TDCi fuel usage spike

B Type · 09-08-2009, 09:46 PM

May 08 TDCi 48000 kms

We cover 6-700ks per week between work and sport. This last 3 weeks fuel consumption has risen around .5l per hundred. The dealer has suggested fuel quality. Has anyone else had this experience.

Dave

elgreko · 10-08-2009, 11:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by B Type

May 08 TDCi 48000 kms

We cover 6-700ks per week between work and sport. This last 3 weeks fuel consumption has risen around .5l per hundred. The dealer has suggested fuel quality. Has anyone else had this experience.

Dave

Havnt had that happen to mine. I do on average 750km per tank. on average around town 7.6 LPH.

~Spyne~ · 11-08-2009, 11:10 PM

when i first got the car (around 20,000km on it) i could average ~5.7-5.1L/100km

car's just had its 45,000km service and for last couple months i've been averaging 5.9-6.5L/100km
i think the fuel quality has dropped, because a service doesnt seem to improve it. about to try an additive, to see if that makes a diff.

elgreko · 12-08-2009, 09:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ~Spyne~

when i first got the car (around 20,000km on it) i could average ~5.7-5.1L/100km

car's just had its 45,000km service and for last couple months i've been averaging 5.9-6.5L/100km
i think the fuel quality has dropped, because a service doesnt seem to improve it. about to try an additive, to see if that makes a diff.

Must be high way driving to get that sort of consumption, thats when I only get those figures.

~Spyne~ · 12-08-2009, 09:26 PM

sorry, should have read "when i first got the car (around 20,000km on it) i could average ~5.7-6.1L/100km"

and that's combined highway/town driving

AnthonyTDCi · 13-08-2009, 11:21 PM

my city driving average is 5.7lt/100.

when i go on a good highway run it will drop as low as 4.7lt/100.

B-type: wouldnt worry about the rise too much, it could be a number of things eg: fuel quality, tyre pressures, difference in driving style....mine fluctuates every tank by about the 1/2 lt mark too.

jumbuck · 14-08-2009, 03:37 PM

I have only done about 4000k's in my Focus and was wondering when (roughly) the engine is run in enough to be getting the best fuel economy? Only getting about 7.5L/100km atm which is still ok but would like to get a bit more out of a tank eventually. Mine is the new 6 speed auto but not sure if these are any worse for economy than the manuals?

BlackLS · 14-08-2009, 05:07 PM

Generally autos are worse for economy. They have power loss due power transfer being done via gearbox fluid, whereas a manual is gears on gears.

Also autos tend to shift down when you don't want it to ie small crest. This is worse when using cruise control.

marg99 · 14-08-2009, 05:48 PM

My TDCI is manual and the clutch in particular took about 3,000 klm to settle down . It was a bit "grabby". Economy varies with traffic conditions and if you move off the line other than slowly around town, it will spike up and stay around high 6's. Course you can reset the computer average fuel use and that means the avareage is done over a much shorter number of KLMs and thus less representative. Expect high 6's around town into 7's if you accelerate off the line. Diesels love steady revs so you can get into the 3's at 60 klm in 4th gear if you get a nice clear run.

portpiro · 14-08-2009, 10:22 PM

just on that, which gear do u guys cruise in at 60kmph? i cant help but think 4th is a bit to revvy and 5th stuggles...

oh the diemmas...

Turbodiesel · 15-08-2009, 06:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by portpiro

just on that, which gear do u guys cruise in at 60kmph? i cant help but think 4th is a bit to revvy and 5th stuggles...

oh the diemmas...

I always go to 5th when cruising at 60km/h and 6th above 80km/h.

~Spyne~ · 17-08-2009, 09:54 PM

hmm, i will use 4th at 60km/h cruising, but if it's a very flat road will go to 5th at 70km/h (though i generally change to 5th at 80km/h)
i'd love to find out how Anthony gets such nice numbers...is that because of mods done, or very slow/steady driving style?

Loris · 17-08-2009, 10:55 PM

i cruise in 4th gear at 60km/h as well.. anything higher then 60 ill switch to 5th usually.

i get about 7.1 - 7.3 city driving..

i tried taking the scenic route from work to home for a couple of weeks.. this meant freeway (and more km's) driving and i was able to achieve 5.9 - 6.0l per 100km quite easily.

Anthony does get some pretty good figures.. but i think it just comes down to driving style. I can treat the car good and short shift every gear but it doesnt last long i just get fed up with traffic which means i push the car a lot more which of course equals worse fuel consumption :(

portpiro · 18-08-2009, 11:01 PM

yeah those figures are awesome

im on 6.5 round metro adl

~Spyne~ · 19-08-2009, 10:41 PM

well, nearly all the way through my 1st tank using the flashlube diesel additive and i reckon it's made a small difference - slightly better fuel usage (averaging 5.8L/100km on a combined city/fwy driving).
can't say i notice any better power delivery, but the small gains the packaging indicates would be hard to notice anyway.
cheapest place i found it, believe it or not, was my local safeway petrol station - $9.80 for 500mL. went to supercheap, autobarn and k-mart all expecting them to be cheaper but they weren't, some had it marked at over $20 for the 500mL
and when u only use 50mL per tank, its not bad value. especially if it does also help with mechanical wear.

i'll probably use it on 3 consecutive tanks, then maybe every 3rd tank thereafter

Turbodiesel · 20-08-2009, 07:01 PM

I currently average around 5.3 which is mainly highway and a bit of city and I don't drive it that economically either.

The highest consumption I've ever achieved is around 5.6 I think which was mainly short urban runs.

Loris · 21-08-2009, 07:30 PM

^^ *jealous* ^^

AnthonyTDCi · 23-08-2009, 10:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbodiesel

I currently average around 5.3 which is mainly highway and a bit of city and I don't drive it that economically either.

The highest consumption I've ever achieved is around 5.6 I think which was mainly short urban runs.

yeah thats very similar to what i get. think i might have had mine slightly higher but meh

B Type · 24-08-2009, 10:48 AM

Thanks for the interest.

My wife consistently averaged 6.4 to work, in the 800's per tank. Last fill (this morning) was 7.2 and in the 700's. Trip to Port Fairy indicated 5.5, (same as 2008) and 950 odd before a fill. The best highway run I have had was sitting on 100ks to Adelaide for 5.1(cruise off). I will get it put on the analiser next trip to town, but after such a consitant run, to have economy drop so suddenly is baffling.

Dave.

outback_ute · 26-08-2009, 12:35 PM

Note the auto is a dual-clutch, so shouldn't suffer so much in the fuel consumption.

We had a 1.6TD Focus hire car in the UK in July, averaged 53mpg (approx 5.3L/100) over 5000km

elgreko · 26-08-2009, 05:11 PM

I cant get better that 7.6 LPH around town mine is a 6 speed manual, and has done 25000km. Smokes a bit especially when the turbo kicks in, you really notice it at night. My turbo has a distinct whistle to it under load, I wonder if there is something wrong??

Loris · 26-08-2009, 07:02 PM

whistle = turbo spooling up, its normal

wizamc · 27-08-2009, 09:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AnthonyTDCi

yeah thats very similar to what i get. think i might have had mine slightly higher but meh

Pretty much the same here... I might be down by .1 - .2, but thats minimal. I can say that after 112,000kms the fuel economy hasn't really changed (well except when the tyres were changed where is got worse). I have never used any additives in my fuel, except for the so called "vortex diesel" that Caltex have.

I also do a lot of freeway driving and don't drive under the speed limit, but the figures do vary depending on where I am driving too... The Hume and the Princess both have varying terrain.

B Type · 28-08-2009, 12:20 PM

[tyres were changed where is got worse]

I had new Bridgestones fitted at the time of the increase. Is it possible that different tyres could increase consumption over 12%?

Dave.

wizamc · 09-09-2009, 03:17 PM

Possible. I put on Bridgestone Adrenaline's on mine, and it increased my fuel consumption by about 5-7% depending on where I was driving. Depending on your driving technique its possible it could have made the 12% difference your experiencing. I will say one thing though, don't treat the onboard computer's average as completely accurate... as I have always found that mine was a little off when I filled it.

In saying that though, the tyres made a significant difference to the way the car behaves compared to the original NCT5's. The car is quieter and grips better... worth it for me

Dustproof · 20-09-2009, 06:52 PM

Gee guy's, I get 4.4l/100Km on a run, most times I get between 5 and 6l/100Km and My WS Fiesta does 7.1l/100Km going to and from work only which is 6km's. I find the quality of Diesel varies from tank to tank. It is well known we have pretty ordinary fuel quality in Australia, I wouldn't worry too much.

BTW Using the Cruise Control will increase the amount of fuel used, turn it off and drive it for better economy.