superstitious methods to keep car going when running out of

A global place for general discussion (Volvo, V3M or non-Volvo related topics).
Please introduce yourself here, your Volvo 300 hobby...
NO technical support, parts requests or car advertisements here
Post Reply
CBA
Posts: 1071
Joined: 24 Mar 2010 02:14 am

superstitious methods to keep car going when running out of

Post by CBA » 24 Jan 2011 08:30 pm

With the price of fuel ever increasing you find yourself in this situation more and more often. so far these i'm sure have worked-

praying.

making sign of the cross repeatedly at an incredible rate (good one that).

clenching buttcheeks while grimacing full-force.

promising the car valet/servicing if it gets to station under its own power. Got any really crazy methods?

User avatar
Speedy88
Posts: 4057
Joined: 04 May 2009 11:52 pm
Location: Bristol

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by Speedy88 » 24 Jan 2011 09:12 pm

Go faster. Surely if you go faster you'll reach the petrol station sooner, therefore not running out of fuel? :mrgreen:
'88 340 Williams (Sold)
'85 360 GLS - Drift project (Sold)
'77 Colt Sigma
'96 940 Drift project

MCHUDD
*** V3M DONOR ***
Posts: 2537
Joined: 18 May 2006 03:43 pm
Location: BELFAST UNITED KINGDOM

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by MCHUDD » 24 Jan 2011 09:28 pm

Hi all.
I remember in my first 360, running out of petrol on a country road in the middle of nowhere.
I walked into a farm yard and the b**t**d charged me a fiver for a small drop. sm2
That was years ago but i have not forgotten :lol:
Cheers Mark. sm4

Evoman
Posts: 1688
Joined: 15 Sep 2010 10:47 pm
Location: Mid Wales

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by Evoman » 26 Jan 2011 11:36 pm

haha, ive just been thinking about the feul consumption, mine did 20mpg, im not driving every eco though
Image

volvosneverdie
*** V3M DONOR ***
Posts: 9143
Joined: 11 Nov 2008 04:22 pm
Location: Newcastle Upon Toon

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by volvosneverdie » 26 Jan 2011 11:40 pm

Evoman wrote:haha, ive just been thinking about the feul consumption, mine did 20mpg, im not driving every eco though
Non-eco=fun.

Might as well ahve fun fella, its never gonna be MEGA-ecconomical.
Image

Evoman
Posts: 1688
Joined: 15 Sep 2010 10:47 pm
Location: Mid Wales

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by Evoman » 26 Jan 2011 11:43 pm

any idea what it could go to? the manual says 47, i dont think thats going to happen lol!
Image

volvosneverdie
*** V3M DONOR ***
Posts: 9143
Joined: 11 Nov 2008 04:22 pm
Location: Newcastle Upon Toon

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by volvosneverdie » 26 Jan 2011 11:50 pm

Evoman wrote:any idea what it could go to? the manual says 47, i dont think thats going to happen lol!
If youre super carefull, the best I got in injection was about 32.
Chris_C did a "how 2" on how to service the inj system.Do your serice parts and shift at 2.5k for the eco-win.
Check your tyre pressures as well. The correct pressures are on the drivers door shut...

A bit of eco driving will leave more spare petrol for the weekend. :lol:
Image

Evoman
Posts: 1688
Joined: 15 Sep 2010 10:47 pm
Location: Mid Wales

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by Evoman » 26 Jan 2011 11:53 pm

optimal gearchange is very handy thank you :) I do need to check my pressures!
Image

User avatar
jtbo
Posts: 5805
Joined: 23 Jul 2004 03:50 am
Location: Finland, middle of nowhere
Contact:

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by jtbo » 27 Jan 2011 01:56 am

With diesel it is so easy, almost any somehow burnable liquid is potential fuel, liquid greases are especially useful, I think it would run even on fat if you could make fat liquid enough.

Crazy swede has put wood gas system to his van, those systems were used widely by finnish military during the war as there was no other fuel available.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kbJHChVk4w

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood_gas

If you would make refinery on your back yard, then you would need only to fill car up from tank and there would be no need of such heavy machinery in a car.

It is too bad there are no any plans to use that in future, it would be very interesting step towards hydrogen power.
Volvo 360GL -88 -under restoration-
Volvo 343DL vario -81 -running- Image
Volvo 240 Diesel -83 -undecided-
Citroen ZX Dturbo -97 -daily- ImageImage

User avatar
valman
Posts: 663
Joined: 07 Feb 2010 11:16 pm
Location: Bedfordshire

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by valman » 27 Jan 2011 02:02 am

managed to get 50 out of my 5 speed 1.4 on motorways, and thats going at 75! cant say the same about them around town though, shocking - put a 10er in (yeah yeah im student dont laugh :P ) 40 miles later the lights on!! :(
ImageImage

User avatar
jtbo
Posts: 5805
Joined: 23 Jul 2004 03:50 am
Location: Finland, middle of nowhere
Contact:

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by jtbo » 27 Jan 2011 02:53 am

valman wrote:managed to get 50 out of my 5 speed 1.4 on motorways, and thats going at 75! cant say the same about them around town though, shocking - put a 10er in (yeah yeah im student dont laugh :P ) 40 miles later the lights on!! :(
50 is ridiculously good, with my 360 never managed to do better than 31MPG, my french crap drinks half from that, but that does require advanced fuel saving techniques, like feeling the force and use of force pull :lol:

Cut off brakes from car and you learn to save petrol, that is best way, 2nd best is to try to avoid touching brake pedal, you could get some 0,25£ coins or similar and every time you touch brake pedal put coin to yar, where you are not allowed to take them out until you have met some predefined goal like getting 35MPG, 40MPG and so on. It is really just a trick, but it helps in learning.
Rest comes quite naturally when you are not allowed to touch brake and you will get better driver in a process as skill of prediction gets lot better, also place where you look on road changes etc.

When brake is mastered, then comes engine braking, so no braking and no engine braking, that improves mileage even further, just don't do ecodriving on high traffic, I don't do it if someone is behind me, as it can be annoying as hell to other road users, but luckily our roads are often quite empty.

I hardly ever stop to traffic lights, no, I don't run red lights either, but I just don't increase speed toward red lights, I keep speed down and slowly roll so that lights will change before I have to stop, also when I'm gaining line of cars, I slow down early by shifting neutral and not touching brakes.

I may be half senile, but somehow I can find fun in competing with myself if I can make even better mileage.

Planning to get clear package tape and tape all seams someday to test what that does effect :mrgreen:

It is important to remember that all energy comes from petrol and it is just transformed to different form, braking will transform your petrol to heat, when idea is to get as little as possible to be transformed to heat and most transformed to movement, gravity can work against but it can also help, so remember to use downhills to gain speed.

My tyre pressures are on high limit, maximum that is allowed that is, it does not affect too much for comfort, but it clearly does help car to pick speed better and also less petrol consumption.

Any weight adds to petrol consumption, keeping tank full increases consumption, so does seats and any sound system + whatever you carry with you.

Smallest consumption is also at maximum torque rpm when throttle is floored, seriously that is how it is, but you would need to cut engine off right after power is not needed and as there are constant resistances that slow car down it is better often to teather the throttle, put sponge under the throttle pedal and you save over 10% again.

I did manage to get better MPG with yank tank (weights 2 tons, 5l v8 + automatic box) than I ever managed to get with 360, but I think that I could make lot better now with 360 than what I used to get as I have learned many things about how to save litre or two.
Volvo 360GL -88 -under restoration-
Volvo 343DL vario -81 -running- Image
Volvo 240 Diesel -83 -undecided-
Citroen ZX Dturbo -97 -daily- ImageImage

Evoman
Posts: 1688
Joined: 15 Sep 2010 10:47 pm
Location: Mid Wales

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by Evoman » 27 Jan 2011 10:42 am

40 miles :O thats about 20mpg, i dont feel so bad about my 360 drinking then haha!

The point about all energy coming from petrol is avery good one!, good little thing to think
Image

User avatar
trabitom99
*** V3M DONOR ***
Posts: 4398
Joined: 06 Jan 2007 02:38 pm
Location: Bonn, Germany

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by trabitom99 » 27 Jan 2011 08:37 pm

Did a trip Bonn to Frankfurt and back today averaging around 15 mpg in the 360. We were in a real hurry, and the Autobahn stretch is hilly ... :?

Tom
343 GL Touring B14.1E CVT (155) 98000kms 1980 (sold)
343 L Junior B14.3E MT4 (155) 229000kms 1981 (scrapped)
343 DLS B19A MT4 (155) 167900kms 1982
360 GL Injection B200F MT5 (231) 348598kms 1988 (scrapped)
360 GLT B200F MT5 (302) 230000kms 1988

User avatar
jtbo
Posts: 5805
Joined: 23 Jul 2004 03:50 am
Location: Finland, middle of nowhere
Contact:

Re: superstitious methods to keep car going when running out

Post by jtbo » 27 Jan 2011 11:17 pm

trabitom99 wrote:Did a trip Bonn to Frankfurt and back today averaging around 15 mpg in the 360. We were in a real hurry, and the Autobahn stretch is hilly ... :?

Tom
It is not the most aerodynamic car, doing 140-150kph is heavy on petrol, but if you were a hurry speed has been perhaps even more and I'm impressed how you got even so good economy out from it :lol:

If I would have my 360 on road, I would be interested of setting up small competition where we could compete who runs with less petrol, of course it would be mostly competing with everyone itselfs, but with proper guidelines we could make some nice community activity that way.
Volvo 360GL -88 -under restoration-
Volvo 343DL vario -81 -running- Image
Volvo 240 Diesel -83 -undecided-
Citroen ZX Dturbo -97 -daily- ImageImage

Post Reply