Dave the Train's Solent Fuel Light Bingo Sweepstake! RESULTS

[davidfowler2000]

In an effort to recreate a day trip from November but with added warmth and daylight, myself and Mr FPB7 shall be heading to the Isle of Wight next Sunday. Why? Because hovercraft. And 80 year old tube trains. That's why.

 

Unfortunately unlike last time we won't have the company of Mr chaseracer which is an arse however this also gives us a new game to play. Namely, how far will I manage to get on a single tank of fuel in the boring modern diesel Golf.

 

Last time:

Filled up evening before so started on a cold engine on a Friday morning. Leaving from near Glasgow doing indicated 70mph on the cruise all the way. Pickup at Cannock for Mr chaseracer. Pickup in Birmingham for Mr FPB7. Fight out of Brum on a Friday afternoon. Drive to Premier Inn Havant. Next morning was some driving for breakfast then to the hoverport. On the way back we ended up in Eastleigh to find dinner then 2 drop offs again.

After all the little diversions and drop offs etc, I managed to get back to the Shell garage at Toll Bar in Lancaster. 778 miles which averages out at 62.1mpg.

 

This time:

Warmer weather, more daylight, will fill up on the morning of departure, one less pickup (less diversions and less passenger weight), leaving on a Sunday morning, tracking has been done properly recently, hotel is pretty much AT the hover port, no diversions in to a town on the way back for dinner - we know where the decent services are now. I will also leave quite early and drive at an indicated 60mph for as much as I can bear to even further be frugal will the dinosaur squeezings.

 

So the question remains. How far will I get before I need to fill up this time?

 

Prizes* for:
Closest final fill up location. Starting from Shell London Road, Glasgow. Bear in mind I will only use Shell petrol stations so I can get my points. I may not be completely out of fuel at fill up if the next Shell garage is too far away.

Nearest 0.1mpg on the fuel economy. Car is a 2009 Mk6 2.0 GTTDI Golf with the penguin killing scandal engine still in it's original polar bear bludgeoning, un-fixed state. Will take 57.5L of fuel.

[Pillock]

we won't have the company of Mr chaseracer

 

less passenger weight

 

My guess is "wherever you are three weeks later"

 

LOLZ

 

(*cheeky wink in Chaseracer's direction*)

[davidfowler2000]

OOOOOOOHHHH BIIITCCHHHHAAAAYYYY!!!!

LOLZ!

[vaughant]

Going for 886.56 miles because I think at 60 you'll hit 70 MPG. Todhill services as there's a shell there from memory.

 

Good luck!

 

Plus what amazing economy, very impressive, I've got an old seat Leon and it's getting over 50mpg everywhere, can't fault it one bit.

[castros_bro]

Baastaard.     I take foreign visitors to    http://fishermanscottageshanklin.co.uk/   using a veg powered Renault to the diesel powered hoovercraft and clanky metropolitian line escapee. Last lot were Swiss where their train drivers need a university degree, I kid ye NOT.

[Stanky]

If you have time to spare then the Solent Shiters could probably organise a meet 'n greet on/near southsea seafront on Sunday at some point?

[Sloth in a bowl]

From the premier inn go onto the A27 east one junction then turn right to Hayling Island. Stop at the Ship inn on the left after a mile and just before the bridge to the island. Walk onto the bridge and look right to the remains of the railway bridge. The trackbed a is a good footpath and can be used from the centre of Havant right down the east side of Hayling Island.

 

Wish I could come with you but I am cycling in the forest of dean next weekend.

[hairnet]

fuk me can ye no git oan wi it

 

ps youll be lighter cos nae chase and you weigh nowt so 68-70 mibbe

 

doonhill frae glasgae innit

 

but youll be bored by lancaster so clog down ish and 62 ish

 

lots of hover pics fanks

 

ill be at devils bridge and looking at the hafod

[davidfowler2000]

I can't remember what eveyone guessed since the database crash so you'll have to start again. Anyways, filled up at about 0810 this morning. Tebay achieved at 1028.

 

Experimentation showing indicatrd 62mph is as economical if not more economical than 60mph

[davidfowler2000]

Numbers update at Knutsford. The fuel gauge finally started to move at Carnforth.

[davidfowler2000]

Chez FPB7 has been achieved. ETA 1800ish

[lisbon_road]

Can't recommend the tube trains enough.  Trundling through the countryside with all that Teak and it being so obvious from the profile that they were built for small round tunnels - priceless.

[dollywobbler]

You weren't planning on using the new chain ferry were you? It appears PROBLEMS.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-39913464

[rml2345]

851.42 miles, fill up at M6 J42 which says it's a Shell.

[hairnet]

sad sad old man

[davidfowler2000]

We have arrived. Approx 15 mins early too. Time for dinner and beverages before the Hover shennanigans in the morning.

[davidfowler2000]

Once again at chez FPB7 but a drop off this time. Google says 281 miles to home

[Supernaut]

900 miles on a tank possible? Impressive.

[The Moog]

How has it been doing 62mph? Is it properly tedious?

[320touring]

Excellent work my man, you're now nearly* as boring as me;)

[CreepingJesus]

The post I made before that went missing, I joked about you also recreating the Applecross trip of yore, on that tank. May not be such a joke now...

[Inspector Morose]

How has it been doing 62mph? Is it properly tedious?

Strangely enough, no it isn't! It's a very relaxing speed in a car and in reality only takes a short while longer to get anywhere that if you were doing the legal maximum*. The pay off for the extra time taken is that you can achieve greater distances with ease and arrive at your destination calm and placid and at one with the world. only your bladder restricts the miles you can cover.

 

I have my suspicions on where Mr Fowler will bottle out and put fuel in (insider knowledge you see) but I'm not tellin'.

 

Many photos of the trip have been taken and will be posted up when we can. (Warning, may contain hovercraft and 79 yer old trains in regular service. Oh yes, and some buildings.

[davidfowler2000]

I'm hungry. Oh look! Southwaite.

 

As mentioned above 62mph isn't particularly grim and seeing as I used to go everywbere at 62mph when I drove megabus I'm kinda used to it. Over the journey from Southsea to Glasgow it shouldn't add any more than 90 minutes to the journey and as said, is more relaxing on the cruise control mostly because you're not constantly overtaking stuff. That said you do need to mentally prepared for the extra journey time and to be overtaken by nearly everyone.

[davidfowler2000]

I have my suspicions on where Mr Fowler will bottle out and put fuel in (insider knowledge you see) but I'm not tellin'.

The results are in but I'll post them after sleep as I'm very tired. As expected the fuel gauge doesn't behave the same in the lower fuel levels as it does when full. All I'll say just now is we miscalculated where I'd "bottle out" by quite a bit.

[davidfowler2000]

I can't remember all the guesses so I'll have to go by memory -

 

Vaughant guessed 70mpg filing up at Todhills

barefoot guessed 66.6mpg cos he's "a bit of a devil"

cms206, 67.6mpg IIRC???

rml2345 - 851.42 miles, fill up at M6 J42

Creeping Jesus - Drive from Glasgow to Portsmouth then all the way to the very north of Scotland to do Applecross and back. On the same tank.

 

Results:

 

Starting Fillup Point - Shell Fullarton, London Road, Glasgow (Next door to Hurry Bros)

Finishing Refill Point - Shell Fullarton, London Road, Glasgow (Next door to Hurry Bros)

 

Total distance driven - 907.5 miles

Fuel used - 56.17 litres

Average fuel consumption - 73.6 miles per gallon

 

The most I have ever managed to put in to the tank is 57.42 litres which means there was approx 1.25 litres still in there giving an approximate entire tank range of 935 miles. This could have been bettered if I hadn't diverted through bits of Birmingham to get Mr FPB7, had the extra weight of a passenger for about 400 miles, didn't get hit with delays in the long 50mph roadworks between Knutsford and Sandbach, the delays on the M5 / M6 while delivering FPB7 home and finally the continual rain from Cannock to Glasgow.

Was it worth it? Maybe. I mainly wanted to see just how far I'd get. Driving at 62mph rather than 70mph I potentially saved about 15 - 20 litres based on previous experience. At 70mph I managed to get back to Johnstonebridge services from Basingstoke on a single tank - never mind the extra distance to Southsea.

 

62mph can feel tedious especially when the road is busy and almost everyone goes by you. You have to plan your own overtakes of trucks to minimise impact on traffic behind you as well. That said driving at 62mph makes the big long 50mph average speed controlled road works from M6 J16 - J19 less arduous 'cos the drop in speed isn't as great.

 

Oh aye...and the trip computer has about a 10-15% margin for error

[320touring]

Good lord!, Excellent work! That is akin to me getting 730 miles out a 45L tank in the fabia.

 

Were you on cruise for most of it?

[beko1987]

Who wins the golf then?

[davidfowler2000]

Good lord!, Excellent work! That is akin to me getting 730 miles out a 45L tank in the fabia.

 

Were you on cruise for most of it?

 

I was on cruise as much as possible with the odd use of the accelerator to overtake stuff on busy dual carriageways

[320touring]

I was on cruise as much as possible with the odd use of the accelerator to overtake stuff on busy dual carriageways

Interesting.. Cruise is often counter initiative to economy, what with its desire to accelerate uphill etc. I reckon there's 1000 miles I. There if you worked at it a bit:)

[davidfowler2000]

There's certainly a debate whether you should use it or not. Like you say it may want to accelerate uphill but then again it will keep a rock solid constant speed on the flat which is nigh on impossible with your foot and it removes the temptation to just floor it past something. The Top Gear challenege where Jezza did London to Edinburgh in the big Audi claimed the fuel economy increased by manually holding the pedal but then you get commercial vehicle operators that often demand drivers use the cruise when possible.

 

The only the only way you could test it with your own car would be to do a similarly long and arduous economy run with and without the cruise at least 3 times each to see what difference it makes.