Recently bought a mk3 polo with a fueling problem and it turned out to be the lambda sensor.

I wanted to know if anyone had any tricks / tips on achieving better fuel economy?

(I know pumping up the tyres loads and getting rid of any excess weight in the car helps)

driving like a granny everywhere

regular servicing, tracking etc.

I hadnt thought about tracking, thanks!

Gearing gear at the correct rpm, slowing ingauging.

Drive with half power when engine is cold.

Sitting 55/60 on motorways.

Regular oil changes/servicing so car is always running perfect.

The list could go on..

Changing gear at correct rpm***

Sorry for spelling mistake

red line it in every gear and do at least 70mph everywhere.

red line it in every gear and do at least 70mph everywhere.

The faster you get to where you are going the less fuel you have used..... simple.

I heard that running the engine in a gear where its lowest at its RPM before it starts labouring will maximise fuel economy. Supposedly because you're getting the highest speed for the lowest reasonable revs. Might be BS though.

I remember reading some where, that if you nail it in every gear to 3k Rpm then change its ment to be more economical that the granny style.

Dont know how much truth is in it like.

leave it in gear when slowing down not neutral

Plan ahead, take your time, don't get wound up/angry behind the wheel, leave plenty of time for your journey.

One other thing that NO-ONE seems to do...speeding up uses the most fuel, so if you know what speed you want to sit at, get there as quick as possible.

Taking 12 seconds to get to 60 and sitting there is much better than taking up to a minute to get to 60 like alot of people seem to do.

Walk.

leave it in gear when slowing down not neutral

This isn't always the case though. Consider for instance a long gentle gradient downhill - with the clutch down the car might be using fuel to idle the engine, but there's a good chance with the gradient that you'll be able to maintain speed. With the car in gear you will be wasting a lot of that energy to engine braking and might then have to engage the throttle earlier to keep up your speed. I'll ignore increased clutch wear cost factor.

I'm sure there's room for a scientific study on the topic

fuel economy is for gays!

I'll ignore increased clutch wear cost factor.

You could pull out of gear without the clutch, not sure how good for the gearbox that is though.

Edited 11 October, 201114 yr by MattLoaf

As said before, allow plenty of time for the journey and try and minimise harsh acceleration or braking and you should be ok

leave it in gear when slowing down not neutral

This isn't always the case though. Consider for instance a long gentle gradient downhill - with the clutch down the car might be using fuel to idle the engine, but there's a good chance with the gradient that you'll be able to maintain speed. With the car in gear you will be wasting a lot of that energy to engine braking and might then have to engage the throttle earlier to keep up your speed. I'll ignore increased clutch wear cost factor.

I'm sure there's room for a scientific study on the topic

if your going down a hill just leave it in fifth?your not gonna get much engine braking from that tbh

if your going down a hill just leave it in fifth?your not gonna get much engine braking from that tbh

Horses for courses - there will be a tipping point where dipping the clutch will be more economical than leaving it in gear. Which is why there's room for a study

Clutch wear - I'd be more concerned about wear when lifting the pedal again.

if your going down a hill just leave it in fifth?your not gonna get much engine braking from that tbh

Horses for courses - there will be a tipping point where dipping the clutch will be more economical than leaving it in gear. Which is why there's room for a study

Clutch wear - I'd be more concerned about wear when lifting the pedal again.

if you match the revs correctly then let the clutch out, clutch wear would be minimal as well as reducing strain on the gearbox.

what if your going down a long long hill at motorway speeds. what's stopping you taking it out of gear and turning engine off?

Edited 11 October, 201114 yr by polo45

if your going down a hill just leave it in fifth?your not gonna get much engine braking from that tbh

Horses for courses - there will be a tipping point where dipping the clutch will be more economical than leaving it in gear. Which is why there's room for a study

Clutch wear - I'd be more concerned about wear when lifting the pedal again.

if you match the revs correctly then let the clutch out, clutch wear would be minimal as well as reducing strain on the gearbox.

what if your going down a long long hill at motorway speeds. what's stopping you taking it out of gear and turning engine off?

well if you was to turn the engine off at 70mph your steering lock would most likely come on, your brakes wouldn work properly as your servo wouldnt be on, and really cant be good for your engine and transmission full stop

I heard that running the engine in a gear where its lowest at its RPM before it starts labouring will maximise fuel economy. Supposedly because you're getting the highest speed for the lowest reasonable revs. Might be BS though.

Not true. The idea is to use as little throttle as possible (or safe to do so) and use the gears accordingly. The more you've got your foot down, the more fuel you're using, so if you've got it in 5th at 20mph you may be at low rpm but you'd have to have your foot right down which would use lots of fuel rather than very light throttle in say, 3rd gear.

Avoid slowing down quickly, leave plenty of space in front of you so you can accelerate as much as is needed then use engine braking to slow down.

Edited 11 October, 201114 yr by Polo Will

One other thing that NO-ONE seems to do...speeding up uses the most fuel,

Especially in a MK3 as it takes so much effort! In all seriousness, maintaining a constant speed is probably the most important, not necessarily the speed itself. So many people are on/off the accelerator or just apply too much and find themselves speeding up over a few miles which all wastes fuel. When maintaining your constant speed, you want the absolute minimum throttle required to do so. Sounds simple but few people seem able to do it. Apply this basic principal and staying at 60-65, I can get 50-53mpg out of my 4 speeder without fail.

The rate at which you get there always seems to spark a debate but I’ve tried brisk and slow and couldn’t see much of a difference between them.

I'd advocate leaving it in gear when doing downhill. Not only is better driving practice but as long as the engine is being turned by the wheels, you wont be using fuel (mk3's have an overrun cutoff).

Fuel choice; I don't know about anyone else but I get a difference between certain brands. Jet used to give good running but poor economy but Shell is the other way on.

Other than that, it's the usual basic stuff regarding servicing and maintenance together with your typical journey type. You’ll never get good economy from urban driving.

if your going down a hill just leave it in fifth?your not gonna get much engine braking from that tbh

Horses for courses - there will be a tipping point where dipping the clutch will be more economical than leaving it in gear. Which is why there's room for a study

Clutch wear - I'd be more concerned about wear when lifting the pedal again.

yeahh of course you have to take that in concideration, but at slow speeds you can usually find a gear that will suit the road speed nicely

fuel economy is for gays!

And people with mortgages, lol.

Woah comments coming in fast, all things to think about! In general I do most of the above.