How long does it take to run a car in?

alexthecheese · 8 Mar 2010 at 17:35

I got an Astra ecoFlex 1.7 diesel (performance car of the year, 2009) car a while ago, quoted at 62mpg. Currently only getting about 50mpg after about 2500 miles of driving.

Most of it is motorway driving, with a commute across London either end of the week. That will obviously make my MPG plummet, but is it likely I'll ever get to the magic 62mpg, or will that only be with pure motorway driving at 56mph?

PhillyDee · 8 Mar 2010 at 17:38

That would be the best you could ever get out of it.

You would need to lose 12 stone, remove the interior, fill the car with helium, accelerate as slow as continental drift, etc. etc.

Or am I just being cynical?

MikeHiow · 8 Mar 2010 at 17:43

Reset your trip computer whilst travelling 60MPH on the motorway, and observe it after 10 miles, you'll probably find you're achieving over 60MPG, the thing that really effects your economy will be your drive when you're off the motorway, how you drive it will have dramatic effects too.

Turbo diesels can be economical, but town driving and getting on boost a lot will see those economy figures drop dramatically.

stoke1863 · 8 Mar 2010 at 17:45

alexthecheese said:
pure motorway driving at 56mph?

L0rdMike · 8 Mar 2010 at 17:46

56mph behind a Lorry.

alexthecheese · 8 Mar 2010 at 17:47

MikeHiow said:
Reset your trip computer whilst travelling 60MPH on the motorway, and observe it after 10 miles, you'll probably find you're achieving over 60MPG, the thing that really effects your economy will be your drive when you're off the motorway, how you drive it will have dramatic effects too.

Turbo diesels can be economical, but town driving and getting on boost a lot will see those economy figures drop dramatically.

Quite embarassingly, it doesn't even have a trip computer! :eek:

I thought it would be a given piece of spec, on a eco-warrior car, but apparently not! Madness. I have to do it the old fashion way...

I drive pretty economically when I'm not on the motorway, which is why I'm wondering how long it takes to bed in. It's got long gearing, 70mph at 1800rpm, so I was expecting more to be honest.

MikeHiow · 8 Mar 2010 at 17:59

Well they are usually run in on a bench in modern cars, but after 1000 miles, I would consider a car run-in.

How do you drive off the motorway? Using very little throttle, and keeping it off boost as much as possible will help your economy figures greatly.

CaPtBlaCk · 8 Mar 2010 at 18:54

MikeHiow said:
Well they are usually run in on a bench in modern cars

On a run of the mill production car, are you daft?

Kae · 8 Mar 2010 at 18:57

CaPtBlaCk said:
On a run of the mill production car, are you daft?

Think he meant the run of the mill F1 engines.....

Mucky_Pup · 8 Mar 2010 at 19:03

Aren't quoted MPG's usually lies anyway?

Dangerous · 8 Mar 2010 at 19:04

L0rdMike said:
56mph behind a Lorry.

Too quick

iaind · 8 Mar 2010 at 19:06

Mucky_Pup said:
Aren't quoted MPG's usually lies anyway?

Not quite lies, but they are measured in ideal circumstances which nobody will ever see in the real world. The OP's stated figures sound about right

Moeks · 8 Mar 2010 at 19:13

alexthecheese said:
I got an Astra ecoFlex 1.7 diesel (performance car of the year, 2009)

Say again ? ...performance car of the year

...is that some sort of a joke. It's an economical diesel hatchback built to do a job and keep the eco-mentalists quiet, it is not a performance car.

But yea like the others said, sit behind a truck at 56mph and you will probably hit the figures you're looking for, in the real world however it is unlikely as they come up with these figures under best possible conditions usually.

MikeHiow · 8 Mar 2010 at 19:41

CaPtBlaCk said:
On a run of the mill production car, are you daft?

So you believe that an engine going into a run of a mill production car is bolted into the car without ever being run or tested?

And you think I'm daft?

Moeks · 8 Mar 2010 at 19:46

I thought he was talking about the lack of trip computer actually, i.e. they aren't actually the norm on a run of the mill production car. Altough I would expect them to be now to be fair.

Jokester · 8 Mar 2010 at 19:47

MikeHiow said:
So you believe that an engine going into a run of a mill production car is bolted into the car without ever being run or tested?

And you think I'm daft?

It's run, but certainly not broken in.

Grad · 8 Mar 2010 at 19:49

Moeks said:
Say again ? ...performance car of the year ...is that some sort of a joke. It's an economical diesel hatchback built to do a job and keep the eco-mentalists quiet, it is not a performance car.

I think (hope) it was tongue in cheek

peterattheboro · 8 Mar 2010 at 20:09

I LOVE it when people buy a car purely because it does 65/70/75mpg. Even though they never touch motorways and only travel to the shops and back.

Morons

(Not saying the op is a moron)

eatcustard · 8 Mar 2010 at 20:17

You will probably never get 62mpg
Be happy with 50mpg

My camper gets 16-20mpg

alexthecheese · 9 Mar 2010 at 12:19

Moeks said:
Say again ? ...performance car of the year ...is that some sort of a joke. It's an economical diesel hatchback built to do a job and keep the eco-mentalists quiet, it is not a performance car.

Grad said:
I think (hope) it was tongue in cheek

Yes, I am fully aware it was not performance car of the year in 2009.

peterattheboro said:
I LOVE it when people buy a car purely because it does 65/70/75mpg. Even though they never touch motorways and only travel to the shops and back.

Morons

(Not saying the op is a moron)

It was a company car given to me and I didn't have any choice in what it was.

I'm going to drive everywhere as economically as possible and see what I can get out of the 11 gallon tank it has. I'm aiming for 682 miles @ 62mpg. Last tank was 530 miles!