[Dazzler]

Well spotted Alan 

[AlanHo]

Something strange with my car today.

I went out to fetch some stuff from a garden centre 11 miles away - a 22 mile round trip of which 7 miles were on urban roads (30 mph), 10.5 miles on a motorway (70 mph) and 4.5 miles were on a dual carriageway (50 mph).

The average fuel economy trip had been zeroed when I last filled the car 343 miles ago.
At 106 miles on the tank it was showing 63.7 mpg after a slow cruise to London
At 207 miles it had dropped to 54.2 mpg after a very fast drive back home
At 343 miles it had dropped to 50.2 mpg after a lot of short urban journeys.

Hence, when I set out the average fuel trip was reading 50.2 mpg and as I was cruising down the motorway at about 60 mph in 5th gear (the gear change indicator had not asked me to change to 6th) I noticed the trip change to 50.0, then 49.9 and on down to 49.6 at which point I left the motorway. By the time I reached my destination the trip was recording 49.1 mpg despite the fact there were no hills on the route, I met no traffic, I drove gently and there was no flashing DPC light showing.  To drag the average down so quickly after more than 343 miles since it was zeroed meant that the instant economy on the trip must have been dire.

On the way back home I altered the trip to show the instantaneous fuel economy. In my car it is a horizontal bar graduated 1, 25 and 50 mpg so it is impossible to get exact readings. However - not at any time did the bar reach 50 mpg - on the motorway by crude interpolation I estimate it was showing less than 40 mpg while cruising at 60 to 65 mph in 5th and 6th gear. By the time I got home again the average trip was showing 48.1 mpg. So the average had fallen by 2.1 mpg in just 22 gentle miles.

On previous similar trips the average consumption has been in the range 58 to 64 mpg.

The fuel consumption on this trip was excessive and I cannot understand why. The weather was sunny, the air temperature was 14*C, there was little wind, the handbrake had not been on, I drove gently and changed up when the display asked me to, hence for most of the journey the engine had been turning over between 1800 and 2100 rpm. I lifted the bonnet when I returned home to see if the DPF was very hot - and it wasn't. I checked the wheels to see if a brake had been dragging - they were cool - so I am flummoxed for a reason.

[Doggie 1]

That's really odd, Alan.
I noticed you said that you were in 5th gear at 60 mph as the gear change indicator hadn't asked you to change up yet.
Would 6th pull that speed ok though?
Because our speed limit here is 110 km/h and not much point having a 6th gear if you can't use it at highway speeds.

[AlanHo]

That's really odd, Alan.
I noticed you said that you were in 5th gear at 60 mph as the gear change indicator hadn't asked you to change up yet.
Would 6th pull that speed ok though?
Because our speed limit here is 110 km/h and not much point having a 6th gear if you can't use it at highway speeds.

60 mph in 6th gear results in 1700 rpm. I have responded to several posts suggesting that I might be cruising at too low engine revs so I have been following the gear change indicator.

But to answer your question - yes it does cruise happily in 6th gear at 60 mph - but if you want to increase speed to overtake etc you would need to drop down at least one gear. My previous i30 would pull quite well from 1700 rpm - this car is less happy.

At your speed limit of 110 km/hr the new car turns at exactly 2000 rpm which seems to be its sweet spot.

[Dazzler]

But to answer your question - yes it does cruise happily in 6th gear at 60 mph - but if you want to increase speed to overtake etc you would need to drop down at least one gear. My previous i30 would pull quite well from 1700 rpm - this car is less happy.

That is a pity as it was one of the joys of the old model 

[AlanHo]

I don't wear sunglasses because my normal spectacles are photochromic - hence the drop down sunglasses compartment has remained unused - until I discovered it is the ideal place to store my Sat-Nav when it is not being used.

[rustynutz]

I don't wear sunglasses because my normal spectacles are photochromic - hence the drop down sunglasses compartment has remained unused - until I discovered it is the ideal place to store my Sat-Nav when it is not being used.

I always thought it would be a good spot to put a reversing camera screen.....

[Doggie 1]

Now that's a good idea.. 

[Dazzler]

Now that's a good idea.. 

x2

[Shambles]

I'll tell you what... these "first impressions" are lasting a while

[AlanHo]

I'll tell you what... these "first impressions" are lasting a while

I guess they are - but I'm a slow learner and only just got my first impression of the sunglasses compartment.

[Shambles]

« Reply #130 on: Today at 02:24:46 »

Wha the hell kind of time is that to be posting

[Phil №❶]

@Shambles,

The sun never sets on this site 

[AlanHo]

« Reply #130 on: Today at 02:24:46 »

Wha the hell kind of time is that to be posting

I make it twenty four minutes and forty six seconds past two a.m.   

[rustynutz]

Perfectly acceptable time if you ask me...

[Dazzler]

Perfectly acceptable time if you ask me...

I thought of you straight away Rusty ... Between you and Allan the world is running out of "Midnight Oil.."

[rustynutz]

 

[mjt57]

60 mph in 6th gear results in 1700 rpm.

What are the ratios for 6th and final drive? Mine sits on around 2,100rpm at 100 kays in 6th, and closer to 2,500 revs at 110 kays.

[AlanHo]

60 mph in 6th gear results in 1700 rpm.

What are the ratios for 6th and final drive? Mine sits on around 2,100rpm at 100 kays in 6th, and closer to 2,500 revs at 110 kays.

https://www.i30ownersclub.com/forum/index.php?topic=14272.msg161139#msg161139

[d3matt]

Returning to the subject of "when are front parking sensors not parking sensors" I have been looking again at the superb photos Seoul Mate posts in his picture threads. In threads "Korean Pics 234 and 235" the majority of the photos are for the new i30 - and some of those are the Top of the range version with front parking sensors.

Where the front bumper is visible in the photos and it is the top model, you can clearly see that the car is equipped with 6 sensors at the front end - so it adds fuel to my fire when I complain that my car only has 2.

I would assume that is becuase these models have the self parking system fitted.
Kia are offering that in the Ceed and already on the Optima 3.  Here's how it works..


I wanted it.  Even though I can park ok, it would probably get you into spaces you'd not try.

[d3matt]

I can confirm the i30 front parking sensors are absolutely useless and might as well not be there.  They go from not working to a constant beep, so you have no warning of distance.  They don't go "beep-beep" at all.
I just ignore them every time now.

[mjt57]

I can confirm the i30 front parking sensors are absolutely useless and might as well not be there.  They go from not working to a constant beep, so you have no warning of distance. 

That would annoy the hell outta me.

Our other car, a Mazda Tribute (or Ford Escape, not sure what Euro equivalent is) dings and dongs and gives me the constant irrits whenever it sounds, and mostly for crap reasons such as put key in ignition and door is open, or on accessories and you open tailgate, or dings incessantly if your seatbelt isn't on, that sort of crap. If I could disconnect it I would. Thankfully the i30 doesn't do any of that.

[Shambles]

I can confirm the i30 front parking sensors are absolutely useless and might as well not be there...

If I were you or AlanHo I'd be right back at the dealership asking them to demonstrate the system in front of me. I'd want them to show me exactly how the system should be used to assist parking, including interpretation of proximity beeps (which you say are useless).

You've paid for this feature. Period. Get them to justify the cost. In front of you.

[bumpkin]

 

[Doggie 1]

I can confirm the i30 front parking sensors are absolutely useless and might as well not be there...

If I were you or AlanHo I'd be right back at the dealership asking them to demonstrate the system in front of me. I'd want them to show me exactly how the system should be used to assist parking, including interpretation of proximity beeps (which you say are useless).

You've paid for this feature. Period. Get them to justify the cost. In front of you.

I agree with this too.

[AlanHo]

It is my practice to set the average fuel economy and mileage trips to zero each time I brim the car so that I can calculate the actual fuel economy for each fill. 

This morning I noticed that on this tank I had racked up 642 miles (1036 km), the digital fuel gauge was showing 1 bar fuel remaining (out of 12) and the predicted range to empty was 72 miles (123 km). I had hoped to run the car until the fuel warning light came on to get a better idea of its range - but we have a long trip tomorrow and I didn't want to have to get off the motorway to fill the car - so decided to fill it today.

I set off this afternoon to visit a garden centre and planned to fill the car on the way back. Lo and behold - I had only done a couple of miles when the warning light came on.

On the way home with just a mile to go before reaching the service station I came upon a roadworks traffic queue on a long downslope. The traffic was moving forwards in fits and starts so I knocked the car into neutral and used just the brake to coast forward each time. On the last occasion I coasted in neutral for about 50 yards during which I happened to glance at the instruments to see the fuel trip figure - only to see it vanish and be replaced by a row of hyphens. When I put the car into gear and moved off it first changed to 00.0 then started to show sensible figures unrelated to the previous one.   It appears that if you coast the new car in neutral (edit : with the engine running) - the average fuel trip is set back to zero.

Before this happened the trip recorder was showing 53.8 mpg. (5.25 l/100 km)

I brimmed the car with 55.57 litres of diesel - This surprised me because the warning light had only been on for 9 miles (14 km) and the predicted range to empty was 61 miles (98 km) for which the car would require approx 5 litres. I know you can get more than the specified 53 litres into the tank - but surely not 60 litres!!  My worry is that the tank at that time was perhaps virtually empty - I will be nervous about waiting for the warning light in future.

The trip mileage was 652 (1050 km) when I brimmed the tank so the actual fuel economy on this tank calculates at 53.4 mpg (5.29 l/100 km) - very close to the average trip recorder figure.

I am happy with this economy because I have done a lot of town driving on this tank and it includes two very high speed motorway journeys totally more than 160 miles (258 km) when my average speed was 79 mph.(127 kph)

Something else that interests me is how the ECU calculates the predicted range. My previous car behaved in the same way - perhaps your's does.

A month ago when I brimmed the tank - the actual miles done plus the predicted range to empty at that time totalled 588 miles. But after I filled the car the predicted range to empty showed only 498 miles.
As I used the tank the total of actual miles driven plus the predicted range to empty steadily increased and reached 706 miles when I refuelled today.

After refuelling, the predicted range to empty now shows only 505 miles even though the car did 652 miles on the previous tank.

It does not seem to be very logical to me.


Oh - I haven't finished yet. Another minor mystery is the accuracy of the fuel gauge. It is a digital display made up of 12 bars.

It showed 12 bars (full) until I had done 206 miles- hence I had used up 32% of the fuel before it moved off empty.
until 343 miles - 10 bars (83%) compared with (47% of actual range left)
until 376 miles - 8 bars (66%)  compared with (42% of actual range left)
until 414 miles - 7 bars (58%)  compared with (37% of actual range left)
until 456 miles - 6 bars (50%)  compared with (30% of actual range left)
until 534 miles - 5 bars (42%)  compared with (18% of actual range left)
until 576 miles - 3 bars (25%)  compared with (12% of actual range left)
until 634 miles - 2 bars (17%)  compared with (3% of actual range left)
until refuelling - 1 bar (8%)

No wonder the predicted range to empty is a lottery when the fuel gauge is so inaccurate.


That will do for now...........................

[asathorny]

MMmm very interesting Alan...   Have an enjoyable trip north of the border 

[d3matt]

It appears that if you coast the new car in neutral - the average fuel trip is set back to zero.

I've not noticed that.  I've coasted mine in neutral many times.  If you do it when the ISG has stopped the engine, it allowed the coast for about 30 seconds on the slight downhill slope, then restarted the engine without me touching the clutch.  I guess it needed to keep the brake pressure up.

I brimmed the car with 55.57 litres of diesel - This surprised me because the warning light had only been on for 9 miles (14 km) and the predicted range to empty was 61 miles (98 km) for which the car would require approx 5. I know you can get more than the specified 53 litres into the tank - but surely not 60 litres!!  My worry is that the tank at that was perhaps virtually empty - I will be nervous about waiting for the warning light in future.
[/color]

I've ran with my light on for a while and I didn't get that much fuel in.  I'll keep an eye on it next time.

[AlanHo]

I've not noticed that.  I've coasted mine in neutral many times.  If you do it when the ISG has stopped the engine, it allowed the coast for about 30 seconds on the slight downhill slope, then restarted the engine without me touching the clutch.  I guess it needed to keep the brake pressure up.

I was coasting with the engine running at the time - ISG had got bored with all the stops and starts. (actually it was because I had failed to reach the required threshold speed during the last movement - so ISG was disabled)

[asathorny]

I've not noticed that.  I've coasted mine in neutral many times.  If you do it when the ISG has stopped the engine, it allowed the coast for about 30 seconds on the slight downhill slope, then restarted the engine without me touching the clutch.  I guess it needed to keep the brake pressure up.

I was coasting with the engine running at the time - ISG had got bored with all the stops and starts. (actually it was because I had failed to reach the required threshold speed during the last movement - so ISG was disabled)

I recall doing the same quite some time ago now Alan and commenting on that here...   Oh this is slightly off topic by the way, anyhow I commented on it here and one of our very knowledgeable members made me aware that I was wasting money, in that, if you coast downhill in gear the ECU cuts the fuel supply to the engine.   

I'm just saying !!!!!!   

 

still your always an interesting commentator so keep up the good work