Practically Classics Forum

What annoys me is Nissan Micra drivers going about like Emerson Fittipaldi overtaking all and sundry because they can boast a high mpg! Aaah!

And the amazing thing is they're always NUNS!

I glanced briefly at the Sunday Express (Mother liked to read it) and there's the threat of a 50MPH limit to save fuel.

I well remember the 70's speed limit that was for the same reason - just as well as I remember that most people ignored it!

TriumphDriver wrote:

You really believe HMG will leave it like that?
remember diesel used to be cheaper too....

Diesel is more expensive now because there is greater demand globally (not just because of extra duty). Even "red diesel" (Reduced Duty) is much more expensive compared to the increase in petrol over the last five or ten years. I couldn't believe how much heating oil has gone up in four or five months (since we last had the tank filled) - and that's not due to duty!

Yes, LPG has increased in duty since it first became popular, but the rate of increase is much slower than that of petrol/diesel.

I use my classic every day to work and back and weekends all year round. It cost me nearly £90 to fill it last time and I do tend to be gentle on the right foot. It returns about 25 mpg overall which is not too bad but the price of fuel doesn't put me off using it as much as I can. My fiancee drives a diesel Fiesta that returns 60 mpg so for a 2 car family we average 42.5 mpg between us. That's my excuse anyway and I'm sticking to it

Willy Eckerslyke wrote:I may actually get around to removing the Rover P6's cooling fan and fitting an electric one,

I'm contemplating refitting mine for the summer as I cant get a big enough electric fan to keep the thing cool in Summer (without considerable modification to the front end etc). The extra 2 mpg or so that it uses is a fair swap for the reassurance of a cool engine in the middle of Summer

Dave

Fuel costs are starting to hit home - and hard... The Bentley managed 22 mpg driven softly so I can't complain there (both Saabs are off the road for restoration, the Sport because it came from a barn and the 95 because the local morons decided to trash it in the front garden so fuel is irrelevant for them right now!)
Where it IS hitting - and hard - is the big Green machines - the Stalwart manages 2.5 - thats right TWO point FIVE mpg on petrol and the OT-90 gets around 4.5 on diesel. Both are slow vehicles, the Stolly having a top road speed of 35 - 40 mph and the OT being tracked is limited by law to 20 mph so for long journeys - i.e more than 10 miles - a low loader has to be used. It was £1,000 to get to the W&P show last year (40 miles each way) and back. I'm dreading to think what it will be this year...

Dave3066 wrote:

Willy Eckerslyke wrote:I may actually get around to removing the Rover P6's cooling fan and fitting an electric one,

I'm contemplating refitting mine for the summer as I cant get a big enough electric fan to keep the thing cool in Summer (without considerable modification to the front end etc). The extra 2 mpg or so that it uses is a fair swap for the reassurance of a cool engine in the middle of Summer :D

Mine has half as many cylinders as yours, with the same radiator, so is less of a worry!
I'm surprised though that you can't find an electric one that'll do the job, after all the standard fan can't be that efficient, can it?

Willy Eckerslyke wrote:

Dave3066 wrote:

Willy Eckerslyke wrote:I may actually get around to removing the Rover P6's cooling fan and fitting an electric one,

I'm contemplating refitting mine for the summer as I cant get a big enough electric fan to keep the thing cool in Summer (without considerable modification to the front end etc). The extra 2 mpg or so that it uses is a fair swap for the reassurance of a cool engine in the middle of Summer

Mine has half as many cylinders as yours, with the same radiator, so is less of a worry!
I'm surprised though that you can't find an electric one that'll do the job, after all the standard fan can't be that efficient, can it?

The mechanical fan on the V8 is more than sufficient at keeping it cool, provided the cooling system is in good condition, which mine is, and I have a 3 core rad too. It also has the added benefit of circulating the air in the engine bay too, which helps with cooling and staving off the dreaded vapour lock. I took it off to see what effect it would have on the fuel usage and the power from the engine. To be honest it's been pretty minimal and I've had more hastle from trying to get a big enough electric fan to fit than it's been worth. I'm gonna try to improve power and efficiency in other ways now, such as refurbishing the carbs and giving it a decent tune. If I can get back to 25 mpg with the fan fitted I'll be happy

Dave