Hi from Cyprus

[Karadjas]

Hi guys,

I live in Nicosia, Cyprus.

I found your forum a while ago, and a fuel efficiency discussion in another forum i frequent reminded me of ecomodder and drove me to register.

I own a 2011 Audi S3 with some work done (the exact opposite of ecomodding) and some more is scheduled. It's not terrible on fuel, with an average lifetime (22.500km) consumption of 12L/100km, including some *cough*a lot of*cough* spirited driving. I have tried very mild hypermiling in it (coasting, timing lights, slow pull-aways), and frequently get under 8L/100km in the city, but that soon vanishes in thin air as, let's face it, noone buys an S3 for it's fuel efficiency.

To save on fuel and wear on the S3, I got a 1997 Seat Ibiza 1.9TDi 90hp van with 186k km on the odometer for next to nothing. I'm still fixing it up, taking care of some dents, removing some ghastly decals the previous owner had put on, "deodourising" the interior etc. To be honest, I can't remember the last time I put diesel in it. I think it was about 3 weeks ago and I had only got it to the halfway marker on the gauge. The first week I owned it I thought the needle had got stuck I drive the Seat a lot more frequently than I do the S3 now. I've owned it for about 6 weeks now, and it seems like it will pay for itself in fuel savings within 2-3 months, let alone wear and maintenance.

Current fuel prices in Cyprus:
Cheapest 100RON unleaded from trusted stations for the S3: EUR1.32/L
Cheapest diesel from wherever for the TDi: EUR1.26/L

[euromodder]

Good call to use the S3 for the fun driving and the old TDi for day-to-day driving.

[Karadjas]

Thanks

Although the TDi, not being a bad car at all, is getting a lot more use than I expected when I got it. The ratio is something like 1000km for the Ibiza for every 50km in the S3, and my wallet couldn't be happier. It could, actually, after I start actually trying to get even better FE. I already have my eyes set on a GT TDi mini-kammback style rear spoiler.

[Piwoslaw]

Welcome aboard
Add your cars to EM's garage so we can all watch your fuel consumption dwindle.

Originally Posted by Karadjas

Although the TDi, not being a bad car at all, is getting a lot more use than I expected when I got it. The ratio is something like 1000km for the Ibiza for every 50km in the S3, and my wallet couldn't be happier.

Well, your wallet would be even happier if you sold the S3 and ecomodded the Ibiza I bet you're spending as much $$$ (or actually €€€) just on insurance, parts, inspection, etc., as on fuel. But if you have vowed to keep it, then check out some of the stealth mods mcrews has been doing to his Q45 - clear grille block, wheel skirts and wheel covers. And he's hypermiling that beast, too!!

[Karadjas]

Originally Posted by Piwoslaw

Well, your wallet would be even happier if you sold the S3 and ecomodded the Ibiza

About that... Never gonna happen

I'm considering minor ibiza ecomods. It already has lighter wheels and I've separated the cargo area from the passenger area to minimise a/c use. Most of my routes are urban, so it will be more nut-adjusting than aero-fixing


I've added the cars to the garage, couldn't find EPA for either. Man, Americans never get any of the good cars fuel logs will be added as they happen.

[euromodder]

Originally Posted by Karadjas

Most of my routes are urban, so it will be more nut-adjusting than aero-fixing

Aerodynamic modifications won't really pay off at urban speeds.

Remove as much weight as you can.
Shutting off the engine when you have to wait long will also help.

I've added the cars to the garage, couldn't find EPA for either.

You'll find very few EU cars in the EPA list, and even fewer diesels
You could add the numbers of a similar vintage Golf TDi, or use the European NEDC numbers like most Europeans on here do - even if these are much harder to beat than EPA.

[Piwoslaw]

Originally Posted by Karadjas

I'm considering minor ibiza ecomods. It already has lighter wheels and I've separated the cargo area from the passenger area to minimise a/c use. Most of my routes are urban, so it will be more nut-adjusting than aero-fixing

Here's what helps in city driving: Weight reduction!
Yeah, the car too

Originally Posted by Karadjas

I've added the cars to the garage, couldn't find EPA for either. Man, Americans never get any of the good cars fuel logs will be added as they happen.

Most of us Europeans use numbers from the ECE fuel consumption test cycle (harder to beat than the American EPA numbers - those Americans got it easy...). If that's not available, and you can't find any other 'official' numbers, then go to sites like spritmonitor.de, look at the average fuel consumption for cars like yours (make, model, trim, engine, gearbox, etc.), and use that as your 'official' average.

EDIT: Euromodder wins, again

[Karadjas]

Thanks guys

I got the ECE numbers for the S3, and spritmonitor average for the TDi. Using Golf TDi figures would be cheating, as the Golf is much heavier.

There is no way I will get close to the ECE figures for the S3, its current lifetime avg is at 12L/100km, and that's when I used it for a lot more than just fun.

The TDi however... That 6.26L/100km shouldn't be too hard. Being a van, there's not a lot to lighten unfortunately :/

[Karadjas]

By the way, I'd like to thank you for another slightly related issue.

The S3 has the inner fenders sloping further down than the rest of the bodywork, and I always thought it was because of one-size-fits-all parts that didn't exactly fit right. After actually looking into it, it seems it's actually a half hearted attempt at reducing aero drag from the wheels. Note I have +11mm spacers on the wheels, so as standard it covers more of the wheel.