Better MPG

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS OWNER AND FLEET OPERATORS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
1

Put this in the operators section as gathered operators would be more likely to keep eye on the fuel consumption .

Last week trip computer was showing average fuel consumption 7.6 and would like to in prove on this so any tips would be much appreciated , fuel was average over around 1800k and was running quite heavy all week with minimal empty running with mixture of motorways and A roads pulling curtainsiders with various loads with iveco 480, now I no the on board computers are never accurate and wont no exact figures till next week but looking for tips on inproving on this .

Always easy on the power getting Upton speed obliviously there is times you have to get your foot down to get out and onto motorways etc but as rule gradually build it up without pinning pedal to the floor and always off the gas nice and early keeping it in the green , truck is limited to 85k but is a bit out and actually goes between 49-50mph on gps so cruising on motorway is at the bottom end of the green so come hills this appears to be killing it come hill time unless drop it 1 gear while going up decent hills to keep it at the top of the green band to give it a fighting chance of maintaining the torque found at the top end of the green

looking for any tips on how to in prove on this
Many thanks

2

get the limiter upped to 90 k
that will help all of us, you included :bulb:

3

firstly, get the tacho calibration tested, 85kmh should be reading 53 on the sat nav

check the tyres for correct inflation

can you close the gap between truck and trailer?

4

Lots of things will help with fuel economy- but the biggest factor is the driver and their ability to anticipate , no other factor will affect your fuel economy more than that

5

shuttlespanker:
firstly, get the tacho calibration tested, 85kmh should be reading 53 on the sat nav

check the tyres for correct inflation

can you close the gap between truck and trailer?

Hanky spanky with his penny piching ways :laughing: new you would be one to put a post in which is much appreciated.

Pull various trailers so getting closer couple is not a option other wise with deep pin will be screwed has full air kit which is setup correct so is working to full potential .

I will mention about the tacho calibration as you say 85k should be 52/53mph but according to 2 different GPS devices 49/50 am happy at whatever speed but a true 85k would be nice , having spoken with one of the lads at work who tends to get good MPg and asked his advice also as when following him with less power and same load couldn’t even touch him on hills or straight but mentioned let speed build up slightly before the hill over 85k to aid not making the motor work as hard on the hills which I do not have the privilege of been able to do thought considering there getting the best Mpg over all the other drivers I would ask questions etc

As for tire inflation am unsure on how often they are checked but I will ask and always run with midlift up when it will

Am presuming the trip computer will be reading less mpg if calibration is out slightly ■■ As first week in the truck not sure how accurate the MPG on the trip computer is to pen and paper as most are out .

Thanks

6

psv8:
Last week trip computer was showing average fuel consumption 7.6 and would like to in prove on this so any tips would be much appreciated , fuel was average over around 1800k and was running quite heavy all week with minimal empty running with mixture of motorways and A roads pulling curtainsiders with various loads with iveco 480, now I no the on board computers are never accurate and wont no exact figures till next week but looking for tips on inproving on this .

If the trip computer is accurate (and it could be out either way) then I do identical work to what you’ve described and my fuel consumption figures are virtually identical to yours, 7.72 mpg on the last brim-to-brim check, 7.44 the one before.

I’ve tried running at different motorway speeds from 50 to 56 mph, it makes no difference whatsoever, I assume any decrease in aerodynamic drag in running slower is cancelled out by the engine running at a less efficient rpm.

As stated, anticipation will help to some degree, backing off the throttle before reaching the brow of a hill for example, but my personal opinion is that any significant change in my driving behaviour in order to get better fuel consumption would compromise the way I feel it is safest to drive, and in addition if I am loading somewhere on a £300 job which has a 17:00 cut-off time for loading, then there’s no point in saving £2 on DERV to get there five minutes late, when I could be tipping it at 08:00 the following morning instead of loading it then.

A bit like Pavlov’s dog, I’ve noticed that the more fuel I use, the more the truck earns so nowadays I try to use as much as possible. :wink:

7

Im always dubious when people say im getting 9 or 10 mpg. if they are im guessing they are running light on easy terrain.
Like Harry says running at full weight most of the time especaly on demanding terrain 7.5mpg isnt bad in real world consumption for that work.

8

It’s nearly all to do with weight, occasionally I’ll get a week where I do two two-tonne loads of potato crisps from Devon to Essex mixed in with the heavy work and on a week like that I’ll get 8.4 mpg or thereabouts, if I was doing potato crisps/ foam rubber/ cornflakes all week with nothing heavy then I’d be looking at 9.5 mpg, but for maximum weight work over difficult terrains then I’d say 7.5 mpg is as much as you can expect.

9

What about changing down through the gears at the bottom of a hill to approach it with 1800rpm ish as the op says, such as those slopes around west Ilsley on the A34, whats more fuel efficient, do that or let it die off and just keep going down through the gears?

10

Get the limiter set to 90 then you can poorly on the flat at 85 but speed up to 90 before hills.

11

Agree with being as fast as possible at the start of a hill, indeed when on tacho i would let the vehicle overspeed going downhill as every yard before going under power again was free, if a roller coaster road you could be half way up the next incline before resuming power, its up to you whether you let it overspeed.

Anticipation as said, roundabout or junction approaching let the thing coast, obviously this has to be balanced against maintaining normal progress.

Gearchanging, well i keep an eye on my fuel usage even though i’m an employed driver, invariably my best fuel consumptions have been with manual gearboxes or autos driven manually.

If the Iveco has the dreaded auto box from hell, then overriding the box at junctions/roundabouts especially to maintain smooth constant progess and control the revs will make a difference, though to be fair the ZF autobox box isn’t as responsive as the Scania with manual input.

My best fuel consumptions in recent years have been with Scania (driven in manual override), Merc Axor manual and Daf 460 manual, all of these happy to lug right down, Axor 430 especially good at low revved lugging between 800 and 1100 rpm.

As said above the driver makes a massive difference.

12

Rikki-UK:
Lots of things will help with fuel economy- but the biggest factor is the driver and their ability to anticipate , no other factor will affect your fuel economy more than that

100% true, driver is the key for good MPG

  1. Anticipate “i call it always have a good look into the future”,
  2. Use as litel brakes as possible and every time when you slowing down use engine break,
  3. do not drive in agresive style, alway be easy on the accelerator,
  4. correct tyre pressure, use manual gearbox mode,
    I was returnig about 9.5 MPG driving 07 Actros 460 for white merc firm i Kent :slight_smile:
13

sebrr:

Rikki-UK:
Lots of things will help with fuel economy- but the biggest factor is the driver and their ability to anticipate , no other factor will affect your fuel economy more than that

100% true, driver is the key for good MPG

  1. Anticipate “i call it always have a good look into the future”,
  2. Use as litel brakes as possible and every time when you slowing down use engine break,
  3. do not drive in agresive style, alway be easy on the accelerator,
  4. correct tyre pressure, use manual gearbox mode,
    I was returnig about 9.5 MPG driving 07 Actros 460 for white merc firm i Kent :slight_smile:

Figures like this do not really mean anything without knowing the sort of work being undertaken, I rather doubt 9.5 mpg could be achieved pulling 44t under any conditions. The other factors mentioned obviously do make a difference but weight and weather conditions are the killers for fuel economy.

14

Would idling time effect anything?

15

JoeG:
Would idling time effect anything?

Looking at the computer on my Scania it has done 370k in 5700hrs and 700hrs idling :open_mouth:

16

Get the curtains mega tight and tuck the straps in. I used to do the same run with the same load sometimes with a curtainside and other times with the same size box trailer. There was a massively noticeable improvment in fuel economy with the box trailer.

I reckon I am getting better on similar work in the same truck with the 430 engine. There might be an issue with the further limiting as I drive flat out at 56mph and maybe driving style. I use the exhaust brake stalk to take the speed off when coming to a junction and when it’s down to a crawl blip the throttle so it’s in the right gear to go. I also kickdown the throttle to drop a gear when I can see an incline where it looks like it’ll need it. You can get used to getting the gearbox to do what you want with your right foor without having to intervene in any other way really I find.

17

Harry Monk:
I’ve tried running at different motorway speeds from 50 to 56 mph, it makes no difference whatsoever, I assume any decrease in aerodynamic drag in running slower is cancelled out by the engine running at a less efficient rpm.

From what you say Harry, you should get your intercooler pressure tested, if there are any leaks, throw it in the skip and if it hasn’t been done recently get the valves set :bulb: If you’ve slowed down 6mph you should’ve seen a half mpg improvement, fuel use is pure physics and there are only four factors in it.

One. Aerodynamic drag, more speed, more drag, more fuel needed to vercome it. Less speed, less drag, less fuel needed.

Two. Rolling resistance, the more resistance from tyres and weight, the more fuel needed to overcome it.

Three. Mechanical resistance, friction in the moving parts of the lorry/trailer, from the engine to the wheel bearings, lower this, by using synthetic lubes for example and you’ll see a fuel saving. Wheel alignment can make a difference here too and it will also affect the rolling resistance to a degree too.

Four. Thermal efficiency, if your engine has a leaky intercooler, valves out of adjustment, poor airflow in and out (air filter or exhaust restriction) then the thermal efficiency of the engine will be compromised, so it pays to have everything in tip top condition.

If all of the above is in order, speed is the biggest factor in mpg as it affects all of the above, forget about sweet spots and all that, the sweet spot of an engine is only a sweet spot compared to the rest of the RPM range when the engine is under full load and if you’ve got the engine at full load all day long, well you ain’t going to be getting any kind of economy out of it :bulb:

Momentum is the key to getting the best mpg, anticipation and forward planning to ensure you keep rolling with the minimum of throttle input is how to reduce mpg. Treat the throttle pedal as if it is going to cut your feet and be very gentle with it. Only use cruise control on level roads and never use the resume function, it has only one goal and that is to bring the lorry up to its set speed asap, you can coax it up on the throttle in almost the same time and use less fuel. On an undulating road let momentum help you along, so what if it drops back a few mph before you crest the hill, you’ll be back up to speed for free on the other side. You’ll not only save fuel doing this, you’ll feel more relaxed and as you’re actually driving as opposed to attending the steering wheel, the time passes quicker too :wink:

However, all of this is secondary to the most important thing in improving mpg, that is to keep accurate records for each tank and work out daily/weekly/monthly averages, as soon as you start to do this your mpg will improve as you’ll try to beat your previous numbers, to the point where some will become obsessed with it :laughing:

18

JoeG:
Would idling time effect anything?

+1

19

JoeG:
Would idling time effect anything?

One of the economy gurus at Volvo told me that any idle time over 13% is classed as excessive. Obviously idling will affect fuel use as the engine is burning fuel to idle :exclamation:

20

psv8:
having spoken with one of the lads at work who tends to get good MPg

Pointless comparing with your work mate unless both tachos are accurate.

As an example, figures exaggerated.

You both do a 500 mile journey - your tacho is 10% under and records 450 mile

  • his tacho is 10% over and records 550 mile.

You both use 50 gallons, he shows 11mpg you only show 9.

Of course, when in the same truck week to week, you can still compare how changes to your driving style affect mpg.