RE: PistonHeads trolls MPG Marathon
Discussion
andburg said:
well done PH!!
next time do it in something with a V8!
It's been done, and it won next time do it in something with a V8!
http://www.autoblog.com/2011/10/11/vauxhall-wins-f...
What a waste of time.
For a real `real world test` the magazine Land Rover International has the right idea. It is a 380 mile route, covered in one day, combining motorways, A roads, B roads, green lanes, and rush hour city crawl. It does this whatever the weather. The fuel tank is topped up at the start of the day and again at the end to calculate `real world` mpg. Occasionally deep snow drifts have limited the green lane bit but mostly the route is completed and the length of the route does not encourage them hanging about to improve the numbers.
In my opinion, whatever is decided on to be a `real world test` for tax purposes will not be my own real world experience. That will be different every time I drive my car.
For a real `real world test` the magazine Land Rover International has the right idea. It is a 380 mile route, covered in one day, combining motorways, A roads, B roads, green lanes, and rush hour city crawl. It does this whatever the weather. The fuel tank is topped up at the start of the day and again at the end to calculate `real world` mpg. Occasionally deep snow drifts have limited the green lane bit but mostly the route is completed and the length of the route does not encourage them hanging about to improve the numbers.
In my opinion, whatever is decided on to be a `real world test` for tax purposes will not be my own real world experience. That will be different every time I drive my car.
surely such a challenge, if conducted on public roads, should aim to comply with all applicable road regulations and the Highway Code? I don't see how anyone doing 28mph on a road with a limit of 70mph is within anyone's definition of complying with the Highway Code or in any way safe.
seems like a bloody waste of everyone's time and furthermore puts normal road users at risk.
haaaaarumph. I'm going back to redlining my 993.
seems like a bloody waste of everyone's time and furthermore puts normal road users at risk.
haaaaarumph. I'm going back to redlining my 993.
A side of me wants to see a caterham with a temporary engine swap to some 1.2HDI unit or other ultra-efficient diesel just to see how efficient the motor would be carrying literally no weight. Also are bikes aloud? Most 125s manage close too if not over 100mpg piddling along at 50mph.
Dixy said:
I hear you were beaten by a Civic driven by two 17 year olds who had only just past their driving tests.
Comment from the story..."In that time, the pair of young drivers have driven more than 300 vehicles ranging from an Aston Martin to a 44-tonne articulated lorry".
Well done I say
EDITED.... But not if they were driving at 28 on 60-70 roads
Edited by TVRJAS on Wednesday 7th October 17:00
Steve-B said:
God I miss the days PH was NOT so PC....!
The competition should have been "How Fast Can We Empty a Caterham Tank"
The winner would usually be a Ford Crossflow based Se7en which on a good day might make 120-140miles....
Sure my old HPC on Carbs could beat that with it's foot long flames! The competition should have been "How Fast Can We Empty a Caterham Tank"
The winner would usually be a Ford Crossflow based Se7en which on a good day might make 120-140miles....
d has a MPG competition?Economy competitions are not a new thing; I remember reading about the annual FIAT (and Mobil, I think) economy run in Italy in 1960s magazines. By the sound of the reports these involved some hair-raising driving; driving down alpine passes, and around tight hairpins, without touching the brakes.
In the 1970s some motoring writers managed to coax 100mpg out of a Mk1 VW Polo (with four-speed gearbox and carburettor), which is probably double the official mpg. Could you achieve the same degree of improvement with a modern Polo?
Incidentally, you're better accelerating down hills with the assistance of gravity and then trying to coast up the other side. And 28mpg on NSL roads may be within the letter of the rules but hardly seems within the spirit of the competition.
In the 1970s some motoring writers managed to coax 100mpg out of a Mk1 VW Polo (with four-speed gearbox and carburettor), which is probably double the official mpg. Could you achieve the same degree of improvement with a modern Polo?
Incidentally, you're better accelerating down hills with the assistance of gravity and then trying to coast up the other side. And 28mpg on NSL roads may be within the letter of the rules but hardly seems within the spirit of the competition.
Dixy said:
I hear you were beaten by a Civic driven by two 17 year olds who had only just past their driving tests.
Not one of these Civics?http://www.gizmag.com/honda-civic-tourer-fuel-effi...
100MPG average is pretty impressive motorway driving over 8400 miles. I can normally last a couple of hours at 60 before the urge to get wherever I'm going takes over.
TBH, some journeys are just so restricted by traffic or crap roads that they'll never be fun, even in something properly PH worthy. Dangerous place to admit this, but on those journeys, I often just play the "how high can I get the mpg" game. Keeps me from nodding off and saves money! High score was 50.4 mpg in the wife's 320i e91, which is normally stuck on about 37... C'mon, I can't be the only one that does this?
I am the Dad of one of the 17 year olds that averaged 93.8 mpg over 392 miles in the MPG Marathon and came 5th overall http://bit.ly/ERMPG15 . They are both car nuts and have been driving since they were 11 at www.under17-carclub.co.uk . One drives a car with an official fuel consumption in the 20s and the other is saving to buy a project E30 while driving a sensible but fun to drive car. They were lucky enough to be sponsored by Honda to drive a Civic 1.6 i-DTEC in the MPG Challenge and they enjoyed driving it. They took their Under 17 Car Club experience and applied their observation and planning skills to the max to maintain momentum. They are also able to drive proficiently doing Advanced Driving at Castle Combe with slightly poorer MPG 
.
They would both love to do it again - in a Caterham would be fun or maybe a Civic Type R.
. They would both love to do it again - in a Caterham would be fun or maybe a Civic Type R.
big_rob_sydney said:
But seriously, WTF has the world come to when you're switching off the engine through villages? Is this what ICE progress has led us to?
Have I missed something? I thought fuel injection automatically cuts the fuel if you're lifting off in gear, what benefit would come from turning off the engine?Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff