Tips on increasing MPG

[chesney]

I switch OFF going down hill. And my drums don't fade - I wonder why?

Dunno, but you should be concentrating more when you're behind the wheel BMC

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

I switch OFF going down hill. And my drums don't fade - I wonder why?

Wol. 1500?

[MarkyB]

Even a slight slope upwards starts reducing MPG, not much you can do about that.
Wind resistance is another matter, for the best MPG I'd suggest getting rid of wing mirrors and external aerials also fitting lowlight wings.
Much more radical would be to get some slope on the windscreen and get rid of the gutters, both of which owe more to architecture than aerodynamics.

[chickenjohn]

John, I wouldn't advise coasting downhill as the car can run away quite easily, especially when the drums begin to fade...
It is best to have the car in gear and use 'engine braking'.

It is a good point about cleaning up the valves and should give a bit more acceleration too.

Keep the brakes well maintained and adjusted and this will never happen. My cars never "run away" from me! ;-)

Engine braking uses fuel.

[liammonty]

I agree that engine braking uses some fuel (not on modern cars, mind), but I'd far rather have the control of being in gear- coasting (with the engine off especially!) down hill is frowned upon by police drivers and just about every other motoring organisation in the UK (RoSPA, IAM etc). However, each to their own! Coasting was all the rage in Zimbabwe when I was there 4 years ago- maybe something to do with the fuel shortage?!

I can vouch for the fact that well-adjusted Minor brakes DO fade when used hard at high speed (emergency)!

[Tamsin]

Just for the record, On the way too the national (heavily loaded car, and heavy trailer tent - wouldn't want to go any higher on a minor) cruising generally at 50ish apart from in the heavy traffic I got 31.9 mpg. Based on brim to brim and mileage off google maps. Way back (with a roof rack!) it went down to 27!

I think the key is simply in maintaining as smooth a driving style as possible, no hard acceleration or braking etc etc.

[lambrettalad]

I understand ,as part of going green todays learner drivers are encouraged NOT to use engine braking but to use their brakes

If you were to finely dig into the details of energy use and raw materials,is it really green

[liammonty]

Current thinking doesn't say not to use engine braking, just that you shouldn't go down through the 'box unnecessarily when coming to a halt. That's been the thinking for at least the past 30-40 years- "gears are for going, brakes are for slowing" as they say. Engine braking is still recommended for going down hills, etc, and certainly in advanced driving, it's considered the 'first stage' of braking. You can avoid using brakes a great deal at all if you anticipate things well, easing off the throttle (engine braking, surely?) to slow down gently, while still making good progress. I guess there has been a shift away from going down through the gears as car brakes have got so much better, and less likely to fade (although according to some you can't make a standard Minor's brakes fade anyway!!!).

[bmcecosse]

Modern fuel injected cars shut off the fuel completely on 'over run' -so it does save fuel to run down a hill with foot off the throttle but still in gear. On a long hill I flick the air-con on to give it a run, to keep the seals in good condition......
And yes of course you can fade standard Minor brakes if you want to.......

[lee_rob]

I get a consistent 38mpg out of my 1098 around town and around 42mpg on a gentle 50mph run.....maybe some people have a heavier foot hehe

[bmcecosse]

Oh yes - 'foot' is everything - and 50 mph (probably nearer 45 in reality allowing for grossly optimistic Minor speedo) is pretty boring!

[lee_rob]

50 mph is fine on the country roads and yes it is actually 50mph as my speedo is only 2 mph out....

[MarkyB]

Replacing the fan with an electric one should be worth an MPG or two.

[bmcecosse]

Has anyone done a real back to back test on that? I used to run without a fan. Put the car in for MOT - they left it idling on the ramp for ages - till it boiled up. Next day - on way home from work - it blew the head gasket...... Without a doubt it's quieter without the fan - but can't say if it helped mpg.

[David W.]

I've put electric fans on other cars, and they work well. Are you putting in a thermostat switch? or just an on/off switch?
David

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

Has anyone done a real back to back test on that? I used to run without a fan. Put the car in for MOT - they left it idling on the ramp for ages - till it boiled up. Next day - on way home from work - it blew the head gasket...... Without a doubt it's quieter without the fan - but can't say if it helped mpg.

That's quite bad and very annoying... and the trouble with leaving other people in charge of your car.

Automatic fan would therefore be much better, but one controlled simply by an on/off switch a lot easier to install.

[bmcecosse]

But what I want to know is - has anyone actually got good data on mpg before and after removing the fan........?

[MarkyB]

Are you suggesting that turning the fan uses no energy?

[bmcecosse]

It must use energy - but it's only a small 2 blade fan and the amount may be infinitesimally small....... At speed - the flow of air through the rad may cause the fan to stall. Good data would be useful!

[moggiethouable]

Would the fitment of an electric fan necessitate the additional fitment of an alternator as opposed to a dynamo?
How much more energy, or indeed less, does it take to drive an alternator via the fan belt?
Has anyone modded a Mog to run on gas?At half the price per litre with a £1k ish outlay it may only get a good return for someone using a minor as a daily driver of course..........I can feel that headache coming back on.