High fuel consumption issues

Fly

Fly

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Joined
Jul 24, 2011
Messages
325
Location
Canada
Filled up today... I did about 16.7L/100km... possibly my worst tank ever.

I did not drive any special way. I do have my roof basket on so I'd expect a hit on mileage... but based on past experience... it's not THAT bad. There has to be something else...
 
Fly said:
Filled up today... I did about 16.7L/100km... possibly my worst tank ever.

I did not drive any special way. I do have my roof basket on so I'd expect a hit on mileage... but based on past experience... it's not THAT bad. There has to be something else...
Click to expand...

16.7 is horrible even for a turno engine. Led foot?
 
^^^ Fly, that is so bad that it has to be a measurement error - i.e. you accidentally didn't fill it "to the line"; or the pump has cut out WAY too early.

I have had both happen to me on quite a number of occasions - usually scares the socks off me wondering what the heck I've done!

I'll bet that the next fill you'll get fantastic mileage!

Under the precautionary principle, you could also check your fuel tank and all lines to make certain that you haven't sprung a leak somewhere ... :(.
 
Fly said:
Filled up today... I did about 16.7L/100km... possibly my worst tank ever.
Click to expand...

blanket25 said:
16.7 is horrible even for a turbo engine. Led foot?
Click to expand...
That is bad :madred: Even when I drive my Forry (MY05XT) hard it's never that bad.

There's something wrong there for sure.
Perhaps Ratbag's right re; a calculating / measurement error.

You'll have to let us know what it is when you fill up next.
Hopefully it's a lot better.

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Half that tank was very short distances (about 10km) going to/coming back from uni. I try to do i on my bike as much as I can but when it gets under 0 or heavy rain... it's not as fun on the bike :P

Perhaps a bit on left foot, but definitely not that much. Looking at my Fuelly, I've always been quite a bit over most others (I average about 12, lowest I've done on a long highway travel was 9). I was hoping changing the catalytic converter would help, which I did last spring (for an OEM used one, though less used than mine). It didn't change much :(
 
Fly said:
Filled up today... I did about 16.7L/100km... possibly my worst tank ever.

I did not drive any special way. I do have my roof basket on so I'd expect a hit on mileage... but based on past experience... it's not THAT bad. There has to be something else...
Click to expand...

I did a granny drive eco run on mine as a test and got 501 km out of a tank to the first dry choke, but usually I get 350 -400 km out of a tank, sometimes just 300 km.

Yours seems about normal and yes I have a roof basket as well! :poke:
 
Fly said:
Perhaps a bit on left foot, but definitely not that much. Looking at my Fuelly, I've always been quite a bit over most others (I average about 12, lowest I've done on a long highway travel was 9).
Click to expand...
Mine's also a little high, when compared to what others on here get also.
I've been averaging low to mid 11's (lts / 100km's) for the past 6 or so mths.

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
PigSti said:
I did a granny drive eco run on mine as a test and got 501 km out of a tank to the first dry choke, but usually I get 350 -400 km out of a tank, sometimes just 300 km.

Yours seems about normal and yes I have a roof basket as well! :poke:
Click to expand...
That tank it was about 280km... and yes it was completely full....

And I don't know how "normal" it is, looking at the others on Fuelly (with 35 the sampling is small, but still), mine is *literally* the worst!

https://www.fuelly.com/car/subaru/forester/2002/all

Counting the 2001s I'm not the worst anymore, but close...
https://www.fuelly.com/car/subaru/forester/2001/all
 
^ That's pretty dreadful, Fly.

My very, very best around town is about 10L/100 kms (28.2 mpg UK).

My very worst is around 13 (21.7 mpg UK).

I probably average around 11.5L/100 kms (24.6 mpg UK).

With a pretty un-aerodynamic roof basket that is more like 12L (avg.) around town, and the noise drives me crazy - so the roof basket lives in my trailer. I do leave the aero bars on Roo2 all the time.

Most of my town driving is going to the shops and such like. Less than 5 kms each way.

The open road is quite a different story. Sitting on CC at around 100-110 kmh, I get about 7.3-7.5L/100 kms (37.7-38.7 mpg UK). That's with the bars, but no basket.

Now I know that the 2006+ has a much better sorted engine than the earlier 2.5L models, but I find it hard to believe that it's that much different!
 
Fly, what service are you due for... Like has it been awhile since your plugs were done? And... What sort of fuel do you use?
 
Regular fuel. Octane is 87 I believe. They've probably switched to winter fuel (not exactly sure when they do it) for the last few weeks which means more ethanol content than summer fuel. By law, there's a maximum of 10% ethanol.

I did the 225 000km service in June if I remember right, but major services between 205 and 225 000 were missed because... I'm dumb :/ That june service did cover EVERYTHING that should've been done since 205k, and not just the 225 specified in the service manual; plugs were changed.
 
Fly, I don't know the technicalities, I just know how the engine in both of our cars "sounds". Usually if everything is cricket when the car is warm, the guage on the idle thingo sits just below 1 (000r/m). I have noticed it both cars... Scooby (95 Liberty) and Scooby2 (2000 Outback) that if that needle fluctuates and the engine kindof "pulses" at idle, there is something wrong, and this usually affects the mileage.

In Scooby, I had dramas when I experimented and used 2 tanks of fuel with 10% ethanol only in between alot of other straight unleaded fuel. Cost me $s that it shouldn't have, and I was advised not to use fuel with ethanol in it, I don't and haven't had a problem since. Always a nice "even" idle. Scooby2 I run mostly premium with the odd tank of unleaded if premium is exorbitant. The logic behind this is although the fuel cost is more, I actually get more mileage per tank and less mechanical dramas. 280kms for a tank of fuel would have me most definitely investigating why. Could be as simple as a secondary fuel filter if you missed the services you said.... praps check the parts supplied on the major service.. that will tell you if both or only one was done.
 
Ratbag,

north American Ron ratings are different to ours. 87 in na is actually a little higher than aus 91.

Fly

I was wondering about the fuel mix as Canada is alot colder than here, ethanol while stopping fuel and lines freezing up. Also gives ime up to 15% worse economy. I wouldn't worry fly just check economy over another 2 or 3 tanks, probably just a bad run.

EDIT: not different ron rates actualy, north america use's aki which is the adverage of the RON and MON ratings https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Octane_rating
 
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^^ Thanks for that, Id.
I recalled this from a long time ago, but could find nothing about it online, so assumed that with the change from "octane" to "RON" that the difference had been eradicated.

^ A good point, S2.

I really should collect up all the recent posts on this subject and move them to their own thread. The points made deserve not to be lost in this thread in the fullness of time. Will see how things pan out tomorrow :iconwink:
 
Ever thought of putting in the 2WD only fuse and running only on front wheel drive? This should bump up the economy by a heap!
 
So would buying a Corolla ... :puke:

FTM, may as well, if one is going to restrict one's self to FWD ... :lol: :poke: :raspberry:
 
I bought once Avgas rated 100 octane Ethanol mixed unleaded at my local airport service station. The car still had trouble pulling with it!

Now I just go religiously with Aussie 95 Ron: no pinging, no hunting, no kidding.
 
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