BX long distance travelling

[Philip Chidlow]

I agree - although the GTi Auto was relatively quiet- the diesels are noisy. I must confess removing the constrictive air box and replacing it with a cone filter and putting a SS Cituning back box on my current BX haven't helped

[Thread Bear]

Being an old fart, I like to hear my engine. So no music in the car. Its the sound that tells you where you can save, keeping the engine on the edge of its performance without straying into openning up the power to cover an error in reading the road. it is this positive feedback of car, roadcraft, car that offers the really high mpg figures. I enjoy the challenge just as much as a balls out blatt down some favourite lane. But I take your observation that excessive drone is tiring. I find road-noise rather tiresome on the BX, rather than the engine noise. Probably a product of its light weight - minimal sound deadening. I would add that, again, tyres make a difference and mine are cheapos.

[Tinkley]

Interesting that Hilary has noted a fuel usage difference with tyre change. This definitely does happen, but as I have nearly always run the Michelins, it's hard for me to measure. Pretty sure the Nankings' used more fuel though, and can definitely say the old Goodyear gt70s' were hellish loud tyres to run. Never again, but had no choice at time. Latest Energy Mich's are very quiet, for me the crap door seal at ear level is the loudest annoying noise!

[KevR]

My BX TD estate spends half its life pootling around locally, and the other half doing regular 1000 mile round trips back to Blighty usually heavily loaded in at least one direction. On the long trips, unless I'm in a hurry, it averages about 50mpg. Like Thread Bear I don't usually have much music in the car - I prefer to hear what's going on. Although since I fitted a cheapo rear silencer it now makes a horrible farty noise on boost, which is irritating. Otherwise, it's a great car for distance work.

[Kitch]

I covered 70 miles in BAH last night, and managed to briefly nudge 130mph (on the dial, obv) up a hill. I think I put fuel in it too, but the gauge still shows empty

[Tinkley]

Portsdown Hill? Must have been a bit obvious at the Churchillian......

[Kitch]

Portsdown Hill? Must have been a bit obvious at the Churchillian......

130mph down there? Even if I was willing, the car wouldn't be!

For the (off) record, something similar could be achieved by crossing the bridge over the river as it enters Swanwick at around 105mph (and with nobody else in sight) on the M27 and then coming off at Segensworth after the long slug up the hill

[Russ]

Just reading this thread about fuel consumption and yes I do agree that the cheapo tyres are bad for noise and mpg. I put some serious budget tyres on my old Leader and it was awful. Nowadays I do roughly 600 miles a week in my TZD and it costs me a little over £50 which I think is great. Plus it's always full of tools and stuff and I don't hand around! That must be somewhere near 57mpg surely. Oh I'm on Michelins too

[KevR]

I've certainly never had anything like 57mpg out of mine! Easy mental calculation to make as you're filling up - 45mpg is within a gnat's wotsit of 10miles/litre, so if for example I'm putting in less than 60 litres for 600 miles (or 53 litres for 530 or whatever) then it's over 45mpg and that's a good thing. 50mpg is more or less 11 miles/litre, so unless I'm feeling more than unusually dim I can work out that 55 litres for 600 miles is about 50mpg.

[Kitch]

I've certainly never had anything like 57mpg out of mine! Easy mental calculation to make as you're filling up - 45mpg is within a gnat's wotsit of 10miles/litre

That's exactly how I work it. I've also never had anything like those figures from any XUD, even the n/a models in a ZX or 306. Only in a 106 diesel did I once achieve 54mpg, click to click (filled once, drove 140miles, filled again and only managed to fit around 9.5L (I know I spent a tenner, but can't remember how much fuel that was back then!)
Best I've got in BX diesels was The Estate, which I think peaked at around 48mpg. Well inline with book figures and I know it was in good health - it even exceeded the power figures on the dyno

[KevR]

If I stay away from motorways and I'm not in a hurry it makes a big difference. For example when I go 180-odd miles from here to Dieppe for the ferry to Newhaven it's often the middle of the night, and I trundle along the A-roads at 50-55mph, then when I top up before getting on the ferry it's usually around 50mpg. Then when sucked into UK motorway driving it tends to drop to about 45. If my wife's driving, she usually gets at least 50mpg, but I'm not sure she's every been sure what the right hand pedal's actualy for, or maybe her legs just aren't long enough to give it a good prod....
I know what you mean about 106 diesels - when we got ours, we were very happy when it appeared to manage 60mpg on the first tank, but I've since discovered the speedo over-reads by about 5%...

[Kitch]

I know what you mean about 106 diesels - when we got ours, we were very happy when it appeared to manage 60mpg on the first tank, but I've since discovered the speedo over-reads by about 5%...

Oh yes, of course! That reminded me mine had a trip meter issue. I remember when I first got it, I was getting around 60 miles to the equivalent of 10L of diesel, and remember thinking "Wow! This is really shit!" And then a couple of weeks later, I realised the trip meter was out of sync with the odometer, and that when it said 60 miles it was actually turning at half speed, so around 120.

And.......in writing all that (literally while writing all that) I've realised it wasn't the 106 diesel, it was the 205 1.8D n/a I had, with about 300,000 miles on it. The 106 was fine, it was the 205 with the dicky trip counter.

And....further to that, I've remembered I did hit 53mpg in that car once, running on neat veg oil. So that obviously blows my XUD statement to shit too

I've had lots of cars, I forget the details. I'll get me coat.....

[Thread Bear]

I have my old git mileage book . In which goes each fuel purchase, mileage, service etc. I can be very sure about consumption. It really does pay to have good tyres, pressures, good bearings, no drag on the brakes and to drive in an economic way. On a run, not in a hurry or not in a situation where you cannot realistically drive in eco mode. The Saloon/Hatchback, which is it, is more economical than the Estate. Its lighter and more aerodynamic. It seems to be worth about 1 1/2 MPG, ave. The Estate TZD Turbo will give 54 mpg round here. To be better than that is to start to become slower than the trucks . I have done it as an experiment but its not very enjoyable being tailgated by all comers, so I tend not to drive like that. I have a reputation for high cornering speeds. This is a hangover from driving small cars and two strokes where any breaking is 'a bad thing'. Thus I aim to maintain my momentum round corners and I touch the brakes as little as possible at any time, rather, I try and be in the right gear and speed for what is about to happen.

For top figures. No open windows or roof, drag. No excess loads on the engine. Lights, Air con, blower etc. Drag via charging. No LHM issues, Drag via LHM pump. Etc etc. No excess weight (Joke, as I am a fat bugger ). Really passengers should be made to pay a small surcharge for the extra fuel used. Get that junk out of the boot! On the diesel for sure, good quality exhaust. Cheap ones have poor build you can see, wasted deformation where pipes are bent, so whats in the silencer? The back pressure on a cheap 1.9 system is very bad. It really needs the 1.7 exhaust to breath. I think the later front air splitter is better, but I have not quantified that. Some wheel trims are better than others. The half/half TZD are rather good. No trim at all is bad. Of course filters and service. Diesels love it, and a bit of veggie to keep the tubes clean.

Coo eck, I want my BX on the road now . The Trooper is kind of anti most of that! 30 mpg an a good day.

Top hate. People who always stop at roundabouts, even when the road is obviously clear. Those same drivers almost always have no idea of the size of their vehicle, or what is correct road positioning. Often to be seen with lights full on, middle lane, doing about 56 mph oblivious to the rest of creation. Total bloody menace to forward progress, but you have to give them plenty of room, as they are not aware of what is going on. Yet I cannot recall ever seeing a BX do this. Tends to be nasty things like Nissan Micra, Ford Fester and Matiz. (time was they had BMC 1100, BL Allegro and so on). Cost me my MPG figures, they do. So banning those folk would save the country a lot of fuel! CASE SOLVED

[Kitch]

The Saloon/Hatchback, which is it,

Hatchback

[Tinkley]

I've certainly never had anything like 57mpg out of mine! Easy mental calculation to make as you're filling up - 45mpg is within a gnat's wotsit of 10miles/litre

That's exactly how I work it.

Same here, how many miles per litre - makes good sense and the cost is self evident.

Trick with the twin choke petrols is to use the second choke as little as possible if you want really good economy. Just have to learn to live with marginally slower (but steady) acceleration right on the edge of opening it. In top gear, the second choke usually opens around 75-80mph depending on incline of road.

I know that M27 bit you hypothetically used for BAH.....now going down the hill, it might hypothetically achieve a greater speed......
What does she give on the Dyno?