AU Fuel Econ

99_falcon · 12-11-2009, 09:36 PM

I drive a AU falcon (I6) and the L/100 on the highway is said to be around 6.8L/100Km. I know this is an average under ideal driving conditions (also a well maintained and tuned car etc.). Now my car has been maintained and looked after etc. Now I've calculated that the 550km round trip to Twizel and back should theoretically use 37.4L, give or take a couple of L but when I last drove to Twizel and back. The figures I got were more of that of the city driving average (11.5L/100Km), around 63L. Odd how much the difference was. Am I missing something here?

99_falcon · 12-11-2009, 09:53 PM

Just done a little research and one car review on the AU says it's 10.4L/100Km on the highway and 14L/100Km in the city, this seems more realistic to my calculations. Anyone differ on this?

Stattic · 12-11-2009, 10:01 PM

strange, my car is cammed and tuned for power and i can still get 7ishL/100km depending on weather
is the 11.5L/100 your city driving figure or is that the quoted figure? what are you getting around town?

99_falcon · 12-11-2009, 10:05 PM

11.5 is quoted. I couldnt give you an accurate L/100km for around town at the moment.

Beer Baron · 12-11-2009, 10:14 PM

I'm on 550km around town and 650km+ on the highway.

99_falcon · 12-11-2009, 10:19 PM

Down in the South Island where I live we don't have such things as highways, the most we have is 2 lane roads with speed limits of 100km/h. No 4 lane roads etc. And most of our roads are hilly which chews through the fuel which will explain the increased fuel useage.

frd906 · 12-11-2009, 10:34 PM

i get about 500kms to a tank even with my happy foot

Stattic · 12-11-2009, 10:39 PM

im getting about 250-300 around town and 700-800 on the highway

when you say well maintained i assume you mean servicing but have you replaced the o2 sensor at all? a diagnostic tool will be able to tell you if its stuffed
also other things to consider are fuel line pressure, fuel filter, fuel injectors
perhaps a dirty throttle body?

99_falcon · 12-11-2009, 11:01 PM

Yes i mean servicing, no i havn't replaced the O2 sensor. Do you have to go into ford for them to plug the car into their computers to find out if its stuffed?

ronwest · 12-11-2009, 11:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99_falcon

Just done a little research and one car review on the AU says it's 10.4L/100Km on the highway and 14L/100Km in the city, this seems more realistic to my calculations.

That's about what I get.

A bit more or less depending on roads/speed but close enough.

Oh, as for the 02 sensor, I replaced mine at around 120K and noticed the difference (at the time was $50 for a Bosch off ebay)

frd906 · 12-11-2009, 11:27 PM

nah, a mechanic shop would be able to hook it up to there computers to see whats happening, i no one place where i live was going to charge me 80 bucks to be put on a computer

Stattic · 13-11-2009, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99_falcon

Yes i mean servicing, no i havn't replaced the O2 sensor. Do you have to go into ford for them to plug the car into their computers to find out if its stuffed?

most mechanics will just check it out for you, takes under 5 minutes to check the whole car and most dont charge
alternatively you could take it out and have a look, im sure youll be able to find a comparison between a stuffed one and a good one on here, there was a walkthrough "how to: change your o2 sensor" in the au forum, not sure who wrote it but its there somewhere and it had pictures of both

sbcb · 13-11-2009, 07:10 AM

I had an AU1 4.0 auto futura that i'd seen over 900km on the DTE - North Island roads(they are actually sealed up here) - joking I was born in the south. My current AU1 V8 Ghia (so heavier suspension+options & V8) can cruise open road and hit 8.8Lt/100km (loaded with wife, 2 kids & all the baggage the boot can carry. Your fuel economy is what I have had out of previously owned AU XR8's. Its either cars state of tune(including basics like tyre pressure!), driving style, or roads that you can't really cruise on(i.e. that hill climb out of Dunedin would use half a tank alone).

99_falcon · 13-11-2009, 10:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sbcb

(i.e. that hill climb out of Dunedin would use half a tank alone).

I do a lot of driving on hills, well I live on one for that matter and I know for sure that while falcons can fly up them they use a hell of a lot of fuel doing it. The hill climb you are mentioning I'm guessing you are meaning the northern motorway, when I worked out how much the car had used going to Twizel we had gone over it so that would make any calculation for the amount of fuel used a bit off. I'm not sure by how much but I'm sure if I didn't have to drive over mountains to get out of Dunedin travelling would be a lot cheaper. This is where most sane people would go "get a more economic car with a smaller engine" or something like that. I'm not overly worried about the economy of my car (still keep it serviced ect. though) as I don't do HEAPS of driving.

Jack91 · 13-11-2009, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stattic

im getting about 250-300 around town and 700-800 on the highway

when you say well maintained i assume you mean servicing but have you replaced the o2 sensor at all? a diagnostic tool will be able to tell you if its stuffed
also other things to consider are fuel line pressure, fuel filter, fuel injectors
perhaps a dirty throttle body?

Interesting that the o2 sensor got bought up. I gave my car a full all over service and replaced it with a new one at the same time and it ran GREAT for about 50km's than settled into its old ways again with the bad economy and average down low. While we're on the topic though, thought I might add that when Im sitting on exactly 2000rpm is when Im getting the best economy, still around 11L/100lm but I find with cruise at 115km/h, the revs are around 2300 or so and it just ruins any economy. What are we running in the tyres for this great economy, 34psi front 38 back?

Dave_Obsession · 13-11-2009, 12:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stattic

im getting about 250-300 around town

Holy crap man, how heavy is your right foot

FWIW, I get around 500-550 'city' driving........highway it's close to 750-800kms.....drove up to NSW a couple of months ago for holiday......trip computer was prediciting tank would get me just over 900kms for most of the trip, until a couple of stops mid-trip reduced it to around the 800km mark.

That holiday was before I got my new exhaust / headers / ballistic cat......would be interesting to see what difference it made to economy.....

grandpa_spec_F6 · 13-11-2009, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave93761

Holy crap man, how heavy is your right foot

I get 400k's out of a full tank city driving, if I give it some, 320 is the usual figure I return. Once I hit the highway I may get 500 - 550 if im lucky, silly VCT engine drinks like an 8.

Stattic · 13-11-2009, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave93761

Holy crap man, how heavy is your right foot

FWIW, I get around 500-550 'city' driving........highway it's close to 750-800kms.....drove up to NSW a couple of months ago for holiday......trip computer was prediciting tank would get me just over 900kms for most of the trip, until a couple of stops mid-trip reduced it to around the 800km mark.

That holiday was before I got my new exhaust / headers / ballistic cat......would be interesting to see what difference it made to economy.....

i do a LOT of short trips and my idle is 950rpm =)
fixed the issue tho so next week im going in for new plugs and getting my idle backed off to hopefully 700ish

Stattic · 13-11-2009, 01:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandpa_spec_au

I get 400k's out of a full tank city driving, if I give it some, 320 is the usual figure I return. Once I hit the highway I may get 500 - 550 if im lucky, silly VCT engine drinks like an 8.

lol the 8s have better economy than that, my uncle towed a trailer full of stuff, loaded boot, loaded seats (he was moving frm melbourne to perth) in his au3 xr8 with full exhaust and he was still managing 700 oddkm to a tank

grandpa_spec_F6 · 13-11-2009, 01:54 PM

stupid p plate laws... I could buy and 8 and it would have been MORE efficient than my car... I hate Queensland sometimes

99_falcon · 13-11-2009, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by grandpa_spec_au

stupid p plate laws... I could buy and 8 and it would have been MORE efficient than my car... I hate Queensland sometimes

Being from NZ I don't know abour your P plate restrictions. Is there one of the size of the engine?

frd906 · 13-11-2009, 01:58 PM

around town i still average about 450 to 500kms

i travelled from jimboomba to glenn innes towing a trailer empty now i think its some where between 300 to 400 kms to there, take about 4 hours and i went through half a tank and a little bit more, trouble is going through cunninghams gap and on the way to warwick is a shocker, you got a big mountian climb then the speeds goes up and down

RG · 13-11-2009, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dave93761

Holy crap man, how heavy is your right foot

FWIW, I get around 500-550 'city' driving........highway it's close to 750-800kms.....drove up to NSW a couple of months ago for holiday......trip computer was prediciting tank would get me just over 900kms for most of the trip, until a couple of stops mid-trip reduced it to around the 800km mark.

That holiday was before I got my new exhaust / headers / ballistic cat......would be interesting to see what difference it made to economy.....

You think that's bad, try mine lol. 150-200k around town, 200-250 if I drive like my mrs.

JC · 13-11-2009, 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RG

You think that's bad, try mine lol. 150-200k around town, 200-250 if I drive like my mrs.

I think you're exaggerating a little - Don't you get 0 at the moment?

JC · 13-11-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99_falcon

I drive a AU falcon (I6) and the L/100 on the highway is said to be around 6.8L/100Km. I know this is an average under ideal driving conditions (also a well maintained and tuned car etc.). Now my car has been maintained and looked after etc. Now I've calculated that the 550km round trip to Twizel and back should theoretically use 37.4L, give or take a couple of L but when I last drove to Twizel and back. The figures I got were more of that of the city driving average (11.5L/100Km), around 63L. Odd how much the difference was. Am I missing something here?

The 6.8 figure you have quoted is 6.8 km per litre, not 6.8 l/100km. 6.8km/litre works out at approx 14 l/100km.