improving tdi mpg
Discussion
Hello, I've recently bought a 110 station waggon, with a 300 tdi in it. Its all in reasonable order but as ever , i am keen to get the best out of it.. I've taken off the fan and removed the cat down pipe. My new one though has a dent in it, prob reducing it to 2 thirds diamiter. Is it worth changing to improve mpg and what else can be done? Thanks for your help!
king about with twice a year.Diesel engines only have to pass a smoke test for an MOT and the cat doesn't contribute to reducing smoke emissions so no issue with that.
As for the dent in the exhaust, it would have to be an almighty sent to have an effect on fuel economy providing it is down stream of the turbo, which is a massive restriction to exhaust flow.
As for the dent in the exhaust, it would have to be an almighty sent to have an effect on fuel economy providing it is down stream of the turbo, which is a massive restriction to exhaust flow.
Benspickup said:
Its not fitted with a cat
Not sure I follow, in your OP you said you removed the Cat downpipe??Benspickup said:
and i.m tootling everywhere at 55, aside from running on red its a expensive way to travel, if i could get up to 35mpg it wouldn't seem as bad as the 23 i got on the last tank full! Cheers Ben
35mpg is a pipe dream tbh. But show me any other ladder frame proper 4x4 of this size and ilk that can get anywhere close to it.A good running sensibly driven Tdi should be around 26-28mpg for normal use. If you are heavy footed then nearer to 24mpg.
Getting 30mpg in one would require luck and likely a bodged calculation.
What tyres and pressures are you running?
Obviously make sure nothing is dragging (hand brakes etc) and make sure the air filter is clean.
300bhp/ton said:
Nick1point9 said:
Diesel engines only have to pass a smoke test for an MOT and the cat doesn't contribute to reducing smoke emissions so no issue with that.
Doesn't that depend on the year?300bhp/ton said:
Benspickup said:
Its not fitted with a cat
Not sure I follow, in your OP you said you removed the Cat downpipe??300bhp/ton said:
Benspickup said:
and i.m tootling everywhere at 55, aside from running on red its a expensive way to travel, if i could get up to 35mpg it wouldn't seem as bad as the 23 i got on the last tank full! Cheers Ben
35mpg is a pipe dream tbh. But show me any other ladder frame proper 4x4 of this size and ilk that can get anywhere close to it.A good running sensibly driven Tdi should be around 26-28mpg for normal use. If you are heavy footed then nearer to 24mpg.
Getting 30mpg in one would require luck and likely a bodged calculation.
What tyres and pressures are you running?
Obviously make sure nothing is dragging (hand brakes etc) and make sure the air filter is clean.
Whilst 35 mpg might not sound like a lot, it represents going more than 50% further on each tank than you currently get, that's a hell of an improvement to make!
Nick1point9 said:
Neither my 91 RRC turboD or my 2008 tdi golf have anything other than a smoke test, worked in MOT centres from 2007-2010 and never saw anything other than a smoke test on a diesel. Happy to be corrected if someone has a copy of current MOT regs/is a tester.
Thanks. My mistake. 
300bhp/ton said:
Nick1point9 said:
Neither my 91 RRC turboD or my 2008 tdi golf have anything other than a smoke test, worked in MOT centres from 2007-2010 and never saw anything other than a smoke test on a diesel. Happy to be corrected if someone has a copy of current MOT regs/is a tester.
Thanks. My mistake. Krikkit said:
300bhp/ton said:
Nick1point9 said:
Neither my 91 RRC turboD or my 2008 tdi golf have anything other than a smoke test, worked in MOT centres from 2007-2010 and never saw anything other than a smoke test on a diesel. Happy to be corrected if someone has a copy of current MOT regs/is a tester.
Thanks. My mistake. Benspickup said:
Currently has no cat fitted! Steady driving as you like mainly on B roads. The speedo is bang on accurate with my sat nav. It's only obvious thorn in its side are the bf Goodrich mud terrain tires currently fitted. Will it run ok on a mix of normal pump fuel and heating oil?
You'd probably be better off running some form of veg oil as opposed to heating oil. But most veg oils (unless bought in huge quantities) aren't that cheap any more.What's wrong with 23 mpg? It's a 2 tonne 4x4, what did you expect? The mud terrain tyres won't help but won't be costing you more than 5 or so mpg (max).
ETA
http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
Edited by Nick1point9 on Thursday 5th September 13:37
Benspickup said:
I used to have a old disco which would do 30mpg all day, 35 on a long run. Surely there can't be that much of a weight/ aerodynamic difference between the two? Plus i drive the 110 with much more sympathy!
35mpg has to be about all they are capable of, and I don't mean it in a nasty way, but maybe your ODO was out or your calculations? 30mpg I can well believe, maybe a tad over. I say this as I too have run a lot of LR vehicles.My Tdi Disco did 19-22mpg as a rule, but that was on big tyres. Never got 30mpg out of it, not even stock. Same with my D90 and a host of others. My brother is currently running a 200Tdi D90 and he's been getting 27mpg, which I personally consider quite good.
As for the Disco, yes it does have better aero, the front spoiler can make a difference at cruise speed and it's just a lot cleaner shape.
A Disco also runs a 1.2:1 transfer box, so is geared a bit higher (Defender uses a 1.4:1). It would depend on tyre size, but I suspect you'll be at higher rpm in a 110 for the same speed. And lastly tyres, if the Disco was on road biased tyres not MT's then this could easily account for a couple of mpg or more.
That maybe sounds a bit mean, maybe you did get 35mpg and I'm just being too negative about it.
A place I used to work at had both a 200 and 300 tdi Disco, neither would achieve more than 24 mpg, although they were driven fairly 'normally', as in they would be keeping up with traffic.
30 mpg out of one? Optimistic I'd say, but then many people claim to be able to get 55 mpg plus out of a V70 D5, when mine averaged no more than 42 over the long term.
Either claims are very optimistic, bordering on complete fabrications, or I need to learn to drive differently.
Mind you, speaking of complete fabrications, I was recovered from the M1 a couple of years ago, by a talkative chap who was telling me how economical Range Rovers are! He reckoned his mate had a 4.0 petrol that easily achieved 40 mpg. I laughed and suggested it might if it was driven downhill with a following wind and the engine off, but he was deadly serious. Before anyone says anything, I know very well that 14 mpg is more like it for a petrol Rangie.
Back on topic, as had been suggested, road tyres will help a bit. However, to put it in context, my old Vivaro van (similar weight, bigger frontal area, but better shape) would only average 32 mpg in general use, so I think 35 mpg for a 110 is extremely optimistic.
30 mpg out of one? Optimistic I'd say, but then many people claim to be able to get 55 mpg plus out of a V70 D5, when mine averaged no more than 42 over the long term.
Either claims are very optimistic, bordering on complete fabrications, or I need to learn to drive differently.
Mind you, speaking of complete fabrications, I was recovered from the M1 a couple of years ago, by a talkative chap who was telling me how economical Range Rovers are! He reckoned his mate had a 4.0 petrol that easily achieved 40 mpg. I laughed and suggested it might if it was driven downhill with a following wind and the engine off, but he was deadly serious. Before anyone says anything, I know very well that 14 mpg is more like it for a petrol Rangie.
Back on topic, as had been suggested, road tyres will help a bit. However, to put it in context, my old Vivaro van (similar weight, bigger frontal area, but better shape) would only average 32 mpg in general use, so I think 35 mpg for a 110 is extremely optimistic.
1994 RRC 300Tdi Auto...
£112 of fuel and get between 460-480 miles
My old 2007 Grand Cherokee Overland 3.0 TD V6 would only get 330-350 miles from the same amount.....!!
As stated above....
Remove EGR valve, fit electric fan kit, Bigger inter cooler and better air filter....
Get more air in.... get it colder and don't choke it with the egr system....
You could go the whole hog and fit a variable vane turbo but a lot of bucks.....
£112 of fuel and get between 460-480 miles
My old 2007 Grand Cherokee Overland 3.0 TD V6 would only get 330-350 miles from the same amount.....!!
As stated above....
Remove EGR valve, fit electric fan kit, Bigger inter cooler and better air filter....
Get more air in.... get it colder and don't choke it with the egr system....
You could go the whole hog and fit a variable vane turbo but a lot of bucks.....
Edited by alexmckie on Wednesday 11th September 15:10
I have a lifetime average out of my 110 Van body 200tdi, there was no difference in mileage when I went from 265/75/16 BFGoodrich ATs to the same size BFGoodrich MTs.
32/34 psi in the rear, 28psi in the front after doing a chalk test.
I have a full length Brownchurch rack, a spare on the bonnet and a swingaway carrier on the rear door. My trips are 9 miles minimum but normally around 20 miles plus.
I do roughly 400 miles before I put in between 65 and 70 litres into my 80 litre tank as my low fuel light doesn't work.
I found the best way to drive is to let the engine work a bit, let the next gear go in while still having boost, don't rev too low and wait for the boost to build in each gear. Also you barely need to brake in these vehicles for general driving, use the engine braking and keep your momentum up.
Mine has 220,000 miles on it and a fuel and boost tweak, it is regularly serviced but does need new injector nozzles.
Make sure your intercooler is clean and your air filter is in good condition, I use all genuine filters as I wasn't happy with the quality of one of the air filters I got from Paddocks once. Mine are changed once a year which can be anything from 5000 to 10,000 miles. Also make sure your UJs are well greased.
Just drive sympathetically and let the engine work, put it in 4th at 40mph, 5th at 50mph unless cruising and try and stick below 60mph on a run as when you creep above that the mileage does start to drop quite noticeably I found. It doesn't mean you have to drive slowly, just plan ahead.
With regards to fuel, personally I steer clear of Morrisons as it is the ONLY fuel my vehicle smokes on when on boost. I run Rapeseed oil in the summer every so often in a 50/50 mix but beware it can clean the crap from your fuel system and I had a couple of clogged filters the first time I ran it. I've had EP90 in the tank, old engine oil etc after filtering it and no smoke. All other diesel fuels i've used have been perfectly fine but Morrisons time and time again (5p off a litre vouchers, the tempting devils) it produced smoke and less mileage.
Also if it hasn't had one for a while, use it for a long run and give it some welly, diesels like a clear out from time to time.
Dave!
32/34 psi in the rear, 28psi in the front after doing a chalk test.
I have a full length Brownchurch rack, a spare on the bonnet and a swingaway carrier on the rear door. My trips are 9 miles minimum but normally around 20 miles plus.
I do roughly 400 miles before I put in between 65 and 70 litres into my 80 litre tank as my low fuel light doesn't work.
I found the best way to drive is to let the engine work a bit, let the next gear go in while still having boost, don't rev too low and wait for the boost to build in each gear. Also you barely need to brake in these vehicles for general driving, use the engine braking and keep your momentum up.
Mine has 220,000 miles on it and a fuel and boost tweak, it is regularly serviced but does need new injector nozzles.
Make sure your intercooler is clean and your air filter is in good condition, I use all genuine filters as I wasn't happy with the quality of one of the air filters I got from Paddocks once. Mine are changed once a year which can be anything from 5000 to 10,000 miles. Also make sure your UJs are well greased.
Just drive sympathetically and let the engine work, put it in 4th at 40mph, 5th at 50mph unless cruising and try and stick below 60mph on a run as when you creep above that the mileage does start to drop quite noticeably I found. It doesn't mean you have to drive slowly, just plan ahead.
With regards to fuel, personally I steer clear of Morrisons as it is the ONLY fuel my vehicle smokes on when on boost. I run Rapeseed oil in the summer every so often in a 50/50 mix but beware it can clean the crap from your fuel system and I had a couple of clogged filters the first time I ran it. I've had EP90 in the tank, old engine oil etc after filtering it and no smoke. All other diesel fuels i've used have been perfectly fine but Morrisons time and time again (5p off a litre vouchers, the tempting devils) it produced smoke and less mileage.
Also if it hasn't had one for a while, use it for a long run and give it some welly, diesels like a clear out from time to time.
Dave!
Edited by Howitzer on Thursday 12th September 07:28
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