Hello everyone


I'm interested in finding out what people are doing in order to increase the fuel economy of their S-types. With fuel prices being what they are the moment this is an increasingly important topic for me and I imagine that I am not the only one.

I have come across a few ideas including increasing tyre pressure and checking regularly. I have seen a number of modification chips and wonder whether anyone has experience in using one like this: 40 BHP ECU CHIP & FUEL SAVER

I'm aware that a lot of fuel economy can be saved by improved driving technique but to the S-type is a thirsty car and I wondered whether anyone had any interesting ideas. I have the 3 L V6 version of the car which is probably not as thirsty as some but I still weep when I go to the petrol station all too regularly.

I look forward to hearing your ideas.

Sam

 

Sorry. I meant to say that I still weep when I go to the petrol station above. What I've written above doesn't make sense and I can't work out how to edit it. Serves me right trying to use dictation. Sorry again.

 

I wouldn't be remotely inclined to let a fifty quid chip that claims 40bhp increase and reduced MPG anywhere near my engine! If it sounds too good to be true, it probably ain't true...

To answer your question though, the general principles apply - less right foot, regular maintenance, correct tyre pressures, turn the a/c off, keep the windows shut, shift up as early as possible, coast up to red lights, etc etc.

Or just say screw it and have fun

 

Fixed it for you.
I'll let others comment on the chip, there was a guy who posted here some time ago who was big on fuel efficency, and made all kinds of mods including filling in the wheel arches etc.
I'll have a dig for his posts later.

 

Sam, Pete laid it out in a nut shell.... Fresh air and oil filters, fresh oil and correct viscosity, 38 lbs in the tyres, etc. and reasonable driving style.

 

You may want to go to the new members introduction section and post there. The mods frequently upgrade new members so that they can edit their own posts.

The chip that you found is 100% snake oil as are all the other 'miracles in a box' so save your money. There is no magic solution to improving fuel consumption on this or any car, it's part of the price of having a relatively large and heavy luxury sedan.

 

Pretty much any modification you read about on here that is designed to increase horsepower will also increase fuel mileage as well. That is IF you maintain your driving style. These improvements usually relate to allowing better air flow both in and out of the engine. Unless you go to larger injectors, etc., you should see better fuel consumption figures. The formula equates to making the same hp at lower rpms.

 

Thanks guys. The reason I posted that chip is that there are a lot of chips out there that improve power and I wondered whether there was a similar range that might work to improve fuel economy. I had a feeling that particular ship wouldn't be all it was cracked up to be but it helps to stimulate the debate and I would be interested to hear what else you're doing in order to make the Jaguar go as far as possible.

Sam

 

As has already been pointed out, the concepts of maximizing your fuel economy remain the same they've always been. Careful acceleration, careful braking, keep your tire pressures up and checked frequently, keep your vehicle well-maintained, use cruise control on the highways, and remove as much unneeded weight as you possibly can. Mostly it's all about common sense. That never changes, regardless of the various chips that are frequently touted as the latest and greatest improvements known to the automotive world....

 

I'm not certain about the cruise control, it will accelerate up a hill much harder than I normally would.

 

The device you refer to is merely an expensive variable resistor.It modifies the intake air temperature reading,making the air appear colder(a bit more fuel and a bit more power) or hotter(a bit less fuel and less power).Save your money and use it for some of the things mentioned above.

 

If you are interested in optimum fuel economy, do regular tune ups, keep tires inflated and keep it under 100 mph.

 

Hi, I'm the fuel economy buff that the other posters have mentioned. I have a lifetime fuel economy of over 28 mpg for my 2000 3L SE with a best single tankfill of over 36 mpg. I use driving techniques, good maintenance and some mild aerodynamic modifcations to achieve this. Jon and Pete are correct in their advice as well as the others who advised against buying a performance chip. Do a search for "fuel economy" or check out some of my previous posts for more information.

I've shifted most of my fuel economy efforts from cars to motorcycles and have been competing in fuel economy competitions for the past year. I have a best tankfill of 136 mpg for my 1999 Kawasaki Ninja 250 and I had the third best performance at the 2012 Carmel Vetter Challenge.

 

Very cool.

 

Remember to use a/c about 10mins a week or expect a big cost in fixing it!

 

I did an experiment last year in 30 degree C temps to measure how much impact the AC had on fuel consumption. It is true that considerable energy is required to cool a hot, heat soaked cabin down to a reasonable temp, but once this is achieved, the energy required to maintain a constant level is negligible. I could not measure any consistent difference, system on or system off.

 

Run your HVAC system on a regular basis. Your checkbook balance will remain much higher as a result. Both of our Jaguars have their HVAC systems on at all times (unless the top is down in the XK8)....

 

YOU?

 

Yeah, I here people say this too but ...

I think people generally are in and out of the pedal a lot more if it's not on.

So YOU"RE the guy who slows way down going up a hill. Us cruise control types hate guys like you ...

 

Bear in mind that cruise control can also be a cause of great frustration to other drivers.

There are many people who absolutely will not touch their cruise control once set because they don't really understand it. As a result, they pull out to pass any vehicle that is going 1 mph slower than their magical speed and then stay in the passing lane for whatever number of hours it takes to pass at a snails pace.

Once they have managed to actually get past, they figure that someone else might cause them to slow down again, so they come to the brilliant conclusion that they should stay in the passing lane forever.

The fact that there is now a five mile long conga line of vehicles behind them is excused by the fact that they are already at the posted limit. It matters not that someone else may have some other preferred cruising speed.

Real driving does not include cruise control, stereos, dvd players or cell phones.