Tuning for economy
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From: John on 20 Mar 2010 07:50 My wife has a Daewoo Kalos (04) (alright - don't laugh). I feel it isn't as economical as it should be but I don't want to throw money at a garage if there is nothing that can be done. Does anyone know if a garage would be able to improve it? (over and above changing the air filter, etc) Can anything on the fuel injection system be checked and adjusted?
From: Adrian on 20 Mar 2010 08:05 "John" <Who90nospam(a)ntlworld.com> gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying: > Does anyone know if a garage would be able to improve it? (over and > above changing the air filter, etc) Very unlikely. > Can anything on the fuel injection system be checked and adjusted? If the mixture was not right - either way - it'd fail the MOT. Most likely cause - assuming tyre pressures etc are all correct - is that she's just not driving economically. Is she doing mainly short journeys from cold, urban mileage? If so, then it's no wonder it drinks.
From: Chris Whelan on 20 Mar 2010 08:07 On Sat, 20 Mar 2010 11:50:35 +0000, John wrote: > My wife has a Daewoo Kalos (04) (alright - don't laugh). > > I feel it isn't as economical as it should be but I don't want to throw > money at a garage if there is nothing that can be done. Get some actual consumption figures; fill the tank, zero the trip, use it until it's nearly empty, then re-fill it ideally at the same pump. Use the data you have to actually know what mileage it's getting. > Does anyone know if a garage would be able to improve it? (over and > above changing the air filter, etc) Can anything on the fuel injection > system be checked and adjusted? No. If its service history is unknown, you need to get that done first. Dirty air filter, worn out plugs, binding brakes, under-inflated tyres, slipping clutch, even tracking way out, will all contribute to poor consumption. Of course, the biggest waster of fuel is always the driver! Chris -- Remove prejudice to reply.
From: Mrcheerful on 20 Mar 2010 08:09 John wrote: > My wife has a Daewoo Kalos (04) (alright - don't laugh). > > I feel it isn't as economical as it should be but I don't want to > throw money at a garage if there is nothing that can be done. > > Does anyone know if a garage would be able to improve it? (over and > above changing the air filter, etc) Can anything on the fuel > injection system be checked and adjusted? that is the problem, cheap cars using outdated designs will be unlikely to be as economical as something bang up to date and more expensive to buy. What you save by buying the sort of car you have may be (will be) outweighed by its lack of economy and rapid depreciation. Almost nothing (in practical terms) is adjustable in the way of ignition and mixture on modern cars. I would expect something like that to do somewhere between 30 and 35 mpg for reasonable length journeys As to whether it is uneconomical, mostly that will be down to the way it is driven and maintained: engine wise: oil and plugs are the most critical, the engine management will accomodate a dirty air filter for a long time. Good quality tyres that are correctly inflated are a good way to improve economy, but driving habits and journey type and length will probably outweigh everything else.
From: Conor on 20 Mar 2010 09:32
On 20/03/2010 11:50, John wrote: > My wife has a Daewoo Kalos (04) (alright - don't laugh). > > I feel it isn't as economical as it should be but I don't want to throw > money at a garage if there is nothing that can be done. > > Does anyone know if a garage would be able to improve it? (over and above > changing the air filter, etc) Can anything on the fuel injection system be > checked and adjusted? > No. It needs to go to a place dedicated to doing remapping. A far better bet would be to service it as required, make sure tyres are at the correct pressure on a weekly basis, take all the shite out of the boot and PUT YOU AND YOUR WIFE THROUGH A DEFENSIVE AND ECONOMICAL DRIVING COURSE. -- Conor I'm not prejudiced. I hate everyone equally. |