[EURO] Fuel gauge

[ant234]

Did some long trips in the past 1 1/2 weeks... Anyone realise something weird is happening to their fuel gauge?

From full tank to middle, I can travel 400km, from middle to low fuel light turns on, i can do 200... Why is there such a big difference? anyone else experienced it in long trips? I thought I could do ~780km from the first half tank, but obviously not and nearly bloody ran out of petrol because of this!!!

[yfin]

it is a buffer zone. When low fuel light comes on there is well over 10 litres left - probably closer to 15 litres.

So your half way reading of 400kms is right and to empty (real empty) is around 800kms.

You can get 780kms on a tank (6mt at least)- but you need to be fairly conservative with the accelerator pedal and revs. It also depends on the speed you are travelling. Over 110kph on steady cruise it is hard to achieve better than 8 litres per 100km.

You really need to be at that 90kph or 100kph mark to get the great figures (under 8l/100) - that is my experience anyway.

[ant234]

Thanks for the reply...

Even with the additional 10l buffer, its still way off compare to the first half tank... by as much as 100km.. hmmm

And yes thats in a 110km/h cruise from Melb to Canberra... so worried of running out of fuel I was about to turn back to Yaas to fill up

[leungie]

shit can u guys give me tips on how to get 700+ on a tank?

Either somthign is wrong with my car or I've got a seriously heavy right foot (which I dont think I have....... i THINK)

At the moment, Accord euro 04 manual, using Caltex Vortex 98, without air con and heated seats, the max i have gotten is 600kms.

Mods.... just the 18" rims with BS G3s (225 from what I recall).

HELP!!

[stephen8512]

yeah
400 on half a tank is mad
when my needle reaches halfway, usually i only get about 300-320...
but i do mostly city driving....quite a few start/stops. i dont use AC, been run on BP Ultimate all its life. 10,000km service due this saturday.
only mod i have which can affect fuel is my CAI....
on a full tank i get about 560km.....good or bad?

[yfin]

560km is ok for the city - terrible if that is highway figure.

To get the good figures you need to fill the car right up to the top with 98 ron - not just when the petrol station nozzle cuts out. You can sometimes get a good 3-4 litres after the nozzle cuts out by pumping very slowly.

Then you need to be driving constant highway to get 800kms out of the tank. Above 80kph in 6th gear.

Constant 90kph is going to get you the best consumption figures. Close the windows. Turn off air con. Under 7litres/100km (900km to tank) is definately possible in the right conditions.

At 100kph the consumption will increase to around 800km per tank. So if you are trying to save fuel stay well below 100kph.

Then - if you are REALLY anal about consumption don't use cruise control and try to limit throttle application as much as possible.

[mcb]

I have been very impressed with the fuel economy of the euro.

I have been averaging 7.7 l/100k's (approx 37mpg, sorry I still think in mpg) over 8000k's. My daily comute is 55k's each way, of which 35k's is on the freeway going against the traffic flow. I have noticed the rate can change substantially from tank to tank (33 to 39 mpg), depending on how I drive. Fuel is 95RON PULP (mainly optimax).

It is interesting to think back 20-25 years ago I drove cars that where scracthing to get 20mpg (LJ 202 Torana and LH 253 Torana). I doubt that either of these cars could have out run the euro - unless all where restricted to top gear and pulling a trailer.

As a side note, when I first got the Euro I cross checked it power to the old 253 V8 (4.2 litre). The Euro make more power, but the torque is a very different story

[leungie]

hahah i was trying that after watching top gear and they were trying to get from X to Y (return) with a single tank of fuel.

Windows/sunroof closed (aero dynamics), maximum fuel input (i did it late night due to colder weather makes the fuel more dense), no air con/heated seats, rpm limited to 2500 for me.
And I still only got 600 for the tank.. was pretty disappointed (since I was suffocating without the air con and windows down.

Maybe its just due to the city driving that I do. I'll try 90km/hr 6th gear this time then since I just filled up last night.

[Suntzu]

Mine done 2000km from new 6sp man. Im getting 8L/100 on trips sitting on 120kph.(110 highway). Im using normal 95 ron. Im using about 10 in town if I drive enthusiastically!

Im pretty happy with that. I got about nearly a litre per hundered improvement by setting correct tyre pressure also.

My fuel light come on at about 55 litres of the 65 litre tank. Seems to go a long way on the red light.

[EuroAccord13]

Yes I do realise that the lower half of the tank seems to deliver shorter kms in it LOL... In fact, it happens to all the cars I've owned...

For those who wonder how some of us get 6-700kms a tank... Simple rules of the thumbs, accelerate gently, brake gently, use right gears (ie. 2000-2500RPM in each gear, that's what I do, except on an incline...)

Do not turn on the aircon when you don't need to, I use the fan during warm summer and heater without the aircon on during winter (but it will fog up with time)...

Leaving car in neutral while you cruise will not save you petrol, it will still pump petrol in the engine.... I rather you keep it in gear for it cuts out the fuel in that process.

[VirIIx]

mm i get an average between 480-580km every week on my car, city driving through peak. In Sydney my daily route is:

Starting Ryde: Victoria Rd -> Anzac Bridge -> Harris Rd -> Botany Rd
Finishing Waterloo - 15km in 1 hour on avg.

Starting Waterloo: Onto Eastern Distrubutor (M1) -> Harbour Tunnel -> Gore Hill Freeway -> Epping Road -> suburban streets
Finishing Ryde - 30/35km in 30mins to 1 hr on avg.

Then on Saturdays to Chatswood and back, and any additional driving during weekday to city (to see clients and back)

So that's my 480-580 on a tank. I live on the 3 - 3.5k rpm range to keep a bit of power in traffic. So i'd say it varies from very light to heavy.

I think that's ok considering i'm in peak heaps.

Always neutral when stopped, and AC is always on.

[aaronng]

Depending at the petrol station I pump at, the amount of petrol filled can be different by 5-8 litres even after the fullest bar on the gauge. I use 2 petrol stations, one Shell, the other Caltex. I fill at both until the pump stops itself. With Shell, I can go about 50ish km before the needle comes down to the first bar, while with the Caltex station (with its shorter nozzle) lets me go over 110km before the first bar.

I drive from Eastern suburbs, through the city to crown street, down the road to Kings Cross area, past the luxury car dealer on the right, and then to the roundabout at the end turning into the harbour tunnel.
I get off the freeway at the Willoughby exit and go past chatswood and then across rosevill bridge to my destination. Do 1 redline on the way there, and another on the way back usually.
1st gear, I shift at 3000rpm, 2nd, 3rd and 4th at 2500rpm, and staying in fifth as long as my rpm is between 1800 and 2200rpm. If I am at 70km/h or above, I use 6th gear. I get average 9.0L/100km.

Aircond always on, but I set the temperature to be comfortable so that the compressor is not on 100%, yet my windscreen doens't fog up. When cruising, or downhill, I leave it in 5th or 6th, but don't give it any gas, so that the injectors stop, using just the momentum to keep the engine spinning. And I never drive with the windows down in the interest of reducing drag.