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MG MGF Technical - Fuel Consumption

My F is now 1 yr old. I wouldn't consider myself to be an erratic driver but my consumption seems to be getting worse. I used to think I was getting avg consumption of 30mpg. I recently calculated this again to be 24.5!!! And this after it's 12 month service.

As for the type of driving I do, I must confess that it's mainly town driving and many short trips but I would still expect a figure closer to what it says in the manual.

Am I paranoid or are others of you suffering the same problem? Reply to this with your stories whether good or bad.
Beks

Now that my wife has taken over my VVC, the fuel consumption is noticeably worse - It gets about 280 miles a tank rather than the 330 I used to get.
This is all down to useage - she does short trips in heavy traffic, while I (used to!) do longer trips, mostly cross-country. A tankful is about 45 litres in this case.
Check your tyres pressures (and tyre wear), and try to use the car on some longer journeys. Check that the engine oil level is not above the max mark, and that the car can be pushed easily (i.e. the brakes are not binding)

Steve
Steve

I do very few short urban trips - mostly motorways and country roads - and I've usually managed over 400 on a tank (capacity is 50 litres; 11 gallons). Of course, once you get the hang of the VVC the revs do tend to go up, and consumpion figures down!

Sill seems a fairly drastic change though Beks.
Ed Clarke

Thanks Steve. I will make the various checks on the car (brakes, oil, tyres) but I'm not confident that my problem lies here. It's interesting that you mention the oil level though because I do recall it being very slightly overfilled (by the dealer) after the first 3000 mile service.

Ed, 400+ miles to the tank is only something I can dream of! I think the max I have ever had is about 350 - at a serious push and lots of motorway driving. Usually I'm getting an avg of 300! Pants!

I think the next step is reporting this to my dealer (yet again) as there is clearly something wrong. Trouble is, they're just going to blame on my driving style and the nature of my journeys.
Beks

I've read in the past that fuel consumption on the VVC engine gets better and better with age. If your car has low milage, this could be a reason.

Fitting K&N also improves fuel consumption, but not when you're enjoying the terrific sound it makes when you put your foot down!!

Cheers,

Daniel.
Daniel Ginger

With a K&N and relaxed motorway miles i can easily manage 350 without thinking about it.

i managed over 400 once before, i think i managed about 425.

Matt

I thought my mpg had dropped when I had the K&N fitted, but doing short journeys to school and back, 15 miles return trip through St. Helens, only gives about 26 mpg. However, a trip to Birmingham, including many very fast bits and some ridiculously slow crawling type bits, returned almost 40 mpg. I'm happy with that, considering a) it's only done 8.5K b)I love the sound of the K&N!

T25 MGF
Tillman Kleinhans

I too,have noticed a sharp decline in my range on a full tank,and increased consumption since i first purchased my '98 VVC last may.At first i was extremely pleased with the returns,my best being just over 400 miles on a full tank now i just manage to achieve between 280-300.The mileage on the car is 21,000,it is totally standard and is driven gently in order to get the maximum milage that i can achieve.I once read on a previous thread that someone mentioned a blocked breather/hose from the air filter housing,could affect the economy-could anyone please en-lighten me further?
Leo

I have a steptronic. It has done 3300 miles and is averaging 32 mpg.
steve

Having plotted the MPG over a whole year for my 1996 VVC (I have to keep records for business purposes)

I have the following :-
27.9 MPG around town (min 24.9)
30.7 MPG mixed
34.9 MPG Motorway (max 39.2)

Although these figures also greatly depend on the weather.

hope this helps

N850 TAY
Allan Inness

My 1.8i is 5 years old next week. It has only done 17700 miles, but at 38.6 mpg.(sadly I don't have to keep detailed records...but many of the miles are chasing steam trains!)
N2PDW
Phil Wright

Hi,
i can confirm on a full tank 45/48lts i get approx 25 mpg but that driving quite hard around the island small roads which is a real buzz,i get 280/260 miles on the clock from the full tank,my be if i did motorway driving at a constant speed look at 34/36mpg
but what the hell what's a sports car for.SPEED/ THRILL'S
ken
ken

Due to the fact I am currently working in Berlin, my F spends a lot of time in a secure garage near Heathrow, but a normal 100 miles per weekend would be 80 miles on the motorway at approximately 70mph of course, and then 20 around Croydon. This gives 35-36mpg on a regular basis in a1998 R reg 1.8i. Driving around London for a couple of days stop start dropped it to 27ish.
Basically, my numbers agree with Allan Inness's and sadly I too have to keep detailed records.

MIke D R852SLN
Mike Douglas

This thread was discussed between 01/02/2001 and 14/02/2001

MG MGF Technical index

This thread is from the archive. The Live MG MGF Technical BBS is active now.