Miles to empty display

Faults and Technical chat for the Nissan Pulsar
kt53
Posts: 626
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 4:29 pm

Post by kt53 »

I had an entertaining journey today. Left home with display showing 320 miles, by the time I got back home it was showing 308 so how many miles had I covered? Easy I hear you say - 12 miles. Wrong, I say, the answer is 95! At various points on the journey I actually watched the Miles to Empty figure increase.
Presumably it's because normally the majority of my journeys are short and in town. Today was a longer one, predominantly on roads with 50 and 60 mph speed limits. I know it's not really a fault but it does indicate just how useless the display actually is.

naimkhan
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Feb 17, 2017 12:12 am

Post by naimkhan »

When my fuel gauge is full the needle tends to move when I do about 120 miles on premium diesel but my driving is mostly motorway journeys so maybe that's why.

On a full tank it shows about 415-420 miles, I roughly do about 400 miles before I top it up again.

Btw avoid topping up from Tesco/Sainsburys etc as the fuel quality is so poor and you won't get the best out your tank. I would advise Shell V power or BP.
gezt
Posts: 181
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 5:43 pm
Location: Saddleworth

Post by gezt »

Hi, the difference between supermarket fuel and named fuel supply such as shell,Texaco etc is all to do with additives.
Supermarkets load out of same terminals using same loading pipes as all the rest, they don't put so many additives into the tanker but basic fuel is the same. Try shopping around for additives to add to your tank after fueling up and see whether the price difference is worth it.
Another alternative is to fuel up at shell, Texaco, no every fourth tan and you will get those missing additives .
Servicing is the best way to make sure the engine runs at optimum performance.
I am x tanker driver for both supermarket and national garages.
Hope that helps.
kt53
Posts: 626
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 4:29 pm

Post by kt53 »

I certianly wouldn't pay the extra for Shell V power or similar. The claimed gains in fuel consumption are more than wiped out by the additional cost of the fuel.
Metalmickey
Posts: 167
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2016 8:55 pm

Post by Metalmickey »

The displayed miles to empty is dependant on the driving conditions as you have indicated and is just a rough guide. I had the same thing with a previous car where the display showed more miles at the end of certain journeys than when I started.
Dual carriageway driving 50-60 mph will give you the best miles per tank.Stop start town driving and foot to the floor driving will show less miles per tank.
The display cannot be truly accurate unless the driving style is constantly maintained such as a rolling road which in real time is impossible.
gezt
Posts: 181
Joined: Sat Feb 25, 2017 5:43 pm
Location: Saddleworth

Post by gezt »

Agree with metal Mickey, o. The truck i drive i can get average and real time fuel consumption, we have very sophisticated trackers, monitors fitted which track and test everything to the nth degree, they always show the vehicle readout to be inaccurate because of the dynamics.i.e uphill,downhill winds etc. They like the sat have are a guide and not a given. Eyes and common sense is always best.
kt53
Posts: 626
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 4:29 pm

Post by kt53 »

I understand the reasons for the inaccuracy. I've just never seen it happening in front of my eyes before. What it does suggest is extremely good fuel economy when on a decent run. My 2 litre Primera used to give well over 40 mpg on motorway runs and it looks as if this may exceed that. It's 1.2 petrol.
Metalmickey
Posts: 167
Joined: Tue Jul 12, 2016 8:55 pm

Post by Metalmickey »

I get 42mpg on combined A, B roads and dual carriageway 12 miles each way, 1.6 petrol compared to previous car mazda 2.0l petrol which gave 35mpg so decent improvement with more grunt when needed.
Brownie4583
Posts: 72
Joined: Sun Apr 24, 2016 5:06 pm

Post by Brownie4583 »

It is confusing as my previous car when full said 420 miles but the pulsar rarely goes above 300.
If it says 250 and you are on motorway you can drive 50-100 miles and it can still be on 250
kt53
Posts: 626
Joined: Sun Nov 13, 2016 4:29 pm

Post by kt53 »

Yeah, the miles to empty really has little true value, and seems to be far more inaccurate on the Pulsar than on any previous car. Keeping an eye on the gauge is the better route.
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