D40 Fuel Economy

[KraftyPg]

I haven't done all my figures yet but the trip from Vic to WA using SG figures has told me several stages were in the low 9's, one going into the high 8's and the highest was 11.2 during one of the hilliest sections.

 

[Bosshog]

I'll be sure to post my fuel 'extravagance' when I tow the camper trailer to Ados and back.

 

[KraftyPg]

Thankfully I wasn't towing this trip but I reckon with all the **** in the back I'd have been pushing the load limits. Seems like my ute runs better in the afternoon than it does in the morning, but that probably has more to do with terrain and weather than am and pm.

 

[joe2006]

Towing from Mildura to Broken Hill today, my consumption was 24lt per 100ks.

I would like to know what the record is but this figure is is disgusting.

Admittedly there was a fair bit of wind & it hardly ever got into overdrive but I was only travelling between 75 to 90kph.

Imagine if I went faster!

 

[Rich64]

Towing from Mildura to Broken Hill today, my consumption was 24lt per 100ks.

I would like to know what the record is but this figure is is disgusting.

Admittedly there was a fair bit of wind & it hardly ever got into overdrive but I was only travelling between 75 to 90kph.

Imagine if I went faster!

I can't imagine how you got a figure that bad, I tow a caravan which is plated at 2800kg gross and I average about 18 l/100 the worst I've seen is 21l/100, my nav is an auto and I sit on 100 kph on the speedo, 93 actual.. Compared to my old dual fuel GU Patrol this economy is amazing..

 

[Martin'sD40]

Man
Auto
How many K's have you got on it
Tyre size/Pressures
Lift
Exhaust

They all make a difference in economy
My 105 series LC TD / LPG gets 11L/100k just about every where with power to spare , My D40 Man 150k's with LPG also gets figures below 8 and 12/14 when towing heavy lodes

You could try to fit a boost control valve to hold the boost for longer to give you better power in return

Good luck with it , dont bother heading off to Nissan as you will only get told get used to it

Cheers Marty

 

[Old.Tony]

Towing from Mildura to Broken Hill today, my consumption was 24lt per 100ks.

I would like to know what the record is but this figure is is disgusting.

Admittedly there was a fair bit of wind & it hardly ever got into overdrive but I was only travelling between 75 to 90kph.

Imagine if I went faster!

Joe, I can't find what you're towing so I'm going to assume my memory of about 2.5T is correct.

To be honest I'm not surprised you got 24LPHK at those speeds. If you'd put your foot down a little harder and kept the vehicle over 90km/h you should have been able to keep the TCC locked a little better, although a headwind would have eaten into the gains too.

We had a miserable time east of Wilcannia (don't buy fuel in Wilcannia, make sure you've got enough to get to Cobar!). Similar thing, but I'm fairly sure the Shell in Wilcannia wasn't selling 100% diesel.

As already pointed out, tyre pressures could play into it. All of them - van included. I'm considering getting one of those remote tyre pressure sender things for my caravan - and perhaps the car too.

You might try checking the air cleaner, make sure nothing's flown into the snorkel etc (yes, it's happened).

Here's hoping the rest of your trip is a bit more economical!

 

[joe2006]

Well....D40 auto. 10,000 ks on clock, no lift, no exhaust, no snorkel, tyres stock 40psi, van 45psi. Previous tank was 19l/100 ks.

Best I have had is 17l/100 ks when the car only had about 2000ks on the clock but that was only a relatively short trip. I think I would be quite happy with a figure around 17 or 18.

It is still early days & the b@$tard still has time to redeem itself. It was bought primarily to to tow the van as the other vehicle only has a 2.5t towing capacity.

Caravan length is about 21.5 foot, Tare is 2220kg & whilst the ATM is over 3t, there is no way it would be loaded near that. Still 190kg for water, food. clothes & the old ladies grog sarcastic....

Anyway if this is what the future holds, I will end up draining the water tanks (leaving one half full) & go back to using the other vehicle for towing duties.

Not really the right topic to post a picture but as the saying goes...

 

[Old.Tony]

I don't think it's going to remain like that. With just 10,000km on the clock your diesel is still tight, and quite possibly still on the rich "new engine" fuel mapping - reset the ECU to force the factory default mapping which is leaner.

It's a nice van. I think we stopped at that same rest area, and don't worry about attaching pictures I don't think anyone minds!

 

[joe2006]

Thats freaky, it does look like the same rest area.

Looking at the date on your photo, maybe the same blowies still living in the long drop toilet.

Driving solo I am normally quite happy with the economy, usually in the 10's

Thanks

 

[WoodyD40]

For my trip to ADOS I will be towing a fully laden camper trailer (expect it'll go over 1 ton) and i reckon the Navara will be fully loaded to (so should go about 3 ton). i will be backing off on the right foot and trying to drive it to the scanguage - aiming to keep the L/100 below 14L. So that means i'll be driving between 90 to 95 km/hr for most of the trip to ADOS.

if i manage to do that, i'll be taking the camper trailer with me to Alice Springs in Dec/Jan - If i cant get decent economy, i'll put the roof top tent back on and leave the trailer behind for the Alice Springs Trip.

 

[Old.Tony]

Just on the economy-over-distance thing ...

Melbourne to Alice is about 2300km (give or take a few). At 14LPHK you'll use 322 litres of diesel.

If your consumption rate was 16LPHK you'll use 368 litres - about half a tank more over the one-way trip, or one full tank over the entire trip.

So the question is: would hauling the camper trailer be worth the extra $100 spent over the entire trip?

 

[WoodyD40]

It will save $120 per night whilst in Alice Springs on accomodation Tony ... thats why ADOS for me is a great test run to see what mileage i can get by trying to drive with some ecconomy.

The last trip i did with the trailer over a large distance was to/from Sydney - and i seem to remember that i got about the 17L/100 - and i just drove at 100 and 110 most of the way. I'm sure i can get at least 3L/100 better by backing off a bit.

 

[WoodyD40]

and i have a 144 litre tank Tony ... so i'm hoping to get at least 900km to 1000km between fuel stops.

I recon i can get from Woomera to Alice Springs on a Tank of Deisel and 4 jerry cans.

 

[Old.Tony]

Sounds like it's worth taking the camper then, even at 17LPHK you're only using an extra 69 litres of diesel one way - 138 litres x 160cpl = about $220 extra give or take variations in fuel cost.

Don't stop to help people around Marla. Just pull into the Shell servo and let 'em know then move on, they'll send out a recovery crew (which is usually just someone to go tell them to stop scamming people for booze).

 

[KraftyPg]

I'm loving this Perth traffic, driving around the burbs to different places according to SG my ute has only gone over 10LPh once and that was yesterday when I got stuck behind some trucks at a heap of lights and even then the trip recorded only 10.3.

Think for these kinds of trips I'm happy driving at 97kph, towing nothing and staying at the motels along the way when I can keep the economy at or below 10's. I would consider a long range tank to make it a bit easier but it would take quite a number of trips for me to recoup the $1000+ it costs to install one, so for me I think I'll just keep on keeping on, one day I might buy a jerry can or two but I can't see that happening any time soon.

 

[Old.Tony]

On the flip side, you're paying for the convenience of not having to stop and fill up, and being able to go the extra distance - which may mean the difference between going to a place, or not.

 

[KraftyPg]

For the trips I do it makes no difference.

Given the majority of my long trips (i.e. more than a tank full) are across the Nullarbor even at the 20-30cpl extra that they charge at Border Village going by my calculations it was going to take way to long to recoup the costs to make a long ranger viable. Even Jerry can's although they cost less would take a few years to recoup the cost of if I wanted to ensure 80 litres of "cheaper" fuel in reserve to get between major towns.

To me it's just not worth it. I know I can get a minimum 800ks out of a tank and that means 1 stop between Ceduna and Norseman and at worst there are other stops if I desperately need fuel. Anywhere else I travel I reckon I'd be lucky to be an hour away from a servo and it still takes a lot to make up $1000+ in savings for a few trips that may need higher priced fuel

 

[WoodyD40]

And by having the long range tank, you get to choose which towns to stop at and which to not stop at for fuel which again can save you money per litre on your fill ups.

if i'm on a longer trip, i try to avoid the one pub towns - i have found in the past that the fuel will be dearer at those kind of towns. If i can make it to the bigger 'truck stops', generally you get a better price on fuel.

 

[Old.Tony]

Not only a better price, but you'll probably find that the quality of fuel is better at the larger stops (generally speaking). Of course, I'd never have bought fuel at Kings Creek Station if I had a LR tank, and would never have found out how good it was (not all small stations are bad).

Of course, being able to buy fuel at $1.40 per litre and miss out on the $2.10 per litre does make a difference. It'd also make a difference on the CSR, where fuel prices for the drop are extraordinary.