merlin Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Try the higher grade fuel for a couple of tank fills. Monitor your MPG. That you'll see if the fuel is the problem or at least helps improve things. Just use a good brand like Shell or BP and leave off supermarket junk for a while. http://members.tripod.com/~miniwww/gasoline.htm#4.11 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Mattey Posted February 5, 2011 Author Share Posted February 5, 2011 Well i filled my tank up with Shell v power and so far ive done 63 miles and the petrol dial hasnt even moved, still on full so, so far so good. Will see how much it empties by towards the end of next week. Seem like its worth the extra pennies so far anyway but have to wait and see. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 You'll need to do a manual calculation after each fill up to be trully accurate. Dont trust the electronics too much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted February 5, 2011 Share Posted February 5, 2011 Just found this:- Supermarket petrol, is it really rubbish? - corax I only do short journeys, and lots of them too. It sounds like your engine could do with a clean. If you're only doing short journeys, the injectors will be dirty. Also, if the engine doesn't get to its full operating temperature and turned off, there will be condensation inside the engine which will make the oil more acidic and less able to do its job, it will also get dirty more quickly as the combustion by- products won't have had time to burn off. Its much better to give a car some long runs, or if you're unable to do that, change the oil more regularly. A have a car mechanics magazine that ran an article on BP Ultimate. I can't remember who it was, but they set up an Audi engine to run 1000 miles on one bank of cylinders on normal fuel, and the other half on BP Ultimate. Well, if the pictures were accurate, the difference was amazing. The side on BP Ultimate was spotless, it looked like the inside of a new engine, and the other halves intake valves were covered in deposits, and this is only after 1000 miles. The report might be on the web somewhere http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=81534#m948880 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Mattey Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 Yeah well ill calculate once ive done each fill up and see if any improvements. My journeys are 13 miles, wouldnt call them short but a decent trip. I do that there and back to work 6 times a week. I dont really use the car for much else apart from odd trip to the shops and will be doing a few hundred when i go to Wales now and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grin factor Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 I did read about BP ultimate a while ago, and it recommended using it every other tank full to keep the engine clean. Makes sense after what merlin wrote. Did an economy run yesterday, well driving like a !Removed!, no more than 60, gentle throtle etc, and computer said 51.3. I know they can be way out, but it pleased me a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 As you only driving 13 miles to work that may explain your poor mpg. It takes 10 minutes for youe engine your oil and your cat to reach operating temperature, only after that will good mpg be achieved and then in good driving conditions. How long does it take to do the 13 miles? The books may quote xx for urban and xx for extra urban but do any of you know how these figures are reached? Not on the road in winter for sure. But inside a lab at 20 degrees at least!! You need to give your car a good burn on a motorway or main road to clear her lungs out now and then if all your doing is stop/start short trips. Fuel Saving Tips - IntroductionBefore we look at some energy saving tips to increase fuel efficiency and get better fuel economy on your driving each day and everyday, here is a question:- Do you know what your cars fuel consumption is? The car manufacturers provide some test figures for new cars when they go on sale. You can find yours on www.vcacarfueldata.org.uk and they quote these figures: Urban fuel consumption (mpg) (cold) defined as: The urban test cycle is carried out in a laboratory at an ambient temperature of 20oC to 30oC on a rolling road from a cold start, i.e. the engine has not run for several hours. The cycle consists of a series of accelerations, steady speeds, decelerations and idling. Maximum speed is 31mph (50 km/h), average speed 12 mph (19 km/h) and the distance covered is 2.5 miles (4 km). Extra-urban fuel consumption (mpg) defined as: The extra-urban cycle is conducted immediately following the urban cycle and consists roughly half steady-speed driving and the remainder accelerations, decelerations and some idling. Maximum speed is 75mph (120 km/h), average speed is 39mph (63 km/h) and the distance covered is 4.3 miles (7 km). Combined fuel consumption (mpg) defined as: The combined figure presented is for the urban and the extra-urban cycle together. It is therefore an average of the two other parts of the fuel consumption test, Urban and Extra-urban cycles, weighted by the distance covered in each part. The chances of us ever getting official figures look bleak. http://www.savefuelsavemoney.co.uk/carsaveintro.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Mattey Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 To do the 13 mile trip it probably takes me 20 mins roughly if traffic is quiet which it usually is at the time i go to work. Well off a full tank so far with just over half a tank left ive done 183 miles. I cant really compare this to my normal week though as my nan was in hospital and had to do a few stop start trips. But hopefully if the other half of the tank is the same then ill reach 360-400 without the stop start trips as dont need to go to the hospital now shes out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted February 14, 2011 Share Posted February 14, 2011 how's it been since last Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Mattey Posted February 14, 2011 Author Share Posted February 14, 2011 Well ive not filled up since, got 320 miles so far and the petrol warning light has just come on. So far so good its been a lot better even done quite a few stop start journeys to vets and hospitals. I dont think can really complain, ill probably get 340 miles before it really starts getting empty. Its probably only about 35-40mpg roughly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
merlin Posted February 15, 2011 Share Posted February 15, 2011 Personally I'd fill up now. You should never allow engine to be starved of fuel and the emptier it gets you start using the dregs at bottom of your tank and if you have any contaminates in, thats where they'll be. Good to see some improvement tho. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Mattey Posted February 15, 2011 Author Share Posted February 15, 2011 Yeah i filled it up last night, trying normal fuel to see if any difference from the Shell. I know meant to use a couple of tanks of each fuel but i should still be able to notice a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hen Pecked Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Love this topic. IMHO I think that most Fiesta owners are too embarrassed to admit that they have chosen a car with lousy MPG performance and exaggerate to hide their embarrassment.. I have had my 1.4 automatic titanium for 4,700 miles from new now...Wifes choice. We are still touring in Europe at speeds not exceeding 50MPG, using feather light touch on accelerator and very little braking, relying on road conditions and use of manual part of gearbox to slow the car down. Tyres are all checked daily and the car only has two people in and very little luggage. Average speed on tour is 27 MPH and average MPG against petrol purchased is a miserable 37 MPG. Most driving is over 100 mile distances and on smooth, easy roads. Sorry, but if you want a good MPG car then buy a Volkswagen. If you want an average about town and country car that is easy to drive and cheap to maintain, buy a Fiesta. I have come to like most of it but economically, a definite NO. Swings and roundabouts but definitely lousy MPG. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caveman Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 I have had my Zetec s for a month now done around 1400 miles in it. Before I had a R reg BMW 316i compact the 1.6L version, used to cost around £65 quid to fill up and would get around 340 miles per tank. The fiesta gets me around 360 miles per tank and in theory would cost me £53 to fill up but its never that much. So for me its a no brainer, im saving £12 everytime i fill up and get an extra 20 miles aswell. On the dash it states 40MPG which is there or there abouts. My car has got 20000 miles on it so well run in, and I dont always drive it eco friendly shall we say. I personally think its good economy for a 1.6 petrol engine and I am sure if I drove it like miss daisy I would achieve even better than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
routy22 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Well i admit i didnt really look at second hand cars but when i searched for insurance, the 1.25 studio was the only one i could relistically afford, if i got a zetec or even edge the insurance shot up loads because of the extras they have. Still would of been expensive on a second hand zetec for example. Im nearly 21 not 17 by the way and its my first years insurance, had a car before though but only had that 8 months or so. Insurane is stupid, i bought a second hand 1.6 titanium model, with 8000 on the clock, now it should be a bomb to iinsure, but it was the cheapest for me to insure at 1400 a year compared to the base 1.25 at 3 grand! insurance are wierd, and im only 20, was 19 when i got the quotes, and i valued the car at 10 grand Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan9684 Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Love this topic. IMHO I think that most Fiesta owners are too embarrassed to admit that they have chosen a car with lousy MPG performance and exaggerate to hide their embarrassment.. I have had my 1.4 automatic titanium for 4,700 miles from new now...Wifes choice. We are still touring in Europe at speeds not exceeding 50MPG, using feather light touch on accelerator and very little braking, relying on road conditions and use of manual part of gearbox to slow the car down. Tyres are all checked daily and the car only has two people in and very little luggage. Average speed on tour is 27 MPH and average MPG against petrol purchased is a miserable 37 MPG. Most driving is over 100 mile distances and on smooth, easy roads. Sorry, but if you want a good MPG car then buy a Volkswagen. If you want an average about town and country car that is easy to drive and cheap to maintain, buy a Fiesta. I have come to like most of it but economically, a definite NO. Swings and roundabouts but definitely lousy MPG. #I agree, if you can't get good MPG nobody can so they must be lying or making it up to save themselves from embarrassment 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndrewL Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 Swings and roundabouts but definitely lousy MPG. If I had to write a list of appropriate cars for touring around Europe, a small displacement, petrol powered automatic supermini would be nowhere near it. Especially with the archaic, power sapping auto box that the fiesta has. Had you bought a three year old BMW 320d, Passat or similar you'd have no such problems - but surely you know what you were getting yourself in for when you bought the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithC Posted February 17, 2011 Share Posted February 17, 2011 If I had to write a list of appropriate cars for touring around Europe, a small displacement, petrol powered automatic supermini would be nowhere near it. Especially with the archaic, power sapping auto box that the fiesta has. Had you bought a three year old BMW 320d, Passat or similar you'd have no such problems - but surely you know what you were getting yourself in for when you bought the car? I think you're over estimating someone's intelligence on the subject there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stephenrhys1955 Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 I have a spreadsheet going to check my MPG The formula to calculate is is Miles devided by liters times 4.54609. Just copy and paste to a new row and alter the data for each fill. I've kept it going since the car was new and find it useful to print out for the service manager of my ford dealer. Proves the average consumption which they can't dispute. The last time it went in they did an upgrade to some software, they said it was for 'drivability but it might give me more MPG' I've noticed that the car is smoother when you drive slowly in a high gear, before if you went slow you had an awful judder which seems to have disappeared now. As to the MPG, I've not done a fill since the upgrade. Is there any truth in this supermarket fuel is rubbish thread? anyone seen any evidence published? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Mattey Posted February 19, 2011 Author Share Posted February 19, 2011 Thats interesting never thought of that, if a software upgrade has improved how a car drives then it shows how much modern cars are relying on computers and not the actual engines. Well i used Shell v power on my last fill up and got 330 miles. I filled up on tuesday with normal tesco fuel and can tell the difference without even making any calculations, the tesco fuel is no where near going as far as the Shell v power. Will be filling up with Shell or bp from now on, whichever im closest to depending on location in the country. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNath Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Here's my stats after 11,000miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grin factor Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 The ad for Shell v power claims more mpg, but I've only used it on odd occasion so can't comment. I have used BP ultimate in my motor bike and not moticed any difference, but only "topped up" the car, so again can't comment. I always fill up at Morrisons, mainly because of price, but did you an economy run and the trip showed 51.1. That was very light throttle, changing up early and no more than 60mph Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nay ZS Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 Love this topic. IMHO I think that most Fiesta owners are too embarrassed to admit that they have chosen a car with lousy MPG performance and exaggerate to hide their embarrassment.. I have had my 1.4 automatic titanium for 4,700 miles from new now...Wifes choice. We are still touring in Europe at speeds not exceeding 50MPG, using feather light touch on accelerator and very little braking, relying on road conditions and use of manual part of gearbox to slow the car down. Tyres are all checked daily and the car only has two people in and very little luggage. Average speed on tour is 27 MPH and average MPG against petrol purchased is a miserable 37 MPG. Most driving is over 100 mile distances and on smooth, easy roads. Sorry, but if you want a good MPG car then buy a Volkswagen. If you want an average about town and country car that is easy to drive and cheap to maintain, buy a Fiesta. I have come to like most of it but economically, a definite NO. Swings and roundabouts but definitely lousy MPG. You are kidding right. I find your comments quite funny. The 1.6 petrol is much more frugal than your 1.4 auto. I can happily sit in 5th gear at just under 30 mph. As for my driving style. A mix of town traffic, motorway and country roads. My average speed is 28 mph, over the miles I covered since I got the car a year ago. Going on to motorways I really do boot it hard if safe, using all the revs in 1st and 2nd. For reference the Zetec S does 60 in second !! I normally cruise at about 75 - 80 ish. Driving up the steep Derbyshire hills again I like the boot it hard and feel the goodness of the 1.6 ! My long term average is 40 mpg without having to hypermile it like you do. My old 1.6 clio with less power and much higher Co2 output had a long term average of 33 mpg and never higher than 41 mpg on a long run. Due to the fact my area is sooo hilly including nearby motorways I save my fuel on the downhill sections after booting it up them. I have been on many a country dash through the Peak District and had just over 50 mpg on the readout over 30 - 50 miles of road. Yes I am aware that the computer isn't 100 % put when I work it out properly its only about 1 or 2 mpg out at most ! As other members state, its no brainer that a 1.4 auto in a Fiesta, combined with the driving your doing is going to be poor. The 1.6 Ti-VCT is a great engine because you don't have to work it hard in day to day driving and 40 mpg is acheivable without driving it like granny. I find the mpg figures even more impressive considering how high the engine is revving on the motorway. 45 - 50 mpg on the motorway driving it at 70 and being smooth is also very easy to do im my car. I can't help but feel because you are a little bitter you are trying to make the rest of us feel bad by questioning our better figures.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparticus5 Posted February 19, 2011 Share Posted February 19, 2011 The ad for shell v power claims more mpg Err no it doesn't, or it'd fall foul of advertising standards. Whenever making these claims you'll see a little asterisk beside it and when you read their conditions, Shell immediately backtrack on their claim. In reality it's a non-statement, it's entirely meaningless. It's no different to buying Persil Automatic because it gets your clothes whiter then white. Brilliant advertising but it actually means bugger all. They could in fact have said Our new fuel will use 1L more per 50L of our old stuff* - and they'd still be right. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan9684 Posted February 20, 2011 Share Posted February 20, 2011 bp ultimate claims to be able to take you upto 28 more miles per tank full. so in other words better mpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Ford UK Shop
Sponsored Ad
Name: eBay
Ford Model: FordUK Shop
Ford Year: 2024
Latest Deals
Ford UK Shop for genuine Ford parts & accessoriesDisclaimer: As the club is an eBay Partner, The club may be compensated if you make a purchase via the club
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.