Soon to be newbiw questions

[neevo]

Uncertain if this is the correct placve to post these questions as there are so many sections here - used to a fair fewer on teh jeep forum!

Main issue is mileage! I went to look at a suzi but it was a bit too rusty/damaged and ended up putting a deposit on a 2 litre Frontera to collect this coming week but a quick check on Parkers sacred me! 23mpg What are teh most effective means of getting a better figure from experience?
Firstly I intend dropping it into a garage for an oil/antifreeze/fluids change and will get teh oil filter done and maybe plugs. I am debating whether a K&N filter will get me more mpg or just affect the take-up of the car - any opinions?
I've seen mentioned teh eco-tec thingy. I bought one eons ago for my cav but never got to fitting it thanks to a numpty that thought it safe to drive with a frosted & misted up window (rear ended me and wrote the cav off). If Ive already got it I think I might as well fit it but havent got the instructions anymore, can anyone give me a hint as to which pipe to attach it to (a photo would be really nice!).

What do you guys think of removing the spare and carrying a can of tyre stuffer for in case of a puncture? Does it make much of a differnce to mpg? I carry a spare and a can in my Cherokee cos I'm lazy and a can is easier than jacking it up!

Finally (at bluddy last you say!) any good, cheap winter tyres suitable for it? I think I would like the safety of a set as I can take a couple of routes to work one involving side roads that can attract ice or lots of snow and I know that many a car running on winters can stop safer than even a 4x4 on summers so advice would be appreciated.

Thanks

[markta]

its how you drive before my lwb fronty we had a swb 20i,we usually got around 60-70 mile for a tenner mind you that was a couple of years ago,i honestly dont think its any better or worse than my 2.3 diesal fronty,if you had a cavalier before then you're used to filling up hehe

[neevo]

The cav was nothing (even though it was a 2.5 V6) it was the volvo 850 T5 that was scary on fuel - 16mpg average around town! But ruining many a BMW drivers day leaving them in my wake was worth a pretty penny or two

My Jeep has been such fun that I havent needed to speed to enjoy driving again so I hope the frontera is similar. I've found that I have become a more considerate driver in a big heap than a fast saloon.

[Drift]

Hi, take a look through this section

http://fronteraowners.co.uk/v-web/bulle ... m.php?f=15

Removing the spare on a sport weight wise wouldn't help much and drag wise wouldn't help either as it has a flat back so wouldn't act like a parachute.

A good service is the way to go, the K+N wont make much difference in fuel.. in fact it will be worse as I used to have one on my old sport and it made it sound great, BUT you rev-ed more to hear the sound

Most guys got around 28mpg

Eco tech info here

http://www.fronteraowners.co.uk/info/ecotek.htm

But Im a bit skeptical, as if they where so good why didn't the makers fit them a minimal cost


Enjoy the site

[neevo]

Thanks for the links Drift.

Looked through teh first one a bit earlier but still trying to sort out what I need to know - hopefully nothing, it's going to be spot on when I get it!! (yeah right!)

Hated teh 2nd link mostly becasue I realised that I paid about £20 more for it 3 years or so ago than it costs now Following on to get the tech info though

I'a a skinflint and want to save every penny I can that's why I try and sace weight as shifting every extra kilo costs more petrol even if only a few drops. I even turn off my rear windows and interior fans as soon as possible so that I can save fuel - everything electrical puts a demand on teh alternator which is powered by teh fanbelt which is driven by the engine...is my thinking.

[Wilberforce]

Glad there's another ex Cavi V6 owner about, hehe...
I think I've gone the same way as you, in that I dont particularly feel the need to speed now. Get in the high 20's to about 30mpg from my motor, which doesnt sound brilliant, but I commute by pushbike, so it doesn't worry me unduly.

Drive the thing sensibly, and you'll be fine. Also, welcome to the club

[Drift]

Dam thought I was bad

Run without it, then fit it see if there is any change in consumption, the feed back would be handy

[neevo]

You probably are bad Drift! It's just that I'm worse

Good ideas about the eco. Will have to try that, I'll get a notepad and make some notes on fuel consumption. To be consistent I may have to break a rule and fill her up. I usually put in only half a tank max - to save weight!! I even fill up at night as it's colder so the fuel is denser and you get more bang for your bucks, mind you I put veg oil in the Jeep diesel...


Scrooge is my hero

[Drift]

[nitromotor]

Its OK I have a friend that doesn’t turn on his lights until he ‘has to’ to save the bulbs, he was one for watching the pennies, and he’s now living comfortably.

[Sir-Doris]

Hi and welcome! Right now then. When I first bought my 2.2 Petrol LWB 5 years ago the thought of fuel consumption never really entered my mind. So I scoured the web for fuel saving idea. 2 that kept popping up were the Hiclone and the eco-tec. So, being a bit anal I first bought a Hiclone. filled the tank, reset my milo-meter and did my usual running around until my fuel light stayed on constantly, did this 3 times to get an average. Lowest was 372 miles per tank, highest was 427 miles per tank, averaged 399.6 miles per tank. (bearing in mind the routes i would have taken were virtually the same 5 days a week and I wasnt running till the fuel ran out, just till the warning light came on constantly and didnt flicker when going around corners etc) I then installed it, filled the tank, reset the milo-meter and off i went doing my normal 5 day runs. Lowest was 370, highest was 429. Average over these 3 runs was 399.67 miles per tank. So virtually no change. I did think that there was an increase in torque, but that may have been the fact that I really wanted it to work cause I had just shelled out 70 quid for it. Anyway, another 70 odd quid later and I had an ecotek, with pipercross silencer/filter doohickey. took about ten mins to install and set up. did the same 3 runs with both devices installed. and my average was still around the 400 miles per tank region. I now dont have either installed and as far as I can see i still average 400 miles till the fuel light stays on constantly. in my opinion save yourself some money and buy a tank and a half of fuel or so.

This is just my opinion from personal experience, others may have different experiences with other vehicles etc.

Had to edit because I forgot to mention that the ecotek makes a nasty squeeling/whining/tortured deer sort of noise when you let go of the accelerator.

[MSI64]

Bought my fronty from a guy off E bay He told me he got 35mpg out of it.
Was kind of dubious but He wasnt lying at all, It runs slightly hot but he said it was normal after tuning.
Have had no problems at all with it.
Regardless of MPG once you get in your Fronty trust me you wont want another 4X4 (I know as Im an EX Landrover owner )

[micktheshed]

To potentialy save fuel/gain small amount of umph: easy way to reduce weight (& gain some cargo space!) is to remove rear seats. I made up a cover for cargo area (to hide my camping gear) from an old tent & part of it's frame! Replace seat hinge pins with screws for rapid refit. As my 2L has minimal cargo space & I only use it as a 2 seater this made sence.
The only 'gimmick' that I have proven to work (in over 40 years tinkering) is the Carbonflow unit (see 'fuelcat' website). This effectively decokes the engine, improves valve seat condition (& therefore compression) reduces any excessive oil burning & gives around 5% better consumption-most noticable under heavy loads. More importantly it reduces emissions by around 50%, my fronty registers '0/0.1 CO2 with max 70 PPM (was several times worse when bought 58,000m ago). Am still using 20 year old unit in my curent astra! Am so confident in fuelcat that I have fitted one in all my family's cars over the past 20 years.