Fuel questions

[linkster]

Had my zed just over a week and have just refilled it again after the light came on at less than 280 miles.

 

I know it's not exactly in the spirit of things but that bothers me a lot, I'd read up on consumption first, I have never floored it (drive it very carefully sctually as never had anythng remotely like this before) but that is simply awful for a tank full of petrol.

 

Admittedly I have a nice windy B road to work (which is basically why I wanted a fun car) so there's quite a few gear changes involved and it's mostly 3/4th but still, this thing should do more than 400 miles, right?

 

It's a UK spec, unmodified (54 plate) with 17k miles. I've been filling it with 97 octane gas - again, is this a requirement, will it actually do any harm to save a few quid and get regular?

 

Please help, hoping I haven't made a horrible mistake...

[Digsy]

Had my zed just over a week and have just refilled it again after the light came on at less than 280 miles.

 

I know it's not exactly in the spirit of things but that bothers me a lot, I'd read up on consumption first, I have never floored it (drive it very carefully sctually as never had anythng remotely like this before) but that is simply awful for a tank full of petrol.

 

Admittedly I have a nice windy B road to work (which is basically why I wanted a fun car) so there's quite a few gear changes involved and it's mostly 3/4th but still, this thing should do more than 400 miles, right?

 

It's a UK spec, unmodified (54 plate) with 17k miles. I've been filling it with 97 octane gas - again, is this a requirement, will it actually do any harm to save a few quid and get regular?

 

Please help, hoping I haven't made a horrible mistake...

 

I'm afraid that if you think you will get 400 miles from a tank you have made a horrible mistake. What you were in fact looking for is something called a "diesel".

 

Seriously, though this is a 3.5 litre V6 sports car weighing more than one and half tonnes. What did you expect?

 

On regular B road driving (without hooning around) I get 23-24 mpg on a good day. If I'm doing a steady speed on the motorway I might get late twenties pushing thirty.

 

What does the consumption say on your computer? Also, how low did you let it get before filling up? The other night I drove with ----- on the dte for about 3 miles and still couldn't fit more than 72 litres in the tank - I think it takes 80 IIRC - so its got a mighty reserve when that orange light comes on.

 

Oh, and you can run it on 95 RON - it won't do any harm but you will lose power and blunt performance.

 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings....

[linkster]

Had my zed just over a week and have just refilled it again after the light came on at less than 280 miles.

 

I know it's not exactly in the spirit of things but that bothers me a lot, I'd read up on consumption first, I have never floored it (drive it very carefully sctually as never had anythng remotely like this before) but that is simply awful for a tank full of petrol.

 

Admittedly I have a nice windy B road to work (which is basically why I wanted a fun car) so there's quite a few gear changes involved and it's mostly 3/4th but still, this thing should do more than 400 miles, right?

 

It's a UK spec, unmodified (54 plate) with 17k miles. I've been filling it with 97 octane gas - again, is this a requirement, will it actually do any harm to save a few quid and get regular?

 

Please help, hoping I haven't made a horrible mistake...

 

I'm afraid that if you think you will get 400 miles from a tank you have made a horrible mistake. What you were in fact looking for is something called a "diesel".

 

Seriously, though this is a 3.5 litre V6 sports car weighing more than one and half tonnes. What did you expect?

 

On regular B road driving (without hooning around) I get 23-24 mpg on a good day. If I'm doing a steady speed on the motorway I might get late twenties pushing thirty.

 

What does the consumption say on your computer? Also, how low did you let it get before filling up? The other night I drove with ----- on the dte for about 3 miles and still couldn't fit more than 72 litres in the tank - I think it takes 80 IIRC - so its got a mighty reserve when that orange light comes on.

 

Oh, and you can run it on 95 RON - it won't do any harm but you will lose power and blunt performance.

 

Sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings....

 

OK, mistake comment a slight exaggeration, I love the car. Actually fuel light came on only from starting the car as it was parked on a hill overnight, it had gone off by the time I filled it, but still cost £65.

 

I did read a couple of reviews (Guardian IIRC) though which said to expect 430 miles... Thanks for confirming the 95 RON question.

 

Trip computer says 22.8

[martinmac]

On my regular 370 mile drive it leaves me enough in the tank to go 30 miles to Tesco and fill up. You need motorways to get the higher fugures.

[Kuro]

On my regular 370 mile drive it leaves me enough in the tank to go 30 miles to Tesco and fill up. You need motorways to get the higher fugures.

 

Agreed.

 

I can easily get more than 400 miles during a motorway cruise, in fact I got nearer five on the way back from the Ring last year. (seriously effective aeroynamics on the Zed)

 

If I have a 'poor mpg month' and spend lots of time queueing, and driving around towns and cities, I usually get sub 350. In the summer (and hence usually more enthusiastic, a bit less!)

 

I find the Zed to be hugely economical for what it is, however, you need to be driving to it's eco strengths (i.e. the motorway) to realise the economy.

[linkster]

On my regular 370 mile drive it leaves me enough in the tank to go 30 miles to Tesco and fill up. You need motorways to get the higher fugures.

 

Agreed.

 

I can easily get more than 400 miles during a motorway cruise, in fact I got nearer five on the way back from the Ring last year. (seriously effective aeroynamics on the Zed)

 

If I have a 'poor mpg month' and spend lots of time queueing, and driving around towns and cities, I usually get sub 350. In the summer (and hence usually more enthusiastic, a bit less!)

 

I find the Zed to be hugely economical for what it is, however, you need to be driving to it's eco strengths (i.e. the motorway) to realise the economy.

 

I guess that's why I am asking - I never queue, I live in the middle of nowhere. Even if I'm stuck behind someone, I'm doing 40. There are maybe 5 junctions between home and work (15 mile drive) where I have to come to a complete stop, just before pulling out.

[Digsy]

On my regular 370 mile drive it leaves me enough in the tank to go 30 miles to Tesco and fill up. You need motorways to get the higher fugures.

 

Agreed.

 

I can easily get more than 400 miles during a motorway cruise, in fact I got nearer five on the way back from the Ring last year. (seriously effective aeroynamics on the Zed)

 

If I have a 'poor mpg month' and spend lots of time queueing, and driving around towns and cities, I usually get sub 350. In the summer (and hence usually more enthusiastic, a bit less!)

 

I find the Zed to be hugely economical for what it is, however, you need to be driving to it's eco strengths (i.e. the motorway) to realise the economy.

 

I guess that's why I am asking - I never queue, I live in the middle of nowhere. Even if I'm stuck behind someone, I'm doing 40. There are maybe 5 junctions between home and work (15 mile drive) where I have to come to a complete stop, just before pulling out.

 

There's a big difference between a constant speed with no gearchanges on the motorway and your B-road commute where you've indicated that there are plenty of gear changes, plus you're covering the miles slower. That's why you won't get motorway MPG.

[linkster]

On my regular 370 mile drive it leaves me enough in the tank to go 30 miles to Tesco and fill up. You need motorways to get the higher fugures.

 

Agreed.

 

I can easily get more than 400 miles during a motorway cruise, in fact I got nearer five on the way back from the Ring last year. (seriously effective aeroynamics on the Zed)

 

If I have a 'poor mpg month' and spend lots of time queueing, and driving around towns and cities, I usually get sub 350. In the summer (and hence usually more enthusiastic, a bit less!)

 

I find the Zed to be hugely economical for what it is, however, you need to be driving to it's eco strengths (i.e. the motorway) to realise the economy.

 

I guess that's why I am asking - I never queue, I live in the middle of nowhere. Even if I'm stuck behind someone, I'm doing 40. There are maybe 5 junctions between home and work (15 mile drive) where I have to come to a complete stop, just before pulling out.

 

There's a big difference between a constant speed with no gearchanges on the motorway and your B-road commute where you've indicated that there are plenty of gear changes, plus you're covering the miles slower. That's why you won't get motorway MPG.

 

Well yeah, but I was referring more to that fact that a bad MPG for him, in towns and queuing, is 350, although to be fair he didn't specify if that was running it dry or just to when the light comes on

[marzman]

What a jip - The *most* i've had out of mine is 327 miles... and that was driving pretty slow. I usually end up between 290 and 310 miles - and i drive a mix of town/mororway/A and B roads...

 

I've got a JDM auto though (which has a smaller fuel tank apparantly - it still costs me £65 to fill up).

[H5]

I also depends what gear you're using when doing 40, how much stop start you do, engine temperature and so on.

 

As for the 95 RON vs 97 RON, I have always found my cars go further on the better fuel so it works out the same if not better as a cost per mile. Lotus, Zed, Focus and Volvo all testament to that so it's not just a fluke.

[Ian]

I have never had more than 300mile out of a tank Comp says that my average is 22mpg

[sinbad]

I averaged about 300 miles to a tank.

As Digsy mentioned its about a number of factors, someone flooring it upto 40 will use much more fuel than someone who takes there time to get to 50.

 

The best speed to be at for fuel consumption is around 56mph in 6th gear at a constant speed.

[Chris`I]

I get 350-400 miles to a tank and sad for me to say that it is nearly all motorways (no fun!). I got to Sunderland from home (350miles) on a tank and had a fair bit left, so guess if you can sit on a motorway at a constant 70 all the way you will break 400 comfortably. This should not be expected and is far from the norm though.

 

Fuel is only fuel though, so go out and get the best you can afford and go have fun! If you need to count the pennies for fuel then this may not be the car for you

[Kuro]

Well yeah, but I was referring more to that fact that a bad MPG for him, in towns and queuing, is 350, although to be fair he didn't specify if that was running it dry or just to when the light comes on

 

My return trip to work is 18 miles, which is 95% motorway. Doing this for a few weeks and interspersed with some town stuff here and there gets me 350 as a bare minimum. The Zed rarely gets into town/city scenarios for long, and certainly not everyday.

 

Usually, I'm dissappointed not to make 400 miles from a tank

 

Introducing another factor into the discussion (sorry!) is that for the same scenario, normal unleaded would get slightly less. (between 20 and 40 miles per tank depending on the nature of the driving.

 

I always brim the tank, and the light is always on when I fill up.

[KS2006]

20+mpg - you lucky ******

 

My daily commute is 3 miles ish (town stop / start - I do this twice a day + a little bit extra at lunch time). I'm getting about 14-15 mpg atm so think yourself lucky

 

I've stopped looking at the fuel computer. I put 20 quid of 97 ron in 4 days later it's gone. I do always keep a 1/4 of a tank in anyway.

[linkster]

I get 350-400 miles to a tank and sad for me to say that it is nearly all motorways (no fun!). I got to Sunderland from home (350miles) on a tank and had a fair bit left, so guess if you can sit on a motorway at a constant 70 all the way you will break 400 comfortably. This should not be expected and is far from the norm though.

 

Fuel is only fuel though, so go out and get the best you can afford and go have fun! If you need to count the pennies for fuel then this may not be the car for you

Yeah, that's a fair point, but it's just a culture shock from the cars I've had previously. Maybe I'll get over it, maybe it'll prove too much, time will tell, but I'll certainly have fun in the meantime!

[Ebized]

Maybe I'll get over it, maybe it'll prove too much, time will tell, but I'll certainly have fun in the meantime!

 

that's the whole point of ZED ownership

[Zummertor]

The fuel consumption isn't going to change the way I drive. If I want a bit of fun on twisty stuff then it is all condition/traffic dependent. That said averaging just over 25 mpg according to readout, when it gets below a quarter tank I fill up at next better priced garage, mostly 95 but every 4th fill is 97, not sure if that is better/ worse but makes me feel kinder to pocket and car.

Last 6 weeks I've done 3,250 miles and I am not going to look at the petrol bill, that wasn't the point of getting the car. I'll have lower mileage in coming 6 weeks as a lot of flying around coming up, so still a fairly large carbon footprint but in my case much much lower than in previous years.

[linkster]

The fuel consumption isn't going to change the way I drive. If I want a bit of fun on twisty stuff then it is all condition/traffic dependent. That said averaging just over 25 mpg according to readout, when it gets below a quarter tank I fill up at next better priced garage, mostly 95 but every 4th fill is 97, not sure if that is better/ worse but makes me feel kinder to pocket and car.

Last 6 weeks I've done 3,250 miles and I am not going to look at the petrol bill, that wasn't the point of getting the car. I'll have lower mileage in coming 6 weeks as a lot of flying around coming up, so still a fairly large carbon footprint but in my case much much lower than in previous years.

 

Don't start me on carbon footprint, I think I had 30 flights last year..

[Zummertor]

Don't start me on carbon footprint, I think I had 30 flights last year..

 

Most different airports in a week in last 5 years was 9 different ones;

Most long haul flights in a year was 23, 17 Trans Atlantic being the shorter ones, plus a host of local Europe stuff.

Longest trip for shortest stay was Melbourne return flight for 34 hour stay.

 

All very very , last few months only 4 flights all European, much better !

[linkster]

Don't start me on carbon footprint, I think I had 30 flights last year..

 

Most different airports in a week in last 5 years was 9 different ones;

Most long haul flights in a year was 23, 17 Trans Atlantic being the shorter ones, plus a host of local Europe stuff.

Longest trip for shortest stay was Melbourne return flight for 34 hour stay.

 

All very very , last few months only 4 flights all European, much better !

OK, let's see..

 

Last year I did

Los Angeles 5 times

San Francisco (domestic) once

Germany twice

Milan

Amsterdam

Madrid (twice)

Helsinki

Bordeaux (three times)

Paris

Milan

Glasgow

[Sarnie]

I think a lot of these 'X amount of miles per tank' is very ambiguous. How can you validate that that is the end of the fuel in the tank? I used to run mine on the ---------------- for ages, I even got an extra 45 miles on the ---------- once

 

Some people will risk pushing the DTE that extra mile, others will fill up as soon as the light comes on. A true test would be to run the car till it runs out of fuel. That would be a true validation. Any volunteers?

[stanski]

Don't start me on carbon footprint

 

Carbon footprint you've set me off now - Its easy to point fingers at sports cars or 4x4's etc the usual targets - there is so much propaganda around this stuff - for goodness sakes just sort the States India and China - they are still supposed to be the worst offenders how can you compare the emmisions from a small exhaust to a belching chimney from a plant?

 

Linkster if your job requires you to travel around to other countries what are you gonna do - get a sail boat?

 

What about the rescue services? Rescue 4x4's, Police Hecolopters, the emissions from a fully loaded fire tender I recon are not good and probably only 12 mpg! Well fine your house burns down but its ok you will be saving the planet! Joy! Aha but the emissions from your burning house will not be good will they !

 

Why so many lorries when we should be using trains to shift frieght?

 

Why the hell did Al Gore get a Nobel prize - for what? Making a film? Did he invent enviroment awareness?

 

Until they invent a car that runs on carrot juice I dont want small minded politicians or newspapers telling me how to live my life?

 

Hybrid cars have shed loads of precious metals with delightful evil chemical extraction processes (batteries etc) which probably offset any benefits of travel?

 

Dont get me wrong I am concerned about the environment and have been recycling since I was a kid, well before the media made a big thing out of it, I'm old fashioned I fix stuff thats broken instead of replace, I look after my posessions (especially cars) as they are such a big investment look after them and they will lokk after you - (Still got my second ever car VW beetle after 19 years!), I reuse carrier bags as poo bags for the dog etc etc the list goes on.... Nothing new nothing clever just common sense! Aye up lad

 

Oh dont run your car below 1/4 to fumes as we all know the sh** from the bottom of the tank will clog up yer jets and pipes!

 

Sorry everyone - bad week at work - just ranting! (Its an enviro friendly rant - I recycled the words I used from elsewhere , they were low fat , vegetarian friendly and low in carbon emissions! No animals were injured in the writing of this rant any views expressed were purely my own, remember the value of your rant can go up or down depending on the market at that time)

[satsuma71]

Sorry, but i thinik it's pointless buying a 3.5 litre sports car and expecting micra type mpg, it's just fuel, fill her up and have some fun.

Sometimes i only get about 17 to the gallon, but i dont give a damn, i bought the car to have fun in, not worry about fuel costs just enjoy it

[Ozz]

20+mpg - you lucky ******

 

My daily commute is 3 miles ish (town stop / start - I do this twice a day + a little bit extra at lunch time). I'm getting about 14-15 mpg atm so think yourself lucky

 

I've stopped looking at the fuel computer. I put 20 quid of 97 ron in 4 days later it's gone. I do always keep a 1/4 of a tank in anyway.

 

Noob question - do the JDMs have a trip computer? I'm probably better off not knowing but just curious. My first pod display cylces through temperatue, speed and some other weird stuff that I haven't figured out yet but nothing that screams MPG?