Fuel Costs

[boozehound]

With fuel being increasingly more expensive what measures do you take in order to try and use less? Personally myself i wont drive in peak traffic times either that being when the school run is on or morning and afternoon rush hours unless i absolutly have to.

[Norfolk n Chance]

I've not changed anything!

Luckily i live 2 miles from work tho!

[T Sport 1978]

With fuel being increasingly more expensive what measures do you take in order to try and use less? Personally myself i wont drive in peak traffic times either that being when the school run is on or morning and afternoon rush hours unless i absolutly have to.

Dont people drive because they need to? How exactly do you choose when you need to drive?

How do i avoid the school run through choice if i need to drive the kids to work and on time?

Am i on Mars? DO WE HAVE THE SAME ANATOMY? I ain't too sure.

Still, if we are talking about what I do to maximise economy, sure i just drive sensibly. Is that not an obvious thing to do?

[Jan&tone]

how to shaft the government (of whatever shape or shade!)

You buy a hybrid - no road tax, no congestion charge and if you are on the isle of wight, then no parking charges in offroad car parks!

Then you stay away from school run times and keep below the speed limits

Apart from that, the only way that you can really keep the fuel etc tax away from the chancellor is to buy a pushbike!

[adamc260]

I don't live too far from work but luckily my Auris is fairly economical! They say you can adjust your driving style and that helps with fuel economy

[boozehound]

well i start work at 6am and finish at about 12pm and i use a firms commercial vehicle to get to and from work and when im in work :) so thats how i can stay away from peak traffic :)

[boozehound]

and im never having kids anyways because the current economy makes it hard enough to live let alone have kids

[Mooly]

Dare I suggest you need something more economical than a 2L Scirocco if your driving mainly in urban conditions ;)

I've noticed a big difference in running costs in the 1.33 Auris over the dearly departed TSport. Seeing 51mpg or thereabouts each fill up... Yay

[boozehound]

oh no, i would never swap my 2.0 tsi dsg scirocco, its a baby gt car, and i love it!

[Aurissimo]

I try to reduce the amount of driving I do... for example

I minimise fuel usage by driving faster and hence getting there quicker, which means I spend less time driving. :P

Also I slip stream on those annoying beemer bum drivers (those drivers of teutonic tendencies that have a tendency for getting close to your *****) They become aerodynamic aids and hence improve my economy. (also gives them a bit of their medicine...)

Lets not forget I got the full Toyota Motorsport Body kit, front chin, sides and wing which generates better airflow over my car.

:yes: ;) :yes:

[adamc260]

I try to reduce the amount of driving I do... for example

I minimise fuel usage by driving faster and hence getting there quicker, which means I spend less time driving. :P

Also I slip stream on those annoying beemer bum drivers (those drivers of teutonic tendencies that have a tendency for getting close to your *****) They become aerodynamic aids and hence improve my economy. (also gives them a bit of their medicine...)

Lets not forget I got the full Toyota Motorsport Body kit, front chin, sides and wing which generates better airflow over my car.

:yes: ;) :yes:

Haha, one way of looking at it Aurissimo :P

[boozehound]

i cant say ive ever had problems with bmw drivers, its usually the range rover drivers you have problems with in liverpool

[don21]

LPG conversion in the Mazda 3.

Auris diesel not much I can do.

[Jamesbelfast]

The most efficient form the personal transport is walking next is the bicycle. The most inefficient is the car.

To benefit from the first two then you'll probably have to move house - closer to work and other essential amenities.

Sadly we have become a commuter society for many aspects of what we do so if we opt for that way of life then we have to be prepared to pay the price. Yes you may be able to reduce your costs of doing so but in the end it's still gonna cost you.

I am constantly being surprised watching people making unecessary journeys such as a run down to the shop for things they have run out of or to buy something a simple as a newspaper. Maybe a bit more planning in their lifestyle may actually reduce their travel costs.

In the short term checking the under bonnet levels and tyre pressures at least once a week would be an excellent place to start. After all under inflated tyres alone cost the UK motorist around £440 million a year. No matter what way you look at it - that's a lot of wasted fuel. That applies to all vehicles no matter what fuel they use.:)

[PumpkinSteve]

I generally don't drive unless I have a good reason. I use my car for work as I work night shift and there are no buses running, it's only an 8 mile round trip so not bad there. I usually have one big shopping trip per week on pay day and if I go into town I'll use the bus as I hate driving in heavy traffic, it makes me quite nervous as well as being annoying. Over the past 5 or so years my mileage has averaged 4500 miles per year, I think that's very reasonable

When I got my first car in 2005 I remember petrol costing 89p per litre.

[boozehound]

I remember when i had a 1.0 cdx yaris back in 2002 just when i passed my test, petrol was 71p a litre!

[Cyker]

Nooo, don't start that! All the old people will start chipping in with their 'Eee bai gum, in mah day 'twas nine an' 'alf-pence fer a gallon o' 4-star!'

[jettech]

I think petrol is still to cheap with all that people driving their landrovers 300 yards to the shops to get a newspaper. When I look at them cycling or walking could do really good for them and NHS. I drive only when absolutely necessary.

[dwilson]

I returned to Toyota after an expensive but enjoyable time with a 3 litre petrol from another Japanese maker. I will save £400 on road tax, cheaper servicing, tyres and insurance, and way less petrol. I also have a more comfortable ride.

[OldSkoO1]

Nothing really. Its not worth trying. You could glide to a stop and maintain a steady speed but that could be canceled out by an unlucky serious of traffic light phases or roadworks.

Trying really hard may give you an extra 2 to 4 mpg which might be worth less than a fiver per tank if that.

If you use supermarket fuel the best thing you could do is fill up with a better fuel like Shell. That would probably give you better mpg for the same cost and no effort.

Otherwise just accept what your car will do.

[Jan&tone]

I generally don't drive unless I have a good reason. I use my car for work as I work night shift and there are no buses running, it's only an 8 mile round trip so not bad there. I usually have one big shopping trip per week on pay day and if I go into town I'll use the bus as I hate driving in heavy traffic, it makes me quite nervous as well as being annoying. Over the past 5 or so years my mileage has averaged 4500 miles per year, I think that's very reasonable

When I got my first car in 2005 I remember petrol costing 89p per litre.

!Removed! 'ell - 89p per litter!!!! I remember paying 4/6d - 22.5p. PER GALLON. !!!!!!!!

And the car that I put it in was a BMW Isetta bubble car, tank took exactly 1 gallon and I used to be able to get from south London to the Isle of Wight and back on one tank full.... Now THAT is economy!!

[Jan&tone]

And yes that does equate to about 160 mpg - 300cc motorbike engine top speed about 60mph

:)

[Aldridge Andy]

Now I work in Birmingham city centre, I've brought a 9 year old Ford KA for the commute, 47MPG and fantastic handling!

The Auris stays undercover, and out of harms way monday to friday.