petrol dying.

[ton3z]

hey guys

i have an ek sedan and i used to get abot 400-450kms/tank

for a month now ive only been getting 300-400kms/tank

and my gauge is just jumping everywhere.

i havent done anything extra to my car except chuck on 17s

and have removed the pod filter and back to oem airbox.

ive tried all the petrol. e10..premium...v-power..

and its not doing anything.

any suggestions on what i should change?

[geeang]

I'd say the pod filter would have made your car more fuel efficient so removing that increases petrol use, and going bigger wheels would also increase petrol use.

I went from 18's to 16's and I'm getting, on average, 50km's-ish extra per week.

[aaronng]

Calculate L/100km and then post your results.
What tyre size are you using wtih 17". Rim, tyre weight and tyre pressure can increase fuel consumption quite dramatically.

[ton3z]

i always thought the pod would use more cause its only a short ram and i

dont have a shield for it, so it might be sucking hot air from the engine.

as for my tyres im running 205/40/R17.

i got them done at tempe, so they balanced and put the right pressure.

its just weird.

im not sure maybe its the cold weather and im doing alot of cold starts in the

morning?

[aaronng]

i always thought the pod would use more cause its only a short ram and i

dont have a shield for it, so it might be sucking hot air from the engine.

as for my tyres im running 205/40/R17.

i got them done at tempe, so they balanced and put the right pressure.

its just weird.

im not sure maybe its the cold weather and im doing alot of cold starts in the

morning?
Were you running the stock 175/65 R14 before switching to 17"? If so, then you would have significantly increased the weight of your wheels, making it use more fuel, especially if you do a lot of start-stop driving in the suburbs.

[94dc2tegz]

once the car is warm it doesn't matter

the pod would've given ur engine more air and making it more efficient

but it's mainly the wheels

17"s are not only bigger but heavier

and because u upgraded to 17"s u probably have new and wider tyres

more grip = more petrol used

more power to turn the heavy beasts

and more power to turn a larger circumference wheel

all this is coming form the expense of ur petrol.


I know this cuz i used to have 17"s in the front

although they are pretty much exactly the same weight as my 15"s now, the handling, acceleration/braking and general ride was improved drastically.

I can now cruise everywhere in 5th gear where as i could barely get up a hill in 4th gear while constantly feeling laggy with the old rims.

[aaronng]

His circumference is fine (checked it compared to the 175/65/ R14). It is the weight of the wheels.

[ton3z]

hey these are the wheels i am running

they seem to be the same weight as the steelies

they are very lightweight..

9664

[aaronng]

What do you mean by your gauge is jumping everywhere? Is the needle moving up and down on its own?

[ton3z]

like you know how it supposed to go down?

like its very uneven

like it will go down and then back up and down again

and its not consistent, after it gets passed half way lol im doomed

it just goes down to empty in like 50kms or something

and i do not thrash my car at all

[aaronng]

like you know how it supposed to go down?

like its very uneven

like it will go down and then back up and down again

and its not consistent, after it gets passed half way lol im doomed

it just goes down to empty in like 50kms or something

and i do not thrash my car at all
So how do you know how many kms you get a tank since you don't know when the tank is close to empty?

[gbang007]

i think im getting about 350-400 running pretty much the exact same setup n car as you except nothing has been done to the engine.

Arronng: what do you mean the circumference is fine? in the way that it is close ish to stock cirumference?

[aaronng]

i think im getting about 350-400 running pretty much the exact same setup n car as you except nothing has been done to the engine.

Arronng: what do you mean the circumference is fine? in the way that it is close ish to stock cirumference?

Yes, the rolling diameter is the same, so the consumption problem is not from using bigger rolling diameter which changes the ratios. It is either from the weight (he says it weighs the same as steelies) or from the poor fuel consumption measurement.

He should fill up til full, drive for 200km, then fill it back up to full at the same petrol station. divide number of litres by number of kms drive and then multiply by 100 to give L/100km. Saying you get 400kms per tank is MEANINGLESS.

[bennjamin]

another thought - try to stick to ONE type of fuel to get more consistent numbers with economy and performance.

[outatime]

i got the same engine as yours but i get 550 out of a full tank of daily traffic driving. i use caltex vortex98.

how old is your fuel filter? might be a good time to replace it.

[ton3z]

i think ive run it for 20,000kms LOL

lol maybe i need to change it?

yeah i use vortex too cause i get the 4c off =)

lol doesnt really make a difference still more than 50 for a full tank

[outatime]

do it when you can. it's only 40 bux.

[ekhybrid]

R.I.P petrol

[TheGoodDeal]

I keep track of every my fill up. Last few weeks my fuel consumption also increase from around 8L/100Km to around 9L/100km. If you live in Sydney with recent wet & cold season I believe it would increase fuel consumption because of engine take longer time to warm up (so higher rev at idle) and with head light on, deminister on, heater on ...

[MMike]

I'm in the same boat.

I do daily city driving, and my needle moves all over the place. I'll have a full tank and it will show i've done 17km and it's down a quarter. Next morning I start it and it's back up to 3 and 3/4.

I drive an old shitty ford anyway, but yeah, it's strange none the less

[94dc2tegz]

His circumference is fine (checked it compared to the 175/65/ R14). It is the weight of the wheels.

the tyre may be the same

as it is for my case with 205/40/17 compared to 195/55/15 the 15 will be slightly smaller but essentially the same - ideally 205/50/15 would be best and i'm swapping to those next

but what I ment was the circumference of his rim

with the weight of the alloy closer to the center the wheel is easier turned by the engine and thus more power to the ground

as opposed to the 17" with the weight distribution spread over the wider area

i know this because at the moment i'm temp running 15" in the front and the old 17"s in the back

i've reverted back to the old fat5's for the 15" with stock sized tyres
even though the weight are basically the same (in fact the fat5 is a like a few grams more than my 17") i experienced a hell of a difference.

[lenz]

try changin your fuel filter.. i use to waste 20bux a day 5 days a week so that 100bux a week and now im just spending 50-60bux a week

[cymax]

I'm in the same boat.

I do daily city driving, and my needle moves all over the place. I'll have a full tank and it will show i've done 17km and it's down a quarter. Next morning I start it and it's back up to 3 and 3/4.

I drive an old shitty ford anyway, but yeah, it's strange none the less

I had the same problem before when I was driving an EG back in my country. I realised that the meter went back up and stayed at the original position when I stop the car for about 5 - 10 minutes of idling. However, the meter will go down again after driving for 2-3 minutes.
Base on my assumption, there might be two possibilities that might lead to the fuel meter rising up and down.

1) The road is bumpy/sloppy and the fuel in the tank is splashing here and there or tilted and therefore the meter is fluctuating. <--- Highly Unlikely :P

2) As you step on the accelerator, the RPM meter moves. This would cause a current/voltage glitch or voltage drop which result the meter going down as there is a loss in voltage in there. <--- I believe this is the more likely one

All this are not really accurate. But that is based on my observation and theoretical knowledge in Electrical.

Note: The fluctuation shouldn't go more than a quarter tank. But if it does, I would like to wish you all the best. :P

My 2 cents worth ;)

[Simmo2302]

im gunna get flamed 4 this i m sure but...

y switching fuel all the time, stick with one fuel.

and stay away from shell fuel

Shell /coles express fuel = EVIL

especially V-Power & V-Power Racing (if they still make it).

i'd stick with BP 98 Ron fuel.

and *waiting for flames* no ethenol fuel <--personal opinion

[Simmo2302]

try changin your fuel filter.. i use to waste 20bux a day 5 days a week so that 100bux a week and now im just spending 50-60bux a week

how would a dirty / clogged fuel filter make u use more fuel ? wouldnt it restrict the flow of fuel ?

if it does i guess it'll be just good practivce to not let the fuel guage get under 1/4 tank. less likely to suck up and scum from the bottom of the tank.