Avoiding BGOL around town

Topics relating to Advanced Driving in cars
TripleS
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby TripleS » Sat Jan 30, 2016 6:15 pm

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:
TheInsanity1234 wrote:It's probably better for the AC bits'n'bobs to be left running all the time rather than every so often.

Not any more, it isn't. Modern refrigerants don't dry out seals like the old stuff used to do.


That's interesting and I didn't know that.

Somebody (can't remember who it was) within the motor trade told me that on modern cars it isn't possible to switch off the AC, and this is so that the seals don't dry out, but this was a few years ago and the situation may have changed again.

TripleS
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby TripleS » Sat Jan 30, 2016 6:23 pm

Astraist wrote:
TripleS wrote:Because there are those who prefer to always be in a flexible gear, even if there's absolutely no chance of it being needed, which is usually the case.

I mean to say, when do we ever have to accelerate out of danger?


I believe I can dig up a couple of good examples. Chief among them was a bunch of seven cars, a pick-up truck and a van which were pulled in two junctions immediately after a hill.

The driver of a lorry overloaded with gravel (sixty tons) decided to sautée his brakes on the donwhill slope. Since the vehicles weren't standing in a single file, the truck easily ploughed through them, broke a brick wall and only came to a stop when it hit a tree.

Image


Fair enough, I wouldn't claim it will never be necessary, but I can't see the need to be in a responsive gear all the time. It's a matter of evaluation and judgement again.

Astraist
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby Astraist » Sat Jan 30, 2016 7:05 pm

Personally, I do try to stay in a useful gear practically at all times when the car is moving, but I'd agree that it's probably not the most crucial aspect of how I drive.

To prevent the mishaps shown above, it's actually more important to select a useful gear while stopped (at or near the end of the queue), rather than while still slowing down towards it, but generally I do both.

TheInsanity1234
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby TheInsanity1234 » Sat Jan 30, 2016 10:23 pm

Gareth wrote:
TheInsanity1234 wrote:
Gareth wrote:I found an online Yeti Owners Manual - all the systems that are described as 'air conditioning' have a mode where the cooling function can be disabled.

We have a Climatronic system on ours though.

I'm not sure where my patience comes from!

I don't understand what you're getting at. Why would the cooling function be relevant? :oops:

Gareth][quote="TheInsanity1234 wrote:The only "economy" thing you could do to it would be to switch off the AC, but it makes very little difference in terms of consumption so we tend to leave it on all the time.

If you remember, I was suggesting a sequence near the end of journey that might help to reduce moisture in the air conditioning system, to avoid undue misting when the engine is next started.[/quote]
Yes, and I've taken it into account, but I'm not particularly concerned by misting.

Although, the penny's just dropped and you're relating the necessity of demisting the windscreen to my turning the heater off to speed up warming.

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:
TheInsanity1234 wrote:We have a Climatronic system on ours though.

Yes, and ...
TheInsanity1234 wrote:The only "economy" thing you could do to it would be to switch off the AC

Yup, that's the economy mode - in the past the button was even labelled "Econ"

Oh, I see. I was simply a bit confused by Gareth speaking of an "econ" mode when there's no econ button. I'm afraid I've never linked the AC to an econ function. Even on our '06 Galaxy (thankfully retired), the econ mode just meant the AC was switched on and off as necessary as opposed to having it running all the time.
Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:
TheInsanity1234 wrote:but it makes very little difference in terms of consumption so we tend to leave it on all the time

About 1.5 mpg in my old Octavia 1.8T (petrol)

Well, 1.5 mpg isn't much when the car is currently underperforming by about 25 mpg, according to official figures, and underperforming by about 10 mpg according to realistic figures predicted by me.
Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:
TheInsanity1234 wrote:It's probably better for the AC bits'n'bobs to be left running all the time rather than every so often.

Not any more, it isn't. Modern refrigerants don't dry out seals like the old stuff used to do.

I didn't know that! Perhaps I'll switch off the AC for a trip and see what happens.
Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:
TheInsanity1234 wrote:But what I'm trying to do is trap all the heat possible in the engine, with recirculate, it's still taking heat out of the engine to warm the cabin up. The car puts warming up the cabin first, then warming the engine second.

The difference will be marginal. Diesels just take longer to warm up, period.

It did make a difference when the temperatures plummeted to -8.5. I had the oil temperature reading something within 5 miles, whereas when it was -2 and I left the heating on, it took approximately the same amount of time for the oil temperature to read something...
Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:
TheInsanity1234 wrote:Eh, well. I'm not bothered by economy anyway, it's mainly because I tend to rev the engine a lot, and so having an engine up to temperature is ideal for me.

Well learn to drive sensibly until the engine is warm (and that doesn't just mean the temperature gauge - the oil will take significantly longer to warm up).

The oil doesn't reach full operating temperature until after about 8 or so miles of normal driving (including full use of rev range). I tried once, to keep revs under 2000 rpm until the oil was at operating temperature, and it wasn't reading 90 until I was within a couple of miles of my school (15 miles one way).

Mr Cholmondeley-Warner wrote:... and what happened to the other Insanity1234 who was whinging about how uneconomical it was, the other day?

The impatience of youth! :roll:

I simply gave up caring about the economy. I have bigger fish to fry, like completing my A-levels, and dealing with a grandmother that is constantly on the verge of death.

I may go back to worrying about how terrible the consumption is when I've finished my A-levels, and when my grandmother has finally given in.

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Mr Cholmondeley-Warner
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby Mr Cholmondeley-Warner » Sat Jan 30, 2016 11:34 pm

But this is an advanced driving forum... so while we can all appreciate the other pressures of life, the theme is, generally, driving.
Nick

waremark
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby waremark » Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:29 am

Insanity, I am very surprised the Yeti has an oil temperature gauge. Most cars have only water temp gauges. Is oil temp available on the screen between the dials? It is quite normal for the oil to take about 15 mins to get up to temperature.

waremark
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby waremark » Sun Jan 31, 2016 2:30 am

Gareth wrote:
waremark wrote:I am not saying an unnecessary gear change is a crime, but why?

Just mindlessly doing what John Lyon taught me ;-)

Ironic. That's what I thought I was doing!

TheInsanity1234
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby TheInsanity1234 » Sun Jan 31, 2016 1:00 pm

waremark wrote:Insanity, I am very surprised the Yeti has an oil temperature gauge. Most cars have only water temp gauges. Is oil temp available on the screen between the dials? It is quite normal for the oil to take about 15 mins to get up to temperature.

It's a function available in the MFD between the speedometer and the rev counter.

I have to admit, I was surprised when I discovered it, but my driving doesn't revolve around the oil temperature anyway, I tend to rely on the engine "temperature" gauge which will show the engine having reached normal operating temperature when the oil is still around 65 degrees.

I just go on the basis that if the manufacturer thinks it's okay for the car to be driven normally while the oil isn't at operating temperature, then if it blows up it's hardly my fault.

I've got a strong dislike of it now due to dieselgate, so I've suddenly lost the respect I had for it.

ETA: Oh, in fact, it doesn't have a water-temperature gauge (although that could be the engine 'temperature' gauge)...

Gareth
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby Gareth » Sun Jan 31, 2016 9:59 pm

TheInsanity1234 wrote:I've got a strong dislike of it now due to dieselgate, so I've suddenly lost the respect I had for it.

I try to take at least the same if not more care of cars I drive that are owned and maintained by others than I do with my own car. My view of mechanical sympathy includes limiting the engine speed until the coolant is up to normal temperature, and allowing extra time for the oil temperature to rise before I fully 'stretch' the engine. I try to also consider the gearbox oil temperature, since in some cars that might take even longer to warm up than the engine oil.
there is only the road, nothing but the road ...

waremark
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Re: Avoiding BGOL around town

Postby waremark » Sun Jan 31, 2016 11:22 pm

TheInsanity1234 wrote:I've got a strong dislike of it now due to dieselgate, so I've suddenly lost the respect I had for it.

I would like to hear more about why you are affected by dieselgate, but perhaps that would be for a different thread.

BTW Well done Skoda for providing access to oil temperature, I bet not many owners look at it.


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