Damn metz you're getting greedy - that 5th gear is good but it cant work miracles
But then again it DOES depend on how fast you go --- check the archives of my arguments with Gareth
My own rough results:
With the throttle buried into the bulkhead, the 1-litre bottoms out at roughly 30mpg for 90-ish, or attempting to reach it. I think it deserves a gold star for that, as in 4th it can approach the redline down hills, and can be considered "struggling" if it dips under 4500rpm...! (now you see why i wanted an 8P?)
Slowing down, high 30s to 40 is about possible at 80.
70mph-ish or a bit over translates into middling 40s (which correlates with the official figures, no less), which I'm happy about for a 14 year old SPi on a 4-speed box.
55-60 brings it comfortably into the 50s...
And, if you can stand to drive like a grandad and do 40-45, you can see 70mpg or maybe a little better. (Result of that not verified - I can't spare the time to do that kind of protracted test, as it takes forever to even burn up the 2 litre minimum fill - ie best part of an hour - and it gets so that random difference on where the pump clicks off affects the figures! plus anyone following you gets right worked up, especially if you try it, as i did with hazards blazing, down the m6..!).
Don't know if going any slower can garner a few mpg more, but by that point you're falling off the torque peak and the engine is probably getting progressively less efficient - plus the effects of wind resistance start to hold less weight below 40. (I took to trotting around at about 35-40 when i was having a poor patch, seemed to help the bills!)
For working out the mileage, i think bstardchild's method of maths is probably easier
To record the details, either a section marked out in your diary or palmpilot if you carry one of either, or making notes in your phone at the scene helps. Personally I just make sure to always get the receipt showing litres and date when I pay, and use a pen always kept in the door pocket to note down the mileage at that point on the actual receipt itself (for trips under 50 miles where ive topped up both ends, the tripcounter reading too).
Get home, retrieve receipt (or receipts if a few have built up), bung the details into an Excel spreadsheet and get the result out the other end without too much hassle
Keeping an accurate factual record like that rather than just half remembering really helps, and not only for making mileage expense claims from work!
Beating myself up a little at the mo because I forgot to mark on what the mileage was when I left my dads sunday evening, and i probably forgot to note it on the tesco's card-machine one too in all the confusion - it's gonna be quite tricky working autoroute to get the second-best mileage estimate, considering i ended up on quite a twisty ramble with the police station and all.
PS max rpm on a 1-litre: 6500rpm
1/2 = 3250 (about 55mph for me, 65 for metz)
2/3 = 4333 (about 75mph / 85mph) - covering a reasonable base of speeds, though it'll STILL sound like its being overworked at anything over 3500
Tahrey on the motorway = ~5000rpm
hehe
(I balance it out with Tahrey in traffic = engine off / idling in 4th / getting up to about 1750 before changing up, hardly touching the throttle. and still the consumption sucks. what ho.. time to get a lupo 1.0 diesel
what with them being most efficient at maximum load and all)
