HELP NEEDED!

Author
Discussion

harrysnoble

Original Poster:

32 posts

245 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
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I know its been asked be4 but on a motorway run how far will the car go and how much to fill up? oh and whats it like on the old back for long drives?

MisterX

656 posts

251 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
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Part one of the question; depends how you drive it but I always fill up after about 150-180 miles.

Part two re back pain etc, 'fraid it depends how many pies you have eaten. See earlier thread re lumbar supports etc.

m12_nathan

5,138 posts

260 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
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I get 200 miles per tank on the motorway, 160 from full to empty (well 42 litres used) on normal driving.

Stig

11,818 posts

285 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
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Smeg! That's less range than my GTR!!

m12_nathan

5,138 posts

260 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
quotequote all
works out an average of 16mpg in normal driving - part of that will be because of keeping the engine running for a minute at the end of every journey to let the oil in the turbos cool.

I fill up at 200 miles on the motorway, but I'd go for longer, just haven't had the bottle to try it yet

joust

14,622 posts

260 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
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Full low down here.

www.lotus-elise.org.uk/noble/runningcosts.htm

180-210 miles is what I do - but as I have an old 2.5l it'll easily do another 100 on that due to "empty" being nothing of the sort

J

joust

14,622 posts

260 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
quotequote all
m12_nathan said:
works out an average of 16mpg in normal driving - part of that will be because of keeping the engine running for a minute at the end of every journey to let the oil in the turbos cool.
Hmm - not sure about that. My average is 20-22 on Motorways (see above), and idling for a minute won't use that much up as the throttle is almost closed and so there won't be that much fuel going in. A full tank will normally idle for 24 hours (1440 minutes) easily (as the people on the M11 when they all got stuck found out....) - so 1 minute idling is the equivalent of about 0.1 miles it would seem.
m12_nathan said:
I fill up at 200 miles on the motorway, but I'd go for longer, just haven't had the bottle to try it yet
I've got it to 243 and then bottled it!

m12_nathan

5,138 posts

260 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
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Cheers Joust - I've got a target now

How big is the fuel tank?

joust

14,622 posts

260 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
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60L from the spec - so at about 5.5 miles per litre you'd expect to get about 300 if you drained it.

J

m12_nathan

5,138 posts

260 months

Tuesday 6th January 2004
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I have a 3L and when it reads empty I can only get 45 litres in max - have I got the 'special' guage for track use

gizard

2,250 posts

284 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
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My old fuel tank always used to read empty when it had around 20 litres left and the new one (fitted becuase of the new engine and gearbox) seems around about the same. Although the map on the 3L seems alot better than the one on the 2.5 (it uses less fuel when your not ragging it!). As for thinking it's a small fuel tank pah! drove my brothers 996 TT the other day (that has been moded to around 490 BHP I beleive - it has a 60 litre fuel tank and unless your driving like my grandma your lucky to get more than 200 miles before it's digital display goes nuts warning you to refuel...

joust

14,622 posts

260 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
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Very early cars (like my No. 26) showed 0 at around 20-25l. This was to explicitly prevent fuel starvation on track.

Newer cars were modified to show 0 around the 10-15l mark, but that obviously runs the risk of high lateral G's causing fuel starvation.

For that reason the factory has stipulated that on track not to go below 1/4 empty. Hooning around with Shorty at Rockingham I watched the guage go from 1/2 full to empty around a right / left complex - so the advice is sound!

Of course if you are on a motorway then you can take it below 0. I've had mine with clear space between the needle and 0 (i.e. it was in large negative) without any problems, and Lee did say to me that on my car you'd have about 100 miles max after hitting zero.

Of course it's never a good idea to drain a tank, and I find that the 200 odd miles is a nice nature break point for me as it's between 2 to 2&1/2 hours.

J

harrysnoble

Original Poster:

32 posts

245 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
quotequote all
thanks for the help guys! but can anyone tell me whats
it like on the back after a few hours?

joust

14,622 posts

260 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
quotequote all
Depends on your "shape".

Some people think its very very confortable, but others have complained about lower back pain. However, there are now inflatable lumbar supports that can be added at build or afterwards that apparently solve that bit.

I've not noticed it until recently (I must be getting old - a back injury from when I was a child is playing up a bit), when after about an hour I have to wiggle around a bit, but it goes after another 10 minutes or so - and from then on in it's fine.

Because of this when the car goes back to the factory in the next few weeks I'll get them to add the lumbar support and I'll report back.

I think a few others around here have had it added - perhaps they'll pipe up.

J

YellowShed

587 posts

284 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
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All,

Do I get the record then? While driving gently calibrating M12NBL I've managed 320miles on one tank . Only managed to get 55 litres in afterwards - so that's 26+mpg.

YellowShed

kinetic

348 posts

245 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
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I got 400 miles without filling up.
(Mine was on back of trailer though!) Sorry bad joke!

My 2.5 was doing 18-19 mpg but still pushing it to run over 200 miles on one tank full without refilling.

I found the Alcatara seats in the 2.5 excellent, Very supportive & comfortable even over long journey although I've heard the leather ones in the 3R are less comfortable.

stuh

2,557 posts

274 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
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YellowShed said:
All,

Do I get the record then? While driving gently calibrating M12NBL I've managed 320miles on one tank . Only managed to get 55 litres in afterwards - so that's 26+mpg.

YellowShed


That's some achievement !

I'm lucky to get anything over 16mpg from my 2.5 - Although i think my ECU has had the car running rich for some time. Hopefully the new mapping i'm about to get will improve matters...................

aps

97 posts

257 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
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Had 27.8 mpg on my 2.5litre GTO driven gently on several tanks worth and yes about 100 miles whwen reading empty and depends when the bottle goes as to when to fill up!

It is still a great drive driven genetly speed is not always required especiallly in rush hour!

APS

MisterX

656 posts

251 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
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Is there anyone who will admit to having actually run out of fuel in the GTO/GTO3, and if so, apart from a red face was any harm done?

joust

14,622 posts

260 months

Wednesday 7th January 2004
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Not me