Good fuel figures ( but it took a while ! ) (1 Viewer)

Jaws

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Got an odd one

Now I am a mechanic.. Been around engines,spanners and the like most of my life, a good many years professionally ( weeeelllllllll .. making a living and pretending a lot ! LOL !) but in all honesty the logic of this beats me

How can a bloody diesel engine become MORE efficient as time goes by running nothing more than a modification to the fuel rail map ?
I could understand an improvement ( or otherwise ) at the time of fitting, but over a period ( looong period ) how can this be ?

Below is all the facts and figures but it is those very figures that prompted the question !




Last year an Newark I bought a widget from 'Talking of Cats' which was supposed to give me better MPG

In all honesty it did little .. In fact one run we did returned the worst figures since ownership!

I contacted Mark ( the owner ) of the firm and it quickly became apparent the unit I had was none too well !

He asked me to return it ( offering to pay costs ) so that a replacement could be issued.

Within a couple of days a new unit turned up with a note of apology and saying this one had an updated map on it.

Well it was fitted ( only takes moments ) and although it did make a difference it was very small and, to be honest, not really worth talking about.. Given the cost of the unit I would have had to do in excess of 200,000 miles before I broke even !!!!! :Eeek: ( figures gleaned from 4 tanks of diesel as that was the criteria and tests I did before going for the widget )

It has now been fitted for about 3500 miles ( approx 8 tank fulls ) and all of a sudden the MPG has risen to a worth while amount..

It has gone from 21 MPG to 25.5 MPG ( this has only been over the last tank full to be 100% honest, though it has been getting better and better as time has gone by )..

I thought I was just imagining it to start with but now it has got to the point where it is def NOT imaginary !!

Now then..
Point one... Anyone getting a unit from Talking of Cats can do so with a bit of confidence as Mark seemed genuinely concerned when I had a problem and very quickly got it sorted out

Point two.. While the results were slow coming they are very def. worth waiting for

All ballpark figures but.............

it works out for every £250 of fuel ( 3 fills near as dammit ) I am getting an extra 200 miles ( at 25mpg that is 8 gallons )
8 gallons is £40 so 18 or so fills ( that's about a years or maybe 18 months worth I suppose ) and I am breaking even.. after that I am saving lolly

Ok, so all of this is a bit esoteric and it is up to the individual as to whether it is worth it, but at least for me I think it will be ( and of course the unit can be removed and fitted to any replacement motorhome we change to if we suddenly get the urge )
 
Aug 27, 2009
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Got an odd one

Now I am a mechanic.. Been around engines,spanners and the like most of my life, a good many years professionally ( weeeelllllllll .. making a living and pretending a lot ! LOL !) but in all honesty the logic of this beats me
How can a bloody diesel engine become MORE efficient as time goes by running nothing more than a modification to the fuel rail map ?
I could understand an improvement ( or otherwise ) at the time of fitting, but over a period ( looong period ) how can this be ? Below is all the facts and figures but it is those very figures that prompted the question !Last year an Newark I bought a widget from 'Talking of Cats' which was supposed to give me better MPGIn all honesty it did little .. In fact one run we did returned the worst figures since ownership!I contacted Mark ( the owner ) of the firm and it quickly became apparent the unit I had was none too well !He asked me to return it ( offering to pay costs ) so that a replacement could be issued.Within a couple of days a new unit turned up with a note of apology and saying this one had an updated map on it.Well it was fitted ( only takes moments ) and although it did make a difference it was very small and, to be honest, not really worth talking about.. Given the cost of the unit I would have had to do in excess of 200,000 miles before I broke even !!!!! :Eeek: ( figures gleaned from 4 tanks of diesel as that was the criteria and tests I did before going for the widget ) It has now been fitted for about 3500 miles ( approx 8 tank fulls ) and all of a sudden the MPG has risen to a worth while amount..It has gone from 21 MPG to 25.5 MPG ( this has only been over the last tank full to be 100% honest, though it has been getting better and better as time has gone by )..
I thought I was just imagining it to start with but now it has got to the point where it is def NOT imaginary !!Now then..Point one... Anyone getting a unit from Talking of Cats can do so with a bit of confidence as Mark seemed genuinely concerned when I had a problem and very quickly got it sorted outPoint two.. While the results were slow coming they are very def. worth waiting for All ballpark figures but.............it works out for every £250 of fuel ( 3 fills near as dammit ) I am getting an extra 200 miles ( at 25mpg that is 8 gallons )8 gallons is £40 so 18 or so fills ( that's about a years or maybe 18 months worth I suppose ) and I am breaking even.. after that I am saving lollyOk, so all of this is a bit esoteric and it is up to the individual as to whether it is worth it, but at least for me I think it will be ( and of course the unit can be removed and fitted to any replacement motorhome we change to if we suddenly get the urge )

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawthorne_effect
:cry::cry::cry:
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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LOL !!

Couple of things wrong with that though..
This aint short term
And I do not prescribe to either that theory or Heisenberg's who reckons that merely observing an event ( even covertly ) will change the outcome.

It is all a little to way out there for me ! ::bigsmile:

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Sep 16, 2010
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Talking cats widget

Jaws. I know you posted this back in June but I was a vehicle Tech for 46 years and am intrigued by your findings. Could it be that the "crud" of past inefficient combustion took that long to burn off ? Mitch.
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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Ok.. since this was posted two things have happened

1) I ended up doing a total of 10k miles and had a year on year saving of £540 or there abouts

As to the original thing of it getting better and better.. It actually continued along that line and we ended up getting JUST 26.8mpg on the Croatian trip, so still no idea how or why it happens, it just does and I am very happy about it !

But...........

2) I took WOW! Tuning up on their very kind offer to do a remap and if they could not improve the figures remove said map and return my dosh at the next show.

So far, once again, I am very happy and to be honest a little shocked.
I really never expected an improvement on what is a pretty darned good MPG figure to start with.. yet so far ( only 1 tank full so early days ) I believe I am getting just under the 29MPG

If this continues I shall put the Torquing of Cats tuning box up for sale for about £100.00 and let someone else get the benefit ( basically I know it will work ok so am happy to flog it to someone I know or a member on here ::bigsmile:.. If it did not work I would put it on fleabay ! LOL !! )
 
Sep 16, 2010
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fuel consumption

Hi Jaws. Not familiar with your rig how heavy is it, what size of engine, how many gears and finaly, how much was WOW ?

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Jaws

Jaws

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2.8 JTD on a pug chassis.. It is 7 berth and usually sits at just under 4 tons fully laden .. BIG and HEAVY ! :Eeek: ::bigsmile:
Think is cost £240 ( show special price at Lincoln )
 

chrisboyo

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If it keeps getting better and better will it my tank overflow every 200 milles
:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:
Happy Daze
Chrisboyo
 

Bailey58

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Think is cost £240 ( show special price at Lincoln )[/QUOTE]

I suppose you've seen WOW's NEC refund offer:

Link Removed

It would have to be good unless you planned to go anyway! :Sad:

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Jaws

Jaws

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I saved £500 in a year .. Had NO idea NEC was so expensive !:ROFLMAO:
 

dazzer

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In these days of lower emissions and better mpg that the manufacturers like to shout about why dont manufacturers fit them as standard if they work so well??
 

Wow

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Morning Jaws,
That's great news, thanks for the feedback. I had high confidence that you would be happy and see an improvement, but I can now relax!!


Ok.. since this was posted two things have happened

1) I ended up doing a total of 10k miles and had a year on year saving of £540 or there abouts

As to the original thing of it getting better and better.. It actually continued along that line and we ended up getting JUST 26.8mpg on the Croatian trip, so still no idea how or why it happens, it just does and I am very happy about it !

But...........

2) I took WOW! Tuning up on their very kind offer to do a remap and if they could not improve the figures remove said map and return my dosh at the next show.

So far, once again, I am very happy and to be honest a little shocked.
I really never expected an improvement on what is a pretty darned good MPG figure to start with.. yet so far ( only 1 tank full so early days ) I believe I am getting just under the 29MPG

If this continues I shall put the Torquing of Cats tuning box up for sale for about £100.00 and let someone else get the benefit ( basically I know it will work ok so am happy to flog it to someone I know or a member on here ::bigsmile:.. If it did not work I would put it on fleabay ! LOL !! )

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scotjimland

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In these days of lower emissions and better mpg that the manufacturers like to shout about why dont manufacturers fit them as standard if they work so well??

I've also asked this question .. particularly about re mapping .. the answer normally given is that Fiat supply vans world wide to a wide variety of users so 'map' the ECU for an average white van man user anywhere in the world ..

But this to me is nonsense, it may have been the case years ago but today Fiat build and supply chassis specifically for motorhome converters in the European market .. so why are they not 'mapped' to give best performance and fuel economy?
 
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Wow

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Manufacturers might provide motorhome specials, but they are still based on the initial vehicle type approval standard, to offer a different power rating requires a whole new approval process, at massive cost.
I used to own a main dealership and the manufacturer offered a remapped special version, but this had to only be installed after the vehicle was registered and this rule was so serious that we could lose the franchise if we did it prior to registration, as the implications of forced re-approval were massive
Mercedes offer remaps through their Brabus scene, again this is after registration and at quite horrendous cost.

I've also asked this question .. particularly about re mapping .. the answer normally given is that Fiat supply vans world wide to a wide variety of users so 'map' the ECU for an average white van man user anywhere in the world ..

But this to me is nonsense, Fiat build and supply chassis specifically for motorhome converters in the European market .. so why are they not 'mapped' to give best performance and fuel economy?
 

keith

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I've also asked this question .. particularly about re mapping .. the answer normally given is that Fiat supply vans world wide to a wide variety of users so 'map' the ECU for an average white van man user anywhere in the world ..

But this to me is nonsense, Fiat build and supply chassis specifically for motorhome converters in the European market .. so why are they not 'mapped' to give best performance and fuel economy?

Or offer a remap as an extra?

Although I'm sure they could/would charge a lot more than other suppliers :Eeek:

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Snowbird

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Its a well known fact that diesel engines MPG improves as the engine loosens up,this does not happen in the first thousand miles but over many thousands of miles.The bigger the engine ,the longer it takes to loosen up.
I have been around diesel engines all my life and for many years involved in road haulage,so I have had to keep an eye on MPG.Truck engines dont give there best until they have covered at least 50000 so just maybe this has somthing to do with it.Am not saying remapping doesnt work,am saying its going to be a long time before it pays for itself with the relavently limited millage that motorhomes do.In todays cut throat market if a manufacturer could give better MPG than his competeter,am sure it would give him the edge and therefore he would fit it himself.IMO the right foot of the pilot has more to do with MPG than any of the thousands of gizmos that are on the market that are suposed to improve fuel economy.But as the man says....thats only my opinion.
 
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Jaws

Jaws

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Got to agree re tightness of engine and proly goes some way to explaining why my figures have steadily got better and better.. But I am a naturally mean git who almost always drives with a feather foot to try and get best gas miles.

My son in law had a remap done at Lincoln as well.. Three tank fulls so far and an average of almost 3mpg... and he has no concept of driving for economy ! :ROFLMAO:
 

philw111

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My son in law had a remap done at Lincoln as well.. Three tank fulls so far and an average of almost 3mpg
So how bad was his fuel consumption before?:ROFLMAO::ROFLMAO:

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Jaws

Jaws

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LOL !!! Ok ok !!
3mpg MORE than he was previously getting !
 

keith

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Its a well known fact that diesel engines MPG improves as the engine loosens up,this does not happen in the first thousand miles but over many thousands of miles.The bigger the engine ,the longer it takes to loosen up.
I have been around diesel engines all my life and for many years involved in road haulage,so I have had to keep an eye on MPG.Truck engines dont give there best until they have covered at least 50000 so just maybe this has somthing to do with it.Am not saying remapping doesnt work,am saying its going to be a long time before it pays for itself with the relavently limited millage that motorhomes do.In todays cut throat market if a manufacturer could give better MPG than his competeter,am sure it would give him the edge and therefore he would fit it himself.IMO the right foot of the pilot has more to do with MPG than any of the thousands of gizmos that are on the market that are suposed to improve fuel economy.But as the man says....thats only my opinion.

Have to agree with this. I have a 3 ltr Boxer and done 25,000 miles over 3 years, more than most I would suggest. To start with I was getting mid 20's mpg but recently I have seen it rise to over 30 mpg, even when towing, although I also drive carefully to conserve fuel.

Best yet was 35 mpg returning through southern France early this year but we were only tootling along.

So 30 days money back guarantee wont be a lot of use as it will take longer than that to decide if a remap does improve mpg.
 

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