Well over the past 5 trips out weve been experimenting trying to improve the MPG whilst towing.
The reason for the experiment was we were only getting around 26 mpg from a mondeo tdci 130 6 speed pulling a 1400kg van. Could only use 5th gear as 6th at 60 indicated on the CAR speedo revs were too low to keep it going and had to keep gear changing thus impeeding mpg even more.
Tried to reduce speed to get revs down in 5th but doing around 50 mph to achieve that, didnt like that speed as being passed by lorrys all the time is rather uncomfortable. but did achieve 30mpg as an average, so knew we could get more than the 26mpg we had been recording.
Then we found the optimum speed in 6th to get good mpg. If we travel at 62 mph as indicated on the cars speedo, we can cruse at this speed in 6th gear manually or on cruse without many gear changing and the return is fab, we have been getting the past 3 trips 34/35 mpg.
Now before anybody tells me it is irrisponsible to speed our satalite device in the car indicates that our speed fluctuats between 59 and 60, the outfit sits very steady at this speed and as we have always done, slow down to around 50/55 for steep and or long decents. (we have seen far too many overturned caravans at the bottom of hills in the past few years)
This has been with the majority of motorway driving, as when we are on A roads the speed is reduced to a max of 50 and alot of the time less.
The reason for the experiment was we were only getting around 26 mpg from a mondeo tdci 130 6 speed pulling a 1400kg van. Could only use 5th gear as 6th at 60 indicated on the CAR speedo revs were too low to keep it going and had to keep gear changing thus impeeding mpg even more.
Tried to reduce speed to get revs down in 5th but doing around 50 mph to achieve that, didnt like that speed as being passed by lorrys all the time is rather uncomfortable. but did achieve 30mpg as an average, so knew we could get more than the 26mpg we had been recording.
Then we found the optimum speed in 6th to get good mpg. If we travel at 62 mph as indicated on the cars speedo, we can cruse at this speed in 6th gear manually or on cruse without many gear changing and the return is fab, we have been getting the past 3 trips 34/35 mpg.
Now before anybody tells me it is irrisponsible to speed our satalite device in the car indicates that our speed fluctuats between 59 and 60, the outfit sits very steady at this speed and as we have always done, slow down to around 50/55 for steep and or long decents. (we have seen far too many overturned caravans at the bottom of hills in the past few years)
This has been with the majority of motorway driving, as when we are on A roads the speed is reduced to a max of 50 and alot of the time less.