Not sure about other problems i was just going on Alacrity's latest post on fuel prformance recently

i maybe wrongly assumed he had solved his problems , but either way he seems convinced enough to sell.

i got his mpg wrong too - it is actually 20.7 !!

i will get garage to look closely at the wheels/tyres/drive set up as you advise.


thanks !

[Cosmic Bus]

Just topped up to brim after a 'right, time to see what we doing' 1st brim. After 346.4km (odo reading), filled with 52.44 litres put that into the calculator and .... ouch.

18.66mpg

That's with a lot of short runs lately though, and I mean short, 2 mile trips at best. I decided to check the jubilee clip holding the hose to the turbo and that needed quite a tighten, so I hope it improves slighlty. I couldn't hear any hissing or anything whilst driving though.

Unconverted 4WD diesel btw.

[technophobe]

Thought I'd better join in.

Best improvement suggested by Kirsty was to change gearbox oil and thoroughly clean the pan.

There was a thread about everything one should do to improve economy - can't find the link but 3 points really are important

Tyre pressures - I run on 40 front and 45 rear ( current tyres are coming up to 40,000 miles)
Driving habit - try and use a light foot. I know its nice to score points at the traffic lights but it costs
Clean and shiny - you wouldn't think it by a shiny vehicle add to the mpg

I know its no compensation but our best this year was 35.42mpg - last fill up was 32.58mpg. I get depressed if we achieve less than 30mpg even on town driving.

Keep trying.