[rustbucket]

Hi all,
Can anyone advise me as to whether the Trip computer is correct from day one with regard to the  fuel consumption figure or takes a tankfull or so to calibrate?

Thanks in anticipation,

Rbucket

rustbucket,

From our experience, the fuel consumption figures should be correct.  Be aware that it is an average consumption since it was last reset, so after several hundred km, the readout doesn't vary much.

The distance to empty is another story.  When we first got the vehicle a full tank said it would do somewhere in the 500km - 600km range.  After a few tank fulls, and the computer established average fuel consumption, it began to rise and now sits at over 900km when we fill up.  It has been as high as 940km.

Having said that, as you drive and get closer to empty, the distance to empty becomes a much more realistic figure right from day one.

When fiddling one day, some months ago, I disconected the battery.  This reset the computers distance to empty memory and we were back to square one again.  Also lost the stereo settings and radio stations.  There is no stereo security code required.

Bob

PS  There is heaps of stuff on here about the trip computer, but buggered if I can find it at the moment.

[rustbucket]

Thanks for the info ouri30,

When I had a test drive, the i30 I drove had 15klms on the clock and the consumption readout was in the low 7's. I will spend sometime now scanning the forum for that info you mentioned and educate myself. My wife and I are going take the car for it's first run from Brisbane down to and around  the New England Tableland in Northern NSW to put a few gentle K's on it so it should settle as you said.

Thanks again

Rbucket

[rustbucket]

Hi all,

Just another query re the trip computer. The fuel consumption figure on the computer is currently reading 7.4 and seems to be getting lower as we drive it (started at 10). Is this something that will keep lowering through subsequent tank refills or is some resetting required at fill up? Will  it eventually approach  4.7 on its own accord? The manual mentions how to reset the consumption figure but not how or when. Also I would imagine that the  great consumption figures mentioned by others on the forum are  achieved with A/C and climate control off.

Thanks in advance

Rustbucket

Rustbucket,

You can re-set the fuel consumption whenever you want.  For example, you might want to find out what consumption you get when you drive on a particular road.  Just reset it before you start and at the end you will have the average for the trip.  I've driven the same stretch of road using different speeds to see how speed influences consumption, for example.

We tend to re-set the consumption when we fill up, along with the trip distance.  

We usually have the A/C on Auto all the time and set somewhere in the range 23ºC - 25ºC.  On the last tank we have achieved 4.3 l/100k.  Admittedly I was realy driving conservatively somehwere between 80-90kph and averaging 70 overall.  Got 1370km from the tank before I chickened out and stopped to empty a 10 litre jerry can into the tank.

Normally we achieve 4.6 - 4.8 l/100km from a tank.  Most of our driving is on flat roads in the country.

Bob

[rustbucket]

Thanks Bob,

Those figures really are amazing. The 1370 klms out of one tank blows my mind. We are taking the car for a nice run down to Armidale NSW from Brisbane on the New England Highway. It involves a nice climb via the Cunningham's Gap and and great run down through Stanthorpe and Tenterfield and some very nice country and wineries. This should enable the car and engine to settle down nicely. We basically want to use the i30 for some light touring over the next few years and this will be a good test run for us. It will take the weights of the old Landcruiser which now will only be used for 4wd trips. But getting back to computer thanks for the info I will fill up and reset the computer before we go.

Thanks again

Rustbucket

[camerooney]

I've got 350km's on the clock now.
It started out on 7.5 and has dropped to 5.8l/per 100

Most of this has been freeway driving, but still giving it a little bit here and there.

[EymaTeapot]

Cam, Rusty,
The fuel cosumption figure on the car when you fist get it from the dealer you would expect to be pretty high as the car at this point has only a handful of k's on it. It hasn't been driven anywhere signicant, only on and off a truck and around the dealers pre delivery areas. It has been left iddling as for periods, all the while using fuel. The trip computer calcultes Kilometers traveled by fuel used and so at this point, the figure is likely to be unflattering.
I reset my trip computer the moment i picked it up to start reflecting true usage.
I only reset the trip computer these days before heading out on a interstate trip.

[camerooney]

Thanks for the info Eyma.
Either way it looks like I'll probably get 750kms out of the first tank anyway...lol

[rustbucket]

Hi all,

We are back from our trip down the New England Hwy in our i30. Consumption down to 5.1 l/100 and 838klms before filling with 42.3 litres thats works out to a bit over 5 l/100. The DTE at that point read 230 klms.
The load was two adults and gear plus several bottles of red wine. The road is windy and hilly so I very happy with the consumption figure. The car now has 1360 on the clock and ready for 1000k service. I said to my wife I can't find anything to complain about or get fixed or adjusted so this one will an easy service for Westpoint Brisbane. This first time I overtook a truck on a nice straight stretch it quickly spun out to 160 kph and I did not feel it - the car being very stable after that I knew it didn't need as much oomph to overtake. Cunningham's Gap was easily taken in 4th only to keep the revs between 2 and 4 K. Cruise is on the diesel is magic. The whole car worth 12 out 10

Rustbucket

[camerooney]

Its easy to go over the speedlimit.


When you're overtaking they're so quick up top!

[Lakes]

Rusty, if you got 42 L in the tank you could have gone another 200K easy. if i run mine down to warning light i get around 55 to 57L in, this is filling to the top and seeing clean fuel not throth. i always fill mine that way. also if you can use Caltex Vortex Premium diesel, i think its much easier to fill right up with that fuel. also i think long term it\will prove to be a money saver as it keeps injectors clean. my motor runs nicer on this fuel. but i have not seen a noticible economy gain. but i just have the SX so work out all my numbers on paper.
Cam, yes i have noticed how deceptive to speed the i30 CRDi is it goes to a very fast speed and you don't notice just how fast you are going. i put it down to the smooth Torque and the fly by wire throtle, so smooth at speeds you have to take extra care.

[rustbucket]

Hi Lakes,

Thanks for the info re fuel. We topped up only because our end of trip was through Brisbane on a Friday afternoon and didn't want to run the risk. It was at a Star Servo at Stanthorpe - I think that's Caltex. The engine is definitely running smoothly. The big rattle on startup, although still there is noticeably quieter. After 1364 k cars great. For any one driving North through Warwick and looking for a cheap fill the Matilda at Warwick had diesel for 1.39.9 / litre I paid 1.43 in Stanthorpe.

That could be idea for a new thread/survey - where to find the cheapest servos for fuel.

R-B

[Dazzler]

That could be idea for a new thread/survey - where to find the cheapest servos for fuel.

R-B

Good idea R-B (you can start it if you like with that one you quoted earlier...)

[Mick]

I use this http://www.exploroz.com/OntheRoad/FuelPrices/ as well as the RACV  http://www.racv.com.au/wps/wcm/connect/Internet/Primary/my+car/advice+&+information/fuel/petrol+prices/?CACHE=NONE I guess the motoring associations will have an equivalent site for each state.

[rustbucket]

Thanks Mick,

Great idea on those sites

Rustbucket

Never experienced this before:

I am currently trying to get to the magic 1400km on a tank full, having previously achieved 1370km.  

Last Saturday I filled the tank to the brim until I couldn't fit another drop in.  The trip computer showed DTE to be 907km (as usual after filling up).  For the first 300km plus a little more, the DTE went down as per normal, that is, for every km travelled the DTE went down by a km.  At 300km, the fuel guage had not yet moved below its maximum reading.

Now for the unusual happening.  I checked at 320km to see what the total for DTE and distance travelled was, expecting it to be just over the 907km that I usually observe at this point.  But no, the DTE had jumped to 887km (a increase of  just under 300km from what one would expect), giving a total of 1207km.  

This has never happened before.  Usually, as I have posted before, for every 10km I travel after 300km, I see a reduction of 5km in the DTE figure.  In other words, an increase in the total (km travelled + DTE) of 5km for every 10km travelled.

Very interesting (and most provocative).

Looks like I am well on the way to 1400km with the consumption at 4.1-4.2 LPH at the moment.

Bob

[davet]

For me the trip computer seems to be a bit optimistic.  So far average of trip computer figures (reset at each fill) is 4.58 l/100km.  Actual measured consumption is 4.83 l/100km.

For me the trip computer seems to be a bit optimistic.  So far average of trip computer figures (reset at each fill) is 4.58 l/100km.  Actual measured consumption is 4.83 l/100km.

Early on I made an assumption that the trip computer was accurate to within .1 of a LPH based on the figures I was getting manually compared to the trip computer.  I stopped bothering to calculate and compare for some time. 

Just resently (as in the last week) I did a fill to the brim and travelled 1594 km and kept accurate records of what was added to the tank.  After filling to the brim again today I found the trip computer and the manual calculations were spot on.

Bob

Early on I made an assumption that the trip computer was accurate to within .1 of a LPH based on the figures I was getting manually compared to the trip computer.  I stopped bothering to calculate and compare for some time. 

Just resently (as in the last week) I did a fill to the brim and travelled 1594 km and kept accurate records of what was added to the tank.  After filling to the brim again today I found the trip computer and the manual calculations were spot on.

Bob

Can I ask what was used to determine the distance travelled?  I ask only as there has been conjecture as to whether the odo is accurate... certainly the speedo seems to be optimistic in mine by ~10%.  Hardly good enough really!!

EDIT: looks to be more like 5%

[Rubix]

Question: On Cruise Control on a straight stretch of road can you accurately determine what % the car is out, or does the CC 'hover' around your requested speed?

[davet]

I think odo is pretty close - I measured on one of those 5km calibration sets on the Pacific Highway and it was within .1 km over the 5 km (2%)

[Rubix]

I think odo is pretty close - I measured on one of those 5km calibration sets on the Pacific Highway and it was within .1 km over the 5 km (2%)

It's good if Odo is correct (which it should be with stock tyres at manufacturer's specified PSI - that's what they base the Odo on), but at CC on 100km/hr, will speed be kept exactly 100km, or is there fluctuation (which I would expect), and if so how much does it fluctuate if you maintain a straight line and on flat road?

If there is little-to-no fluctuation (<0.5 km/hr), I could use Eastern Creek or Bathurst's home straight to measure how far out the speedo is @ 60km an hour using CC - because you don't have to try and keep your foot on the pedal at the exact same speed - and because you know exactly how long the stretch of road is & they're both completely flat.

[davet]

The CC seems to keep a pretty constant speed (uphills - can speed up on steep downhills if the engine braking isn't enough).  Great way to check actual speed is a GPS if you have one.

[Rubix]

I was more interested in confirming how far off the speedo is with actual speed - I figured going 500m in a straight line @ 60km/hr on CC I should take exactly 30 seconds. The amount less tells me how far the speedo is out. I don't really have access to more refined ways to calculate this, and as far as I know every i30 would be a bit different.

[Dazzler]

From posts I have read on this forum and from comparing my Speedo reading with my GPS I would estimate that most i30's speedos under read by 7 or 8% (e.g. 4 or 5 kms at 60KPH and around 7 or 8 at 100kph) I could be wrong but think they would all be very similar unless someone put alloys and tyres on that had a different rolling diameter which would not be recommended by most tyre places.

This is not unusual as others have posted on here before most manufacturers error on the safe side ...

I was more interested in confirming how far off the speedo is with actual speed - I figured going 500m in a straight line @ 60km/hr on CC I should take exactly 30 seconds. The amount less tells me how far the speedo is out. I don't really have access to more refined ways to calculate this, and as far as I know every i30 would be a bit different.

Many of us have already tested the odometer and the speedometer using various means.  I have done checks of the speedometer againsa GPS and a ScanGuage connected to the ODBII port of the i30 (SLX fitted with 205 55 16 tyres).  

I have found that the odometer of the i30 is a very small error compared to the two methods mentioned above.  Over a distance of 1000km, I have experienced errors of around 1-2%.  The odometer measures slightly above the GPS and the Scanguage.  

I have (as have others) found that the speedometer of the i30 reads somewhere between 5-7% over actual speeds.  The readings of the Scanguage and the GPS are within 0-1.5% of each other.  This can be attributed to the Scanguage reporting readings every few seconds so that the display does not jump all over the place.  I suspect that the GPS software operated in a similar way.

I hope this is of interest to you and others.

Bob

[Rubix]

How would I modify the speedo closer to my actual speed, say to 2%? (and btw I read posts about Odo being slightly different to GPS/SGII, but didn't see about speedo - and I also thought each car was different)... would adding 4% to the circumference of my wheels fix it back to about 1-2% out?

How would I modify the speedo closer to my actual speed, say to 2%? (and btw I read posts about Odo being slightly different to GPS/SGII, but didn't see about speedo - and I also thought each car was different)... would adding 4% to the circumference of my wheels fix it back to about 1-2% out?

Rubix,

Haven't heard of any way to modify the speedo.  Your dealer could look into it for you.  They would use a device to measure your speedo accuracy similar to the scanguage.  I think the regulations in most countries allow an error on the safe side (under registering speed) and the i30, as with other manufacturers, is within this margin.

I think I may have confused you a bit with the Scanguage / GPS speed readouts.  I suspect the error I am seeing is more to do with the way the two devices report the speed (how often they refresh the reading).  When worried about breaking speed limits, I drive by the Scanguage and the GPS (when I have it on).

All tyres and rims fittedby the manufacturer should have the same overall rolling circumference and this should not affect the speed and distance readings.  If owners change the rolling diameter of the tyres, then I guess they have to wear it.  The best answer in this situation would be the GPS and the Scanguage.  Why the Scanguage?  Well, it has a way of entering an adjustment to corrrect any error that may occur resulting from changing tyre sizes.  This is a great feature of the Scanguage.

Bob

[Rubix]

Thanks for your response Bob. I believe in Australia manufacturers are allowed to be about 10 or 12% out? from memory. Which is horrible.
I thought GPS/SGII only showed distance, not a live speed reading? I didn't realise they did a speedo, I didn't look much into it coz it looked to me like $250 for a computer.

In order to make the speedo more accurate, increasing the rolling circumference of my tyres by 4% should bring it to only 1-2% out if it's currently 5-7% out.

As far as a dealership being able to modify the speedo - I suspect not. I had a client who ended up returning his Honda Accord Euro because it was 9% out and the dealership fobbed him off with the "10% on the safe side is legally ok".