18MPG on my V6

[Bongo??]

Hello.
Just used the fuel convertor from this site to work out the MPG on £40 of fuel.
Just wondering what other V6 users are getting on average.
Obviously i`ve got a V6 model so i`m not expecting 40 MPG,i`m just curious how 18 MPG sounds.
The vans a tintop with 67000 on the clock,it is running 215/70/15 tyres on the rear and 195/80/15 on the rear, not sure of the pressures though,i`ve lost my gauge!
THANKS....

[Tony C]

Sounds a bit low to me, I have a V6 AFT running on 15 inch wheels at present, if I am only driving in town I get about 18mpg but can get up to 29mpg driving at below 65mph on motorways, so an average will be somewhere about 24mpg.
I always have to resist giving it pedal to the metal to achieve this which can be very frustrating when you know it will practically fly if you want it to.
Cheers Tony.

[dandemann8]

Hi, mid to high 20's is obtainable, just depends how much of a lead foot you've got

[Bongo??]

I think perhaps an oil change and new plugs and filters my help then.
THANKS for the replies..

[scanner]

Is that fill up to fill up, or just guessing from the fuel gauge?

[billymansell]

The vans a tintop with 67000 on the clock,it is running 215/70/15 tyres on the rear and 195/80/15 on the rear...

I imagine having all four wheels at the back and pushing against the front brake discs as they dig into the tarmac isn't helping the fuel economy

[Bongo??]

Is that fill up to fill up, or just guessing from the fuel gauge?

Basically i put £40 quid of fuel in from just above the first mark on the fuel gauge.
The gauge rested just above halfway.
I`ve done approx 110 miles and the gauge is back down to the same point.
Just as well i`ve got a Shell Fuel points card!!!!!

[Bongo??]

The vans a tintop with 67000 on the clock,it is running 215/70/15 tyres on the rear and 195/80/15 on the rear...

I imagine having all four wheels at the back and pushing against the front brake discs as they dig into the tarmac isn't helping the fuel economy

DOH!!!!! Yeah,i think i`ll put some wheels on the front,that`ll increase fuel economy

[buddyh42]

Same here driving around town normally around 20/22 mpg but on a journey get approx 29 mpg so averaging about 24/25. So 18 could be about right depending on how much time sitting ticking over heating the van ( i am bad for having the engine running while the wife does the shopping) so that dont help my round town driving.

[Bongoplod]

Is that fill up to fill up, or just guessing from the fuel gauge?

Basically i put £40 quid of fuel in from just above the first mark on the fuel gauge.
The gauge rested just above halfway.
I`ve done approx 110 miles and the gauge is back down to the same point.
Just as well i`ve got a Shell Fuel points card!!!!!

You cant guage the mpg on that.

You need to fill to the brim,reset the tripometer,drive for whatever miles,either m/way or around town ,or a mix of both,then fill to the brim again at the garage,and note what milage its done on the fuel needed to refill back to the brim.
Number of litres put in,divided by 4.5 ( number of litres in a gallon),that gives you gallions used.
Then divide that by the miles on the tripometer,and that will give you an accurate MPG

Brian

[g8dhe]

Yup have to agree, doing it by eye is just a waste of time, the gauge itself will take 10 minutes to move a couple of degrees. Below is what we've been achieving over the last 4 years, click for full size;

[New S Wales 2010]

As with all vehicles you will get best fuel economy at low revs in your top gear - ie. driving steadily on a flat road at around 50-60 mph. If you only get 18 mpg in this situation something is wrong.

However, 18 mpg may be about right if you are doing some of the following, any of which will hammer your fuel consumption :

1) High speed on the motorway - the V6 will slip along at 70-80 mph before you even know what you are doing. However, with a roof height of 2.1 metres the air resistance has even more effect than in a car so your fuel consumption will go up rapidly. Take it easy and you will save a fortune!

2) Steep hills - fully loaded the Bongo is going to weigh about 2 metric tons which is a lot to push up a hill, and you will be using lower gears too. Not much I can suggest here apart from moving to East Anglia.

3) Stop-start round town - the same weight issue means you will use a lot more fuel to pull away at each junction. If you have a smaller car, consider using this for journeys round town.

Lots of weight reducing tips on the forum can marginally help with points 2 and 3. Otherwise price up the savings on an LPG conversion. It could well pay back at todays fuel prices!