Hello from England (02 Nissan Micra K11 1.0L)

[xavi]

Welcome!

You will definitely do better than that with the Micra!

[Noddy]

I have just entered some fuel log entries, at last. At the moment my efficiency is going down, which I attribute to two reasons:

• the autumn weather with its rain and high winds
• I've been coasting in neutral on downhills - from the data it seems the ECU is putting more fuel in the engine

I have not done any aeromods so far but have kept the tyres well inflated. I really need to get a Scan Gauge but the price is putting me off.

[MetroMPG]

You can find used ones as well. They come up on eBay regularly.

Also: the likely cooler weather is another factor affecting mileage.

[Noddy]

Dipped a toe in the water on aeromodding this week by blocking the "nostrils" with some plastic sheeting from a document folder and some zipties. Too early to say if it is working but the car felt a bit smoother on the road. Hope to block some of the front grille this weekend.

[Noddy]

A few things have happened recently.

First, I bought a piece of clear coroplast to make a grill block. Started off with a partial block, then made a full block with some holes for the radiator. Seems to be working well.

Then I received a socket set for Christmas and bought a torque wrench. I changed the oil to synthetic 5w/30, the air and filters, and today changed the spark plugs, so I am learning to service the vehicle. Had a puncture on one of the tyres the other day and tried to keep going on the can of spray foam. However the puncture was too big and I needed to call the AA out to fix it. Fortunately I was still in the car park at work when I found it. Now I have changed both rear tyres, and have decided after that experience to carry the spare plus jack and wheelbrace again, so the vehicle has gained weight. Ho hum.

Fuel consumption seems to be around the 58 miles/Imperial gallon mark, which is not bad considering this is January and I have been commuting in the dark, in the wind and rain.

Still need a ScanGauge, though to get a better understanding of the fuel consumption.

PS I was overtaken on the road today by someone in a red Corvette - not an everyday sight here in Wiltshire...

[California98Civic]

Neat little car. And pretty good numbers for driving in those conditions without a gauge for the best techniques. How many RPMs does your transmission turn in top gear at say 100kph?

[Noddy]

Originally Posted by California98Civic

Neat little car. And pretty good numbers for driving in those conditions without a gauge for the best techniques. How many RPMs does your transmission turn in top gear at say 100kph?

Good question. There's no rev counter on the dashboard so I don't know for certain, though at a guess it's probably around 3000 revs at 100km/h. The sweet spot for fuel efficiency seems to be around 45mph, though I aim to cruise at 50mph.

I do intend to get a ScanGauge at some point, so eventually I'll know. So far I've just done some very basic modding.

Today I changed one of the tyres from a cheapie with a max sidewall pressure of 36PSI to one with 44PSI, and then pumped up the tyres to 44. On the way back I stopped at the local scrapyard and found a new spare wheel with a Dunlop tyre on it with lots of tread left for less than a tenner (that is GBP10). Also looking at improving the grille blocks.

[Noddy]

More pictures - this time of the grille blocks.

First I blocked the two apertures on the hood:
[IMG]20141123_140424 by mucephei, on Flickr[/IMG]

[Noddy]

Then a half block of the main grille to see what happened...

[IMG]20141123_140418 by mucephei, on Flickr[/IMG]

[Noddy]

Then a full block with some holes for the radiator:

[IMG]20141225_103121 by mucephei, on Flickr[/IMG]


It all still looks a bit tatty, because of my workmanship. I'd like to get a sheet of clear or black plastic and try to do a better job of it.