Fuel economy

Fuel Economy

Figures in the table below are approximate, based on real-world experience of SELOC members.

Engine	Steady motorway driving	Spirited B-road driving	on Track
K series - 118hp	37mpg	34mpg	?
K series - 160hp	?	?	?
K series - 200hp	?	?	?
Toyota	?	?	?
Honda NA	37mpg	31mpg	?
Honda SC	36-40	20-25	7-10
Audi 250hp	?	28mpg	?
Audi 300hp	?	?	?

To calculate fuel economy, divide the distance travelled since the tank was full by the number of imperial gallons it takes to fill the car again. 36L = 7.9 Gallons, 1L = 0.22 Gallons (see Google's conversion thingy)

Tank Capacity

While not strictly related to fuel economy, this is a common question on the forums. The 'offical' tank capacity of an elise is 36L, however brimming a completely empty elise can take up to 45L.

S1

The fuel guage on an S1 elise is hopelessly unreliable. On the S1, there is a digital readout which displays: Full>34L>33L>32L...11L>Refill. This can change by as much as 6L on a long corner, but 'Refill' normally means you have about 10-15% capacity remaining (good for about 30 miles of steady driving).

S2

Early S2 gauge is still a number read out and is better than the S1 gauge as it will give you a good idea how much fuel is in the car, but just displays REFILL at 6lts.

The Later (Cir 04) S2 fuel gauge is a simple 5 segment display which obscures erratic readings simply by having a less granular display.

Fuel Economy Tips from Guy

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http://forums.seloc.org/member.php?action=viewpro&member=GPZarquon |-

http://wiki.seloc.org/images/5/5f/Guy_pic.gif |-

Extracted from Guy's well known thread "Bored of your front Speakers"? http://arc.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=90546&page=1 |- One of Guy's finest achievements in life is his method on how to become fuel efficient in a Lotus Elise. However the reader will note that Guy's passionate mission to become "Green" has led to several challenges along the way. |- So here is Guy's acount of how to be lean and green. |- Switching off the engine when going downhill is Guy's commitment to saving energy and helping to prevent climate change. |- Guy says, "my favourite gear is neutral. Every chance I get, I run with the engine off and the ignition switch on. I call it driving Soap Box Derby style. I have been doing this for five years. So you can see, coasting downhill has become a hobby". |- "I use every downhill slope to coast with the engine off, especially if I can stay above 40 mph—even if I can coast only for a couple hundred feet. Of course, if a green light turns red ahead of me, I immediately turn the engine off and coast. There is no sense in burning fuel, even small amounts if I am going to stop anyway. However, if the battery charge is particularly low and I have uphill slopes ahead of me, I will sometimes use downhill slopes and deceleration to a stoplight to get a little extra charge in the battery". |- "Another trick I use is to coast UP hills with the engine off if I have enough momentum to crest the hill without going too slow. This turns what would normally be very negative mileage miles into very positive miles. I use the backside of the hills to regain my speed, usually with the engine still off as long as I am not impeding or blocking traffic". |- Here is Guy coasting downhill |-