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Old 01-23-2015, 10:49 AM   #27 (permalink)
Bataleon
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Quote:
Originally Posted by renault_megane_dci View Post
My wife gets 36 in traffic with her manual 1.4 16V gas Audi A2 from 2001 (75hp).
Average speed is anywhere between 30 mph to 60 mph.
She is not an hypermiller but a short shifter.

The weight is pretty much the same and the Cd is obviously in favor of the A2.

Conclusion is : aeromod your car
I reckon you're spot on. I recently drove 80 miles in a Ford Figo 1.4l (identical weight as my VW Polo) and managed 39.2 MPG US whereas I usually get 36 MPG US on the same route with my Polo.

The Polo's Cd is 0.32 so there's definite room for improvement. I noticed the Ford Figo coasted in neutral a lot better too.

Quote:
Originally Posted by RunningStrong View Post
How long does the coolant take to warm up? What are ambient temperatures like at the moment?

The VW PD diesel engines are very slow to warm up, so the grill block provides thermal benefits and not just aero. I'd check the thermostat too if you're not reading dead-centre on the coolant temp, VW thermostats are easy enough to replace but known to go.

Have you got a full undertray under the engine bay? If not you may be able to get one off a Bluemotion model and there could be minimal work required to get it to fit.
From cold start in the morning (20°C ambient) the engine takes around 3-4 minutes to warm up completely (needle sitting on dead-centre). After which the engine drops from ~1100 RPM idle to ~800 RPM idle.

I don't have any aero mods installed at the moment. A Bluemotion underbelly sounds like a great option. Thanks for the idea.

Quote:
Originally Posted by renault_megane_dci View Post
Weren't we discussing a gas engine ?
Yep 1.4l gas/petrol engine.
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