Why the obsession with fuel economy?

[Swannie]

O.k I have the flame suit on, I thought I would start measuring the fuel on the 80 etc but TBH I can't be bothered worrying about it. It gets to a 1/4 of a tank and I fill it at a servo I pass.

Why is it that no matter where you look on the web everyone brags about their fuel economy numbers? or am I missing something? I'm not having a go at anyone but just struggling to understand why people are obsessed with it. I really did try and get interested but can't

Swannie

[D4D]

I have never cared but now that I am paying for my own fuel I do. I'm not precious about it but I like to know how the old girl is doing.

[aussieducker]

Hi Swannie. Yes fuel economy is what it is but i measure mine to help me keep check on the vehicle. It helps me to work out my range when traveling, helps to give early warning of any developing faults or problems leaks etc.

[edz]

In my case the old plugger was using heaps of juice, so being the tight bum I am and only let some other clown work on my gear if I realy have too ... I needed to see what sort of K's per liter on the black top and sand and K's per tank on average,  it was getting after I'd fixed it ..
Other than that I reckon people are just watching how they spend their hard earned cash ..

[Mallory Black]

sometimes a car can sound right and run right but still be out of tune and chew heaps so it pays to check from time to time

[Coolblue80]

Fuel economy &petrol 80 series cruisers are mutually exclusive terms. Mine is full when it's full and empty when it's not.  Anywhere in between are good times.  I checked it once, whilst towing, and it hit 25l/100 k. Scary stuff.  Never checked again.
Cheers, Mike.

[knoath]

The less I spend on diesel = more I spend on accessories... or beer, but mainly beer!
And I get great fuel economy swannie!!!

[BigJules]

I agree, there is a ridiculous focus on fuel economy, especially amongst the technically challenged, when considering new vehicles. Fuel is one of the least expensive aspects of owning a vehicle, and differences some people are talking about wouldn't buy you a latte in a big city.

I have alway tracked my fuel consumption, as an indicator of vehicular health, like several above.

That said, I wouldn't mind a vehicle that used less fuel than my V8 100 

[chester ver2.0]

Im kind of like D4D with it i keep a passing eye more to see if the performance of the vehicle has redically changed.

I probably pay a little more attention to it now i only have 76l tank going from 180l and i am more interested in range than economy

[paceman]

i think it's interesting to get a gauge on how your vehicle compares, as others have said, because their might be an issue that you would otherwise not be aware of...

of course, if you are going to act like an ar$e about it, well then that's a different story...

[tourin n fishin]

It would seem to me that in the new car world manufacturers have created a new measure of exclusivity and snobbery. Often the statement 'my car uses x l/100km' seems to be used in wider conversation as a one upmanship statement to indicate that the speaker can afford the latest technology. Of course in the instance of forums with a technical side such as this it is a case of monitoring vehicle condition.

Just my observation anyway

[weeds]

LOL....mine doesn't burn more than 14's. I did do the sums when I first brought the rig but don't bother anymore

there should be a couple of other threads

price of fuel........I just pull up at the next servo and never check the price

camper/campsite set up time........it the pack up time that's the killer, set up can take hours or days depending on how long you stay. everybody seems to state how quick but to date I only ever see guys cruise along with set up, do a bit grab a beer, do a bit more, have a kick of the footy etc etc

awning set up time.....I only set my awning up when i'm on the beach for the whole. so what if I take double of the time as the guy next to me, i'm sure that 5 min will be forgotten after i'm kicking back, goin for a swim, paddle etc

[xcvator]

I don't worry too much over day to day driving, but on long trips that extra klm/lt can add up quite a bit  I've found if I sit at or about 90 kph I get about an extra 1.5/2 klm/lt more than if I sit on 100 kph. Not a lot, but if you're on a trip around the country that would add up to a tidy amount  Maybe even a bottle of scotch or 3 

[Jakster1]

The less I spend on diesel = more I spend on accessories... or beer, but mainly beer!
And I get great fuel economy swannie!!!

This^^

Except the more I mod the patrol the worse the fuel economy gets but I can deal with that.  that is why we have a corolla that runs on the smell of an oily rag.

[duggie]

In my case , more power means more fuel. I am happy with what the Old Girl gives me in fuel burn and the only time that I worry about economy is when the tank is showing MT and I still have 10 km to the next servo.

[JD-120]

a major factor in me selling my 96 pathfinder was due to its fuel consumption. 350km / 70ltr tank. I could just not afford to do lengthy road trip with consumption like that (say 4000k's as I did last sept school hols) . For my situation, fuel consumption will always be a consideration with a vehicle purchase. Not the over-riding factor, but a consideration

[cm4x4nut]

For me, I like numbers and calculating things.

In my profesional life I have always been measured against KPI's and this tends to rub off on the personal life, so I tend to track useless things.

I am also happy to admit I have a bit of a competative streak, so I like track things to see how I compare "with the rest of the world"..........and then I like to beat my personal bests. Not just in fuel economy, but other things like how long it takes to mow the lawn, how long it takes to setup and pull down the camper, even to the extent of how long it takes to empty the dish washer.........do I have ocd (is that capitals or little letters) OCD?     lol

Ultimately it does not matter in the big scheme of things, but I do like to keep track of it.

[Malcolm Tugless]

The Subaru Forester has one of them new fangled fuel computer gizmos sitting on the shelf under the front window, near the round steering thing, just above the gear making lever.  It shows how much diesel the donk drinks whilst running. Its interesting viewing, but not what one would call life threatening information.

For those who'd like to know, she consumes under 5lt to the 100km's on the highway, averaging in the vicinity of 5.6 under standard city driving conditions. With the Swift in tow, a miserly sub 9 along the black stuff and a tad more over unsealed terrain, but you'd have to try really really hard to get it over 12. I think its actually a camel.

I'm not that concerned about fuel consumption (for obvious reasons), mind you if I had a fuel guzzler I'd probably be more conscientious.

[MattNQ]

I don't measure mine round town as it's scary.
Long distance I like to know when I'll need to get the missus to push so I take more interest and keep better track.

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[muzza01]

I know what you mean Swannie. I don't check my economy very often but I do always reset the trip meter when I fuel up. As others have said, it shows if something ain't quite right.

[Aaron Schubert]

I think fuel economy is extremely important, and pay careful attention to it, like I do with everything that costs money.

When the average person spends in between $2500 - $6000 a year in fuel, I think its something worth looking into. No need to get obsessed, and after all most of us drive big bricks, but it does pay to consider it (literally!)

Aaron

[jr]

Ive owned 5 patrols, a few hiluxes, 4 subarus and others, all used for work doing similar job. They all use about the same fuel. Staring to think Im the problem.
I know I could save fuel by slowing down to 90kmh, one day Ill try it.

Resale and depreciation are the biggest costs and the one most ignore or kid themselves about.

[oldmate]

I don't worry too much over day to day driving, but on long trips that extra klm/lt can add up quite a bit  I've found if I sit at or about 90 kph I get about an extra 1.5/2 klm/lt more than if I sit on 100 kph. Not a lot, but if you're on a trip around the country that would add up to a tidy amount  Maybe even a bottle of scotch or 3 

And if you combine the 90kph with doing your lap of aus anti clockwise then you will save even more 

[Bunyip]

I am mechanically challenged but realise that if my fuel economy starts to dive it is time to book in for a service (serviced regulaly in any case) or at least mention it the the mechanic at the next service.

SWMBO doesn't care and NEVER remembers to keep receipts/odo from fills so no point in trying to do it on the Cruiser. I do it on the Laser. Also a personal challenge to see how low I can get the economy on my trip to work (need somethig to amuse me).

Bunyip

[chisel]

My 2c
For a typical user of a late model vehicle, fuel cost is a small fraction of total annual car costs.  The difference between 1 car and another is an even smaller fraction.

eg.
Doing 15000km/yr at 12L/100km
Fuel cost ($1.60/L) = $2880
$40k car
Other costs:
Depreciation $5k/yr (could be more, could be less)
Lost interest $1000/yr (ie. you should have that money in the mortgage, not in a vehicle ... of course this is a bit of a difficult one as most families do really *need* a car of some sort - but the *extra* car for camping etc, well you really need to include the $1000 here)
Insurance and Rego $1500/yr
Servicing and other typical maintanence (eg. new tyres)  $1000/yr (could be more or less than this)

So total "other" costs of over $8000 per year, fuel is therefore about 25% of the total car costs.

Having said that, in the modern "green" world the amount of carbon you use seems to be a big deal for many people so reducing that is as big a factor in fuel economy as reducing cost is.