My last 3 tank average is
3.9 l/100km (60.7 mpg)!
No new mods, but I have been perfecting technique. First of all, I assumed that the engine is most efficient at 1700-2000 rpm (max torque is at 1750), so I've been keeping one eye on the rpm-odometer and the other on the ScanGauge, trying to keep LOD high (70-99). (
Here is a short discussion on the 1.6HDi's BSFC.) I've noticed two things:
- My passengers aren't too happy about getting pushed into their seats 2-3 times per minute. Funny how they complain both about how slow I drive AND how fast I accelerate. Yeah, too much torque
- The gearing in my transmission has a 'hole' between 3rd and 4th. At certain speeds the rpms are either too high or too low, I need something in between. There is also a smaller 'hole' between 2nd and 3rd, so the best remedy would be to move 3rd closer to 2nd and add a gear between it and 4th. Hmm, if I get carried away I'll just start wanting a CVT...
I've also been driving oh so slightly slower, but better use of coasting and engine braking hasn't lowered the tank's average speed. Since it's warm (and the A/C is broken again) I've been killing the engine at red lights more often, but this battery won't see next spring unless I'm very lucky. Maybe I should charge it more often? But it shows 12.4-12.5V in the morning, before the solar trickle charger gets to work, so it seems healthy.
EO(ff)C is usually no more than 10-15km out of each 1500-1700km tank, so less than 1%.
The tanks will worsen in the near future - since the Wife is pregnant the car will see more short trips, especially during the winter. She can't ride to work on her bike anymore, so our bicycle milage will shortly plummet too, which she's VERY unhappy about
We thought about getting a cheap small car for city driving, and even found a nice Peugeot 106 1.1i that we fell in love with, but decided we really can get by without it. On one hand, Svietlana is so big and powerful that the Wife don't want to drive her even when I'm sitting next to her, so a small gasser would be ideal for errands and city driving. On the other hand, we don't want to turn our yard into a parking lot. We won't be going on longer trips too often for the next 1-2 years, so Svietlana would only be used 3-4 times a year. This doesn't justify all the extra expenses. And we don't want to get rid of Svieta, since we plan to use her full potential when we start hiking again. Plus she's the largest cargo-mover of our nearest family and friends.